You’re the honey of this earth

Bees are in the news again. The insects that attack visitors to Sigiriya were originally supposed to be wasps. Now another theory has come up.

According to one writer they are not wasps, but a kind of bees. In fact, there are 20,000 species of bees. Among them you find many types of bees such as solitary bees, semi-social bees, parasitic bees, orchid bees, humblebees, stringless honeybees and the common honeybees.

Despite their sting, bees are wonderful creatures. In many cultures, the bee was a symbol of purity and chastity. In the middle ages, for instance, the bee symbolised the Virgin Birth. I was amused to read an old book that said only “foolish women and drunkards were stung by bees. The writer also said, “the good, decent and pure people who do not smell or swear” were spared by the bee!

Most beekeepers are happy to surround themselves with buzzing bees without donning protective clothing or using the smoker. Perhaps, bees know that beekeepers are decent men who do not “smell or swear”!

Any sensible person should peep into a bee colony to understand how bees run a “Mini State”. The head of a bee colony is a Queen. She has an army of about a few hundred drones (fertile males), and thousands of workers. Meanwhile, sterile females do all the work of the beehive. Workers are equipped with long tongues for lapping up nectar and with hair-covered limbs modified for pollen gathering. The wax, used in making the cells, is secreted in their bodies.

Bees are important to man because they produce honey. Honey is supposed to reduce your cholesterol level. I hope there is some truth in that statement. But this brings us to the next question: How do bees produce honey?

Any beekeeper would tell you that “honeydew” which the bees collect from the needles, leaves, and twigs of forest trees is a heaven-sent gift, to say the least. Bees suck the juice into their stomachs when they collect the nectar from flowers. In a long process, the water is removed from the honey dew or nectar.

Unlike some human beings, bees are loyal to their clan. The duty-conscious bee transports the greater part of the honey dew it collects to the hive. In fact, at least 20,000 trips are required to make one pound of honey. The beehive is full of activity throughout the day and night. The nectar passes through the stomachs of hundreds of bees removing the water and adding enzymes and proteins from the bees’ own bodies. At one stage bees use their wings to fan air continuously to ventilate the system.

Unlike human beings, busy bees never get tired of collecting nectar from more than a thousand flowers. They carry on their duties without claiming extra remuneration. A worker bee, for instance, spends its first three weeks of its life performing a continually changing schedule of tasks within the beehive. Sometimes, we cannot even imagine how a bee works for twenty-four hours a day in various capacities. The bee plays many roles as a cleaner and a wet nurse. Sometimes, a worker bee works as a lady-in-waiting, warehouse worker, wax producer, structural engineer, architect, gatekeeper, scout, intelligence agent and dancer!

In a thickly populated city like Mumbai or Tokyo there can arise some confusion as regards the functions of separate individuals. However, such confusions are unheard of in a beehive. Every occupant in a beehive knows its duties.

Man has been doing research into bees and honey from time immemorial because honey was virtually the sole sweetening agent in Europe until sugar was made available in the 16th century. Aristotle was perhaps one of the oldest bee researchers. According to some authorities, bees have been collecting nectar for many millions of years. However, the hard work they put in to produce honey is in vain. Bees do not enjoy the fruit of their hard work. Honey is taken away by two-legged (men) and four-legged animals (bears).

Ayurvedic physicians use honey in their medications and vouch for its therapeutic value. The ancient Germans used honey to sweeten their alcoholic drinks. Even Cleopatra, one of the most beautiful women in human history, had used honey for cosmetic, curative and culinary purposes.

Bees and honey have enriched literature in many countries. Talmud once said, “Words are like bees, they bring both honey and a sting.” Goethe had something humorous to say: “He who deals in honey must needs lick his fingers now and then.”

According to the Upanishads, written in the seventh century B.C., “This earth is the honey of all beings; all beings the honey of this earth.” it is an eternal truth.