Honey Bee Down

So there I was, minding my own business... Well, actually, I wasn't minding my own business.

I was in my backyard checking on the resident garden spiders. I've been watching them and learning by observation, but that's a story for another blog post.

A honey bee was caught in one of the older, tattered spider webs. He struggled to break free as he wiggled his legs against the confining threads. I took a quick look around, it seemed this spider web was abandoned. Or, so I convinced myself.

I understand the law of nature. If a spider already had the honey bee and was munching away, I would lament, "Oh pooh. Score 1 for the spider, 0 for the honey bee. Poor honey bee."

Since there was no spider in sight and none moving in for the kill, I decided to interfere.

A bee and a spider's web. The story of a honey bee rescue.

Help Has Arrived

I spied a forlorn leaf and scooped the bee out of the sticky threads. He was pitiful, unable to fly. He could barely walk as he fell this way and that on the leaf.

I remembered the sugar-water-on-a-spoon honey bee remedy that I saw on Pinterest. A way to help a honey bee that was exhausted and far from home. It seemed a little far-fetched, but I pinned it on the off chance it might come in handy.

Now was the moment.

I carried the leaf holding the honey bee back to the house. I briefly thought about bringing him inside, then changed my mind. If he had a sudden recovery and started flying about, we'd have another problem of how to get him back out safely. I set him down on the patio next to my sliding glass door.

A honey bee on a leaf. Here is a story of a honey bee rescue.

I bolted into the kitchen and grabbed my sugar container. I poured a spoonful of sugar in a small bowl, added warm tap water, and stirred to dissolve the granules. I stepped back outside to find my honey bee still lying there. He was constantly falling over as he tried to walk. I maneuvered the spoon in front of him. He held on to its edge. He appeared to take a long drink. Or was he just holding on? Hard for me to tell.

He pushed off from the spoon and staggered about on the patio. He fell into a concrete seam and couldn't get out, I helped him up with the leaf.

A bumble bee drinking sugar water from a spoon.

Recovery Process

He was still staggering and falling over. I was worried. Perhaps I would simply bear witness to his demise. But then, he started to preen himself, cleaning his little antennae. Surely this was a good sign?

After more cleaning, he lied down, tucked in his tiny wings and bowed his head. I swear he took a nap. I know honey bees sleep, having seen photos of it (on Pinterest again). Maybe he even had a miniature honey bee dream when he gave a tiny jerk.

This had to be encouraging, since I usually saw dead bees with their wings open. On the other hand, maybe he was bowing his head as he prepared to die.

I waited.

He awakened, legs started moving again. He was stronger, less staggering. Another careful cleaning of his legs and antennae. I wondered if he needed more sugar water and placed the spoon in front of him. Nope, he didn't want it. I retreated with my spoon, watching.

He buzzed his wings. Now it really seemed like a good sign. He walked forward with determination. He buzzed again. Suddenly, he lifted straight up and flew away into the blue sky.

Honey bee rescue accomplished.

Honey bee coming in for a landing on a flower. Read the story about the rescue of a honey bee.

The Smallest Amongst Us

“... mysterious and little known organisms live within walking distance of where you sit.
Splendor awaits in minute proportions.”

— Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia

Moral of the story: some things on Pinterest really do work.

Honey bee rescue with sugar water. One little honey bee saved.

The first image is from the fable: The Spider and The Honey Bee

Hummingbirds And Honey Bees

Getting ready for work one morning, I looked out my kitchen window and spied a hummingbird flitting amongst the flowering bushes in my backyard.

As the hummingbird lifted up from sipping a flower, it stopped mid-air. A honey bee had appeared and the two of them hovered in space directly facing one another. Long moments passed while they had, what appeared to be, quite a serious conversation.

Inter-Species Conversation

It was amazing to see this take place, suspended in the air, right in front of me. Remarkable, because hummingbirds and bees are some of the rare species that can actually hover.

They both flew a few inches further and then stopped again, bee nose to hummingbird beak. It would appear there was more to say. It really did seem that they chatted with purpose and intensity.

Then, the honey bee buzzed off into space and the hummingbird zipped back to another tempting flower. I couldn't tell who had the final word.

For the rest of the morning I wondered what that conversation was all about. Perhaps they were discussing the merits of the nearby flowers. Perhaps they were disputing territorial rights. Or, perhaps, it was a simple inter-species conversation of, "Hey, I see you. You can hover too!"

One of the unsolved, only witnessed, mysteries of nature.

Connecting With Nature With TRT®

When you're outside, you can use The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) to expand your awareness of nature. It's possible to deepen your connection with plants and wildlife through the use of TRT® hands-on while observing the many creatures who share the planet with us.

There is much to be learned from nature, even in our own backyards. As we watch hummingbirds and honey bees flit from blossom to blossom and listen to their buzzing sounds as they zoom here and there, our hearts are reminded to rejoice in the natural beauty that surrounds us.

Hearts in the Wind