The Light Lens: The Magic Queendom

by T. Touris –

Apparently the latest infectious viral meme going around the interwebs is a complaint about adults going to Disney World sans children. Parents are staging their righteous Facebook revolts in order to ensure their kids’ exposure to Cinderella and Snow White is not demonorailed by some childless twenty-something wearing cutoff shorts.

The wonderland of bees facinates observers of all ages, including the owner of the occupied shed, who donned a bee suit and joined in on the fun. Photo T. Touris

Meanwhile, back in reality world, another magical royal story was unfolding. This was the extraction of a honeybee colony from an old outbuilding in Naples, New York. Donning our bee outfits, we sweated more than a Mickey Mouse performer on a 95-degree Florida afternoon, as we carefully removed drywall to expose a large colony.  Seeing the bees blanketing the wall of exposed comb was an awesome sight. The excitement and wonder the property owner showed as she gazed at the colony, rivaled that of any child meeting their favorite Disney character for the first time.

Some of the colony of bees found behind the sheetrock wall. Photo T. Touris

After a sweaty, sticky afternoon of vacuuming bees and removing comb, we loaded up the truck and drove the colony to their new home. More exhausted than parents who just spent the day pushing a stroller through a swarming hive of humanity, we quickly showered and fell into bed.

So, whether you’re a twenty-something in cutoffs looking to recapture childhood memories or a parent looking to put a smile on your child’s face, consider the magic of a bee colony – a glorious, messy immersion in a mysterious and wonderful reality.

Posted on September 4, 2019 by . This entry was posted in Animals, Beekeeping, Finger Lakes, Gardening and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.