Wandering Off Again

Hey there! Lately, I’ve been taking a little detour from the bee natural pathway. I can almost hear you thinking, “Here she goes again!”

Where to Now?

Life’s more than just bees, especially in Wyoming’s climate where we get more non-bee weather than the buzzing kind in a season. Meaningful hive inspections are still weeks away, and the real bee action won’t kick in for months.

If everything was done right late last summer, the bees are what they are, and meddling with them now only complicates matters. Equipment work can wait for warmer temperatures when glue, paint, and a warmer beekeeper seem to work faster and better.

What, Me Dance?

Check out this mesmerizing clip:

I’ve never quite understood dance. Sure, I felt its power that night my son came back from Iraq. But this performance? It’s downright astounding, with a power and beauty that I rarely experience. Watching it, I lost my full awareness of two humans dancing, and it didn’t fully return until the lights came on at the end.

What do you think? Did those dancers achieve their purpose? Is it ever too late for an old beekeeper, too awkward and embarrassed, to learn something new?

Bee Dance

Speaking of dances, maybe the DVAV dance should reclaim its old name? I’ve always thought ‘joy dance’ suits it better. Joy perfectly captures the energy and excitement the dancing bee transfers to her lethargic partners. Sometimes, science takes the joy out of things!

And it’s not just sentimental anthropomorphism. Recent research has shown that smaller-brained animals can experience the full range of function and emotion of larger-brained animals. They don’t lack function, just precision.

Me and the Bees Dancing?

Just like those honeybees, where one full of energy and expression shakes up her lethargic companion, these dancers have sparked something in me!

So, out with the DVAV and in with the joy dance! Both for me and the bees. And if I’m in the mood and way out in a beeyard by myself, I might just do my own version of a beekeeper’s joy dance. I’ve certainly experienced my share of joy while working with bees.

In my mind, my joy dance might resemble that dance above—full of power, expression, grace, and energy. But as joyous as that might be in my mind, you know why I’d only do my own bumbling and stumbling by myself, way out in one of my beeyards. 😄

Too Far?

Did I wander too far off the path? Certainly not far enough to get into much trouble, I hope.

✨

Cheers, D 🌴🌊