Last week, I had the chance—along with four other beekeepers—to rehome a colony of honeybees in LaFayette, Georgia. It was a fantastic experience, made even more memorable by the rich history of the land. Every now and then, a breeze would drift through the cracks of the old corn crib, carrying beams of sunlight and a sense of history. Who knew a barrel of bees could stir up the whispers of the past?
“The corn crib where the bees are living is about 100 years old. The land has belonged to my family since the 1830’s through the Civil War to the present day. We had about 175 acres. My grandfather raised cattle, pigs, chickens, mules, and horses. He also farmed cotton, tobacco, and all the family garden foods like tomatoes, potatoes, corn for the livestock, onions, grain, sorghum, peas, squash, and okra. I still have an orginal grapevine on my patch of the family propery.
~ Greg
The bees entwinwed their comb around the corncob, almost as if to hold onto a piece of the past
Bees make wax from their own bodies and I can’t help but pause and admire it every time I get the opportunity to see it.
After we removed the hard cardboard that made up the barrel.
Using the bee vacuum to remove as many bees as possible. This is a special type of vacuum that doesn’t harm the bees.
My great grandfather, Charlie Green, kept and plowed a mule until he was 86. During the Great Depression he considered himself lucky to own two teams of mules for plowing. My great grandfather, Robert Green, was a blacksmith.
~ Greg
Removals are not easy. It’s hard, hot work. When beeKEEPERS relocate bees-we do the best we can to keep the bees comb, their nectar, honey, and pollen stores. We do our best to keep things the way the built them. That isn’t always easy because feral bees build comb to fit the space they are filling.
Bees. Were. Everywhere.
Charlie & Lilly Green raised 8 children on this land. Five boys & three girls. Charlie’s father was born in a log cabin that unfortunately burned down.
~ Greg
You will be happy to know we found the queen! We placed her in a queen clip and placed her into the box we put the bees in so the bees would want to stay. We took the bees to their new home where they lived happily ever after.
Appalachian families are built on grit, grace, and deep roots—weathering storms with strength passed down like heirlooms, and holding tight to one another through it all…just like these bees.
