Spring – rain and sun, it’s time to mow. As I approached the ditch line on my mower, I noticed what looked like a half box of cereal emptied there … had some wag dumped a box of wheat puffs on my lawn? No. Honey bees. A small breakaway colony forming its own swarm. Part of the rites of spring.
As I looked closer, I saw a stack of fluttering wings, beating the air to protect the queen resting at the bottom of the pile, sheltering her in the cool of morning. I wondered, what caused the swarm to miss the hemlock branches directly overhead, and pitch their tent on my lawn? Their first solo outing?
What to do? These gals are the friends of farmers, a fleet of airborne flower lovers. Precious pollinators.
A quick google search led me to the Knox County Beekeepers Association. Steve Morton of KCBA arrived in Holston Hills, about an hour later, and took control of the relocation effort. After donning protective netting, Steve crouched on the lawn and began scooping up bees, urging them to enter a temporary bee box lined with honey comb frames.
Bees buzzed around him and landed on his back, face and arms, before ultimately joining their queen in the box. A thin lid sealed the temporary transporter.
Off they drove, back to the Powell area, to help gather pollen and make honey for hungry tea drinkers, armed with their favorite biscuits and raised pinkies.
A happy ending for all.
Nick Della Volpe is a lawyer, a gardener and a former member of Knoxville City Council.