I’m into my fourth year of beekeeping and while I still consider myself a newbie, I do feel I’ve come a long way. For one—and an important one at that—I can now find the queen.
Finding the queen—or queenspotting, as they say—is huge in beekeeping. There are books on the subject, like this cool Where’s Waldo-style QueenSpotting, by Hilary Kearney, or #queenspotting challenges on Instagram. These are basically where I learned to spot my queens.
We all know how important the queen is. She’s the heart and soul of a honey bee colony after all, and because she’s the only one who lays fertilized eggs, she’s the prime indicator of its productivity. No queen, no colony.
But did you know the other bees are equally important?
A honey bee colony is a superorganism, meaning its three types of bees—workers, drones, and the queen—are dependent upon one another. Each engages in a specialized division of labor that selflessly supports the survival of the colony. We can liken this to Aristotle’s “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” but in plain, everyday speak, let’s just say honeybees work together for the good of all.
What great role models honey bees are for us humans!
November is Gratitude Month and Giving Month
Inspired by my bees and in thankfulness for all my clients do for me, November is the month I pass it forward. Each year Adunate accepts two pro bono projects for greatly reduced or no cost. These are projects I strongly support and believe will positively impact God’s creation, his people, or his ministry.
My areas of focus include, but aren’t limited to:
- Agriculture & Animals
- Architecture
- Arts
- Children
- Environment
- Faith
- History
- Humanity
- Food & Drink
- Sustainability
If your caring organization needs creative support in the coming year, click here for an application. Then, to guarantee your project’s success, be sure to click here!
My deadline for submissions is December 31, 2019. I will let applicants know of my decision in January.
By the way, did you find the queen? Here she is, that royal lady!
