The lives of bees and humans have been entwined as far back as the Egyptians. Bees were linked with royalty, appeared in hieroglyphs, and jars of honey were even included in a marriage contract. The Vikings viewed honey as a precious commodity when trading, especially as it was used for their much-loved mead, while the Greeks and Romans viewed bees as messengers from the Gods and Goddesses.
Wherever a hive is, humans are sure to benefit. Throughout the centuries honey has been used for art, medicine, food preserve, make-up, religious ceremonies, and we haven't even touched on it as a sweetener!
My short story, Tell It To The Bees, in issue 209 of The People’s Friend Special focuses on a mix of early and late Victorian beekeeping alongside the timelessness of bee folklore.
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| Illustration by Tracy Fennell |
Various superstitions surround bees and their keepers. The most well-known is having to keep the hive abreast of family events. Be it a death, marriage or someone moving out, if you didn’t let the bees know it would be taken as an insult, causing them to fly off and never return. Certainly, something like an elopement would put them in a snit.
Covering the hive in mourning colours was the best way to tell them of a death, but there are also regional based rhymes which the new master could say. Newly married couples would also have to meet the bees and leave them a slice of wedding cake.
The origins of why the bees need such gossip is unknown, but it could be because our ancestors believed they had ties with the afterlife.
Other superstitions include:- Good luck will touch a household if a bee flies inside, but they must fly back out of their own accord for the luck to remain.
- Bees are unable to harm a maiden. Also, a potential lover could be introduced to the hive, and if they get away without any stings they’ll remain faithful.
- A bee landing on your hand means money is heading your way.
- But if a swarm settled on a dying tree on someone’s property, death is coming instead.
To go alongside my story, I’m going to focus on Victorian beekeeping. Throughout housekeeping journals, honey is mentioned either as a sweetener or in recipes for delicious honey cakes. The wax was used for regular and religious candles, polish and moustache wax.
A beekeeping association was formed in 1874 (The British Beekeepers Association). The rise in popularity led to apiaries on estates, a yard of hives so the household could have their own homemade honey.
Protective equipment included a wide brimmed hat with a mesh veil and a blouse style top with ties, although there was a wicker mask outfit back in the 1500s which frankly looks terrifying.
At the time, skeps were still used by keepers to house bees. They were made of straw and looked like upside down baskets. When the honeycomb was ready to be harvested, rather than finding a new hive to drum the queen and her bees into, the skeps were pulled apart and the bees destroyed.
By the mid-19th century, Reverend Langstroth, had designed a box style wooden beehive similar to what we are familiar with now, making it easier and safer to collect honey from.
In the past, beekeeping methods have destroyed bees. Now keepers understand how precious bees are, not only as a provider of wax and honey but as a vital part of the natural environment.
However, bees are still under threat. Harmful chemicals in pesticides and the destruction of local green spaces have led to a reduction in the bee population.
There are many ways people can help, including signing petitions or writing to local politicians to champion environmental issues. But the most important thing is to plant bee friendly flowers, such as lavender, fox gloves, honeysuckle and primrose as well as putting up bee houses to give bees safe spaces while gathering pollen.
