Yesterday was the United States’ holiday for Independence Day. As the sun noticeably began to set for evening meal/dusk, I got an apologetic swarm call. The caller and I had spoken the day before and she reported a primary swarm landing at the neighbor’s tree (her live play-by-play was fun). Being the ethical neighbor, I was very impressed with her sense of responsibility. She is afraid of bees and recognizes their importance in the ecosystem so she called me. She knows the neighboring house isn’t sold or occupied, so she asked permission of the building supervisor for someone like me to enter the property for a removal. This is the model responsible citizen! I haven’t gotten a swarm call since early June, so an old adage came to mind as I drove to respond to the call. I have also been trying to find its source as it is frequently recited:
A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.
I went to Project Gutenberg and found the verse in Nursery Rhymes of England (Fourth Class – Proverbs) XCIV, which prefaces the verse with “[The following is quoted in Miege’s ‘Great French Dictionary,’ fol. Lond. 1687, 2d part.]” Visit the Internet Archive for a fun look at the Great French Dictionary.
I am fascinated about the way people’s lives were so involved in food production (and survival) and that honey was important enough for someone to create a rhyme about swarms to pass down the family line. It also shows the way oral tradition worked before widespread literacy. And while I learned (and taught) plenty of nursery rhymes in my lifetime, I guess time and relevance to our family passed and evolved between the verse’s creation and my childhood such that I didn’t know this verse until a couple years after I started keeping bees. Edited after reflection: The verse also reminds me about animal husbandry and climate of the time. Without movable combs, which were invented in 1851, a swarm in July was probably not worth the work it took to get it. But today, I disagree with the adage as it relates to July. A late swarm can boost and re-invigorate a small colony that may not have survived winter until it was combined with the swarm. I have gotten swarm calls (and storm damage and bee tree calls) as late as August. I accept them as a public service rather than reject them as ‘not worth a fly.’ Adding swarms late in the season supports my practice because I combine colonies in the fall – win-win! re: the primary/secondary swarm. The power of networks is proven to me on a daily basis. I took the primary swarm call to our charming swarm call list manager. The result of taking the call to manager: The neighbor reported that two brothers and daughter/niece took the swarm away with a vacuum. Another adage comes to mind: All’s well that ends well. (see here and here).