PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Tuesday 22 May 2012

Ninety-Five and He Still Climbs Ladders...

Tuesday dawned fair, sunny and warm and we spent a very happy morning tackling some long-delayed jobs.
I was just taking a treat to Little Red Hen when I became aware of an all-pervasive hum. I was surrounded by it.    My first thought was that I must have some bees or wasps flying around my head ...mild panic began to set in!
Indeed it did turn out to be bees -  they were swarming onto the branch of a tree.  In that funny way of coincidences, I had only been chatting the previous day to John, (I have posted about him here) one of our wonderful Village Elders, and he said his hive lacked a Queen, so he was hoping for a swarm...
I practically ran up the road to John's house, to see whether these bees would be suitable.   John has been keeping bees since he was 10 years old -  he is 95 now - and still very highly regarded, far and wide, for his knowledge on the subject.  At one time he had 30 hives all in full production.
I was getting very nervous - not so much about the bees - but because I was wondering how on earth John was going to collect this swarm of bees which were located about 7 or 8 feet up a tree.......remember, John is 95 years old and slightly shorter than he used to be!
There was some discussion, with George offering to collect them, but John was insistent that he would do it...we did some rapid thinking and I suggested that perhaps we could get the scaffolding set up to give him a secure platform.  I still wasn't happy at the idea of him scaling the ladders, but one problem at a time...
To cut a long story short - here is John, up the ladders and sweeping the bees into a box.  I was terrified that  he would trip or fall.  I know John's family sometimes reads this blog:  Please accept my apologies, we made it as safe as we could, we tried to dissuade him from climbing, but he is a stubborn man!    
George only got stung twice while he was supporting the ladders and making sure that John would have a reasonably soft landing if he took the short route down...
I am happy to report that everything went well.  John is remarkably spry, all things considered.  Apart from having to use a stick, he moves like a spring chicken.  As I type we are still waiting for the last few bees to go inside the hive and then John will come back and take the box of bees to his place where there is a hive ready and waiting for them.

I'll keep you posted!
Hot off the press......
This is John and George wrapping the bees ready for transportation...a couple of hundred yards up the road, by car...
George carrying the buzzing box out to John's car....brave man.  Apologies for the poor quality, night was falling, the light has gone.......and so have the bees.  Yippee!

30 comments:

  1. Catching up with your blogs tonight, Elaine. Old John is amazing. Hope he gets his queen.

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    1. Hello Molly, Isn't he amazing! He seemed very happy because it didn't take long for all the bees to decide that the box was the place to be - he'd left a small gap for them to fly in and out of it - so he was pretty sure she must have been inside.

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  2. Too much excitement for one day! Bees, ladders, old John. Never know what you'll get out of blog, er, bed for.

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    1. Hello Joanne, Quite right! We just never know. Now that we have had a swarm of bees and seen how John dealt with it.......I'll be very happy if we never have another one! Next door can have the fun.

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  3. that was a cracking bloody post!
    loved it

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    1. Hello John, The best bit was while we were waiting to see whether the bees would settle after being swept into the box. We retreated indoors for a cup of tea and John told me some wonderful stories about how he got into beekeeping. That was brilliant stuff.

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    1. Hello Jane, It was, indeed! It was a stressful, but really interesting experience. I hope John is none the worse for his climb.

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  5. I can only hope to be so spry and together at 95. Bless him. What an exciting afternoon you guys had. Just a couple of stings is one too many for me.

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    1. Hello Susan, John is truly remarkable. He is wonderful to stop and have a chat to - full of brilliant stories and useful information plus he has a great sense of humour. I feel so very lucky to live near him.

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  6. Hello my friend....I hope both of us are able to climb ladders at 95.....will you be seeing some of the honey from these bees? I have a source for local honey here in the country and it is so good.

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    1. Hello Meggie, John has promised us some honey - so let's hope the bees get working and doing their thing. George suffers from hay fever, so honey which is so local would be really beneficial for him...I bet it will taste rather special too!

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  7. That is all so interesting! I'm so impressed that you realized what was happening when you found the swarm and knew to contact John. It seems like you did both John and the bees a favor. Good job!

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    1. Hello Ms Sparrow, It was initially difficult to understand what was happening, the sound they made was an enormous surround-sound buzz. I hope they stay in John's nicely prepared hive - no doubt he will give me an update when I pop along to see Arnold, so I will let you know.

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  8. Elaine, what a story. I was on the edge of my seat routing for John to collect the bees and make it down okay. We are lucky to have a bee keeper down the road from us and hopefully, if I ever come across a loud humming, he will come to our rescue as John did for you. Great teamwork!! XOXO

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    1. Hello Susan, They say life is quiet in the country...but there is never a dull day around here! It was both terrifying and fascinating watching John calmly climb the ladder and sweep the bees into the box. What a hero! He has promised us some of the honey which they will produce, which is really kind. I would make a note of your bee keeper's telephone number, you never know!

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  9. That is a truly inspirational story about John, the 95-year-old, collecting the bees. If I ever get to be that old, I hope to be able to just get up out of my chair once in a while - but climbing ladders or scaffolding, no way! I can barely do it now. The fact that John is still keeping bees and is so attuned with nature is wonderful.

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    1. Hello Evlyn, Isn't he remarkable! I may have to go into therapy to deal with the stress of watching him climb up there and then get back down. However, he did a wonderful job, he was so calm and knowledgeable, it was an experience I will never forget. I just hope the bees settle and enjoy life down the road in his hive.

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  10. What an amazing bloke, I hope to be as spry at ninety-five! Can you ask John where he gets his hat from please? I think I want one.

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    1. Hello Owl, I will order one for you! I didn't think you would want to be involved with this one...I know how deep your fear of flying, stinging insects goes. It was an average-sized swarm, apparently, but given that it practically filled the box...

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  11. A sudden swarm of bees is as much fun as a Christmas Panto. Well done John (and you).

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    1. Hello Cro, It probably looked something like a Christmas Panto. John is a real hero and I feel very fortunate to have him as a neighbour.

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  12. OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE BEES, THE LADDER... all of it makes be quiver!

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    1. Hello Little Home in the Country, John was amazing! Dodgy hips/knees, heart problems, nothing was going to stop him. I was terrified.

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  13. John is MY HERO!!! What a man! I'm sure beekeeping has helped keep him young. Fabulous!

    I really want to learn to collect swarms (or just try it. It's not that complex!) So glad you were able to find someone to collect yours. It's swarm season here, too.

    Last week we had a swarm move into a car at a dealership in the town near us:

    http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=3561169

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    1. Hello Natalie, Isn't he remarkable! I sort of wonder whether he set some sort of record that day - given his age - there can't be many of 95 who could do what he did. I'll have a look at that article shortly - I bet that swarm caused a few problems!

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  14. OMG! I had a swarm last year in the back of my log house and I was lucky that a young man came and collected my bees. Very dramatic photos!! Wowza!

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    1. Hello Ronna, Isn't he a wonderful man! We were both so worried about him, but he was as cool as a cucumber - pretty essential around bees, I guess!

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  15. Hello Elaine, I've just found your beautiful blog through Cheryl's My Little Piece of England. So looking forward to reading your future and past posts :) Please pop over to my blog if you get a spare minute. Maggie xx

    http://prettyflowersinthewindow.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Hello Maggie, Welcome! It is lovely to meet you - I will nip over to your blog a little later and say hello. Granddaughter has just arrived, so I must dash!

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