Saturday, February 2, 2013

An Ode to the Queen, or quite simply: Mom

There are many events in our lives that we can't avoid.  For our bees, it's the death of their queen.

For my family it was the death of my mother on 15 Jan 2013.

I've been reflecting a lot the last few weeks on moms, motherhood, parenting, and nurturing.

Sacrifice comes to mind too.

When doing talks or presentations on bees I like to let people know, especially moms, that bees aren't too much different than they are.  My main point is the sacrifice that the queen makes for the future of her offspring.

When it comes time to swarm, the old, mature but experienced queen leaves the hive.  She flies out into the unknown and unsafe world to seek a new home.  It's dangerous and it could mean her death or the failure of the swarm to reproduce.

The queen takes this risk so that she can leave the safety and comfort of the established hive to her inexperienced daughter who will soon hatch and be that hive's new queen.

When I talk about this I notice many women's eyes will well up.  They understand the reason why the queen does this.  She'll do whatever it takes to ensure the success of her offspring.

I'd like to thank all the moms and queens out there that have sacrificed their peace and comfort for their children.