Bumblebees In Bobby-Socks
Bumblebees can sting, despite that, it's hard not to find them simply
astonishing! Normally they are
peaceful insects and efficient gatherers of nectar and pollen.
That is unless you disturb their nests, which can really aggravate them.
In early spring or summer you can find the queen bees at flowers because
they are the only ones to survive the harsh winters to form new colonies.
There is one particular queen bee that I found quite exciting as I knelt
down to smell a beautiful flower in my garden.
She was quite large, black and furry with yellow on her stomach and head.
She reminded me of a small stuffed toy, something you might find in a
specialty store that you couldn't resist purchasing. I spoke softly to her referring to her as "My Lady"
as a queen might want to be addressed. She
whispered softly back to me for my name.
I said; "My Lady, my friends all call me ANTie Patti."
She smiled and said softly; "ANTie Patti, I have watched you working
hard in your garden and I couldn't help but notice the lovely flowers that you
have cared for." "You
also have a lovely gardenia, a very fragrant flower in your hair and the scent
is simply irresistible!" "Would
you mind if I took a closer look?" I
nodded back and she flew gracefully over to my flower landing right in the
middle of it. I asked; "My
Lady if she had any children, perhaps they noticed me in my garden too. She simply replied that a cold winter would be coming soon
and after that she would start a new colony.
I wanted desperately to see her children and asked her to show them to me
whenever they arrived. She smiled
and nodded and off she flew to the next delicious flower.
The seasons were quickly changing and soon winter came hard and fast.
The snow blanketed my garden and there were ice-sickles everywhere.
Then the snow melted just as quickly as it came and it didn't take long
for spring to show her shining face. I
decided to get some work done in my garden since the weather had turned out so
nice that day. And what a joyous day it was!
I had taken off my shoes and bobby socks awhile back and left them by the
creek. I could still see them as I
headed down the hill. I noticed
them moving slowly back and forth. So
curious as I was I decided to peek inside.
Inside my old pair of bobby socks were a dozen tiny bumble babies buzzing
around!
My Lady quickly flew by and explained to me that these were her children.
They would take care of my flowers by gathering pollen and nectar.
I was so pleased that she remembered me and now I had seen her bumble
babies in my very own bobby socks! I
never outgrew those old bobby socks, in fact after the babies left the socks and
ventured into my garden I put up a small sign that read; "These Bobby-socks
Reserved For "My Lady" and her beautiful Bumble Babies!"
Copyright
1997 by Author Patti Tricoli
