A Sense Of Belonging

I sat with my bees in the early morning today and didn't bring my camera at first. I just sat with my hand at the entrance and closed my eyes off and on to focus on the beautiful buzzing and the small sensations. I had up to four bees at one time on my finger and others landing on my palm. Sometimes I would inch toward the entrance and see who wanted to climb aboard. The feel of their tiny feet brushing my skin as they landed and took off is like nothing else I've ever felt. I have such love and adoration for them. They must feel that vibration coming from me. It's certainly my hope.  

The more comfortable they felt landing on me, the more I began to feel like they were seeing me as a welcome part of their environment, like a flower, or a branch; that I was a natural part of their world. My thought is that they will recognize my hands as I'm pulling apart their home for inspections, and they will consider me part of the process of things. It's just a theory. But so far, it's working out that way. I've been inside the hive three times without a bee suit and without a smoker. I'll continue to always try to read them. Things may change down the road. For now, it's very soothing and peaceful.

Below is a good capture of the double set of wings that honey bees have.

I love all the honey glistening in their combs waiting to be topped off.

A wonderful benefit of macro photography is capturing the anatomy like the bee on the right where the neck joint is clearly seen. Below this photo is a close up of a wing.

I love the texture of the wing seen below.