The Meditation of Bees

I’ve been told that of all the professions out there, that beekeepers have the highest life expectancy.

I haven’t verified if it’s true, but I can certainly believe it.

Most of our health and longevity seem to boil down to stress and how we handle it. Working to calm our minds and bodies is key to managing stress, and many people do this through practices like meditation.

And let me tell you, every part of beekeeping is a separate meditation. 

A meditation on ritual, as you pull on a special suit, put a veil over your face, pull on the same worn-out gloves, and prepare a smoker before you open up the hives.

A meditation on sound, as you open up the hives and smoke the bees further down. The sound and vibrations condense into a reverberating white noise.

A meditation on breath, as bees come out of the hive and explore what it is disturbing them. Many will hit your veil with the intensity of a soul protecting its home, yet your breath and movement must remain steady and calm. The bees respond in kind.

A meditation on life, as you see every stage of hive life happening before your eyes. Brood comb, larva, new bees emerging from the comb, drone bees, bees building wax, bees with pollen from the pastures, uncapped nectar, capped honey.

A meditation on balance, as you decide how much honey you can rob and how much honey you must leave for the health of the hive.

I also like to think that once honey is in a jar and in your pantry, it becomes part of a ritual or meditation for you. Honey is warm and comforting, added to our coffees and teas in a favorite mug when we need a pick-me-up, or used in our tried-and-true recipes to sweeten them to perfection. I like to place my current jar of honey on my kitchen window sill to keep it warm and to watch the light bend through the liquid. I hope that when you buy some of our honey, it brings a little warmth and sweetness to your day, too!