Chapter 1
Let me show you what the bees' house looks like from within: who leads, who works, and why they build their rooms in such a curious shape.
The first time we opened a beehive, I did not know where to look. There were thousands of bees, each one doing something different. It took me days to begin to understand. This is the first part of what I have learned.
A hive is not a heap of bees living together. It is one very big family, where every single one has a job. And when they all do their work, the hive moves like one body. The beekeeper said this to me first; the more I look, the more I believe it.
Three kinds of bees live in the hive, and once you know what to look for, you can tell them apart easily:
There is only one queen in the whole hive. If she dies, the bees notice straight away — in about fifteen minutes — and they begin to raise a new one. I think that is one of the most extraordinary things in the world.
The little rooms where the eggs grow, where the honey is stored, and where the pollen is kept are all made of wax. And they all have the same shape: six sides. A hexagon.
Why? Because the hexagon is the most perfect shape. More cells fit into less space, they are very strong, and not a single drop of wax is wasted. The bees did not choose this shape — the wax falls into hexagons by itself, when many round cells are pressed together. It is mathematics, made by tiny creatures who do not know they are doing it.
The thing I love most about the bees is that nobody gives them orders. No one tells one bee to do this and another to do that. And still, they all know what to do at any moment. They take turns according to their age: when they are newly born, they clean the cells; a little older, they feed the babies; then they build wax; and finally, they fly out to look for flowers. After six weeks of work, they die.
A single bee, in her whole life, makes only one small spoonful of honey. Which means each jar holds the work of thousands.
This is what surprises me the most: they do not need a leader. Each bee knows what she has to do, and together they make things that no single bee could ever make alone. A little like us in class, when we build a mural together — only the bees never get tired, and they never fight.
That is why caring for a hive is not like caring for an animal. It is more like caring for a forest, or a river: you listen for what is needed, and give only what they ask for. They know better than we do.
In summer, between 40,000 and 60,000 bees. One queen, a few drones, and a great many worker bees. In winter, the numbers fall — so the cluster can keep itself warm together.
The queen is the mother of every bee in the hive. She lays the eggs — up to two thousand a day in spring. She is the only queen, and the rest of the bees take care of her and protect her.
Because the hexagon is the most efficient shape: more cells fit into less space, they are very strong, and not a single drop of wax is wasted. The bees do not choose this shape — it happens on its own, when many round wax cells are pressed together.
Yes, mostly at night. The foragers, who have flown far during the day, sleep more deeply. The young bees who stay inside the hive only nap, here and there.
Not with a proper suit, on a quiet day, and always with an adult who knows what they are doing. I always go with someone wise. The first time, we only stood nearby and listened — opening the hive came later.