The bees in the trees

Honeybee on tupelo tree

As I approached the tupelo trees (Nyssa sylvatica) at the edge of our property on a late-May morning, I noticed a faint humming sound. I looked closely among the leaves and found dozens of honeybees busy visiting the minuscule white blossoms.

Two thoughts came to mind. First was the awareness that these trees provide far more pollen and nectar than all the flowers in my garden possibly could. Second was the realization that despite the fact that I’m a much larger entity, the honeybees didn’t even seem to know that I was there. Or, if they were aware, they simply stayed focused on their task.

To get a better look I moved to within about eight inches from one of the bees, never once feeling any inkling of fear or anxiety. How different from later in the day when a yellow jacket came buzzing around me. I quickly moved away to avoid getting stung.

People often confuse bees with yellow jackets. This isn’t surprising, since the two insects are of similar size and appearance. Yet the two are dramatically different. Yellow jackets are wasps. Honeybees are, well, bees. Yellow jackets can aggressively sting for no apparent reason and are able to sting multiple times. Honeybees are generally not aggressive, and they die after stinging.

Later that day as I worked on making a batch of potato salad for our Memorial Day barbecue, I found myself still thinking about the bees on the tupelo trees. There was something surprisingly beautiful about the way they went about their task—so focused. Against the hurried backdrop of so much of life today, I also found it calming.

In contrast, yellow jackets come across as bullies. Sometimes it seems they’re just looking for trouble, buzzing around, getting uncomfortably close, getting in everyone’s business but their own. Don’t they have something better to do?

Insects can’t help their behavior; they’re wired the way they are. We, on the other hand, do have a choice. We can abandon ourselves and our own best interests, and go looking for trouble. Or, we can stay in our own lane, focused on family, friends, work, making our community a better place, or just simply being.

I’m grateful for the message of the honeybees. Reminding me, for instance, that my writing goals are my own and I don’t have to find out or get involved with what anyone else is doing. I can focus on my own work, hone it, get it done, move on.