WANDERING HIVES​​​​​​​

I remember how, together with my dad Henry and grandfather Bruno, we used to take the hives to the nearby forest to obtain heather honey. After that, my grandfather would bike a considerable distance every day to look after them. Such an operation is quite a challenge! You need to properly prepare and secure the hives, so that the extensions do not open during transport. Can you imagine what the effect would be ? Such a hive out of its cycle can bite quite badly, even through a protective suit! Well, and pity the bees, because why stress them ? The main thing is to keep them calm and safe. And most importantly - the hives must be moved after sunset, wait until all the bees return to it. Did you know that it takes about 3 days for bees to orient themselves in a new area and make their routes from the forage to the hive? 

Bruno's grandfather's stories

MY FIRST TIME AT THE APIARY

I remember exactly when Grandpa Brunon first took me with him to his apiary. We rode our bicycles to it for about ten minutes. It was located near a forest not far from his village and consisted of just a few hives. I was surprised by the small number of them, but my grandfather explained to me that the location of the hives depended on the benefits - that is, colloquially speaking, “what is just blooming in nature.”  Later I learned that he had more such small apiaries - near fields of rapeseed, under linden trees, in meadows, in orchards. 
Grandpa put on his beekeeper's hat, fumigated the hives and began to open them one by one.  I watched everything while sitting nearby under a pine tree and eating sandwiches made by my grandmother. Suddenly my grandfather approached me holding a frame with honey in his hands and several bees walking around. At first I was slightly frightened, fearing that they might sting me. Grandpa calmed me down and explained that if I was calm and composed, the bees wouldn't do anything to me. I felt a thrill of excitement and great curiosity. The bees were very delicate and had funny, fluffy, brownish abdomen. My grandfather told me many times about bees, about their life and how important they are to nature. I remember him telling me that bees are responsible for pollinating flowers so that we have fruits and vegetables. However, the sight of bees trodding on honeycombs was something amazing to me. I felt firsthand the love and fascination for these wonderful little creatures. It was then that I decided that one day I would also be a beekeeper. Since then, every visit to my grandfather's apiary was an unforgettable experience for me, and my grandfather taught me how to care for bees and obtain honey.Many years have passed since then... Grandpa has passed away, but the love and passion for beekeeping he passed on in me has remained. I want my apiary to be as beautiful and healthy as that of my grandfather. Bees are very important to me - they are a symbol of nature and life.  That's why I'm glad you're here and I can share my family experience and knowledge with you. 

BIRTHDAY​​​​​​​

This day particularly stuck in my memory, because it was my birthday.  It was a warm July day and we were sitting with my parents and sister on the veranda at my grandparents' house. There were also cousins, an aunt and an uncle. From the veranda we had a beautiful view of grandma's manicured garden, full of flowers and bushes with fruit - currants, gooseberries and raspberries. In June, strawberries grew there.  Further away was a vegetable garden with the ripest and sweetest carrots and beets I've ever eaten. Anyway, even grandma's potatoes tasted better than any other. 
Grandma specially for my birthday baked a delicious cheesecake and made a cake with fruit. Everyone sang me a hundred years, and grandma started cutting and putting the cake on our plates. Suddenly, an exasperated and panting neighbor ran into the garden - “bees ! bees! Bruno!  Save!” 
Grandpa broke off and ran with his neighbor. And I followed him, disregarding the cries of my mother and grandmother. Another cousin ran after me, which my aunt probably wasn't happy about either. The neighbor led us to his garden, bordered by a fence with his grandparents' garden. He led us to an apple tree growing there - already from a distance I noticed something unusual: a black, moving shape on its branch. Grandpa immediately knew what had happened - “dog blood!” he exclaimed, laughing under his breath. It turned out that a new bee colony had sprouted on the apple tree.
Grandpa went home to get his hat and gloves. He also ran to the shed to get a special wooden box.  He walked up to the tree and with his hands he sort of “shook” the bees into the box . When they were all inside, he closed the box and returned to his garden, where he had several hives. One of them was empty - grandpa opened it, then turned the box over and shook the bees inside. When it was all over he smiled and said: “well, we have a new colony”.  After the whole operation, we returned to the table. Grandpa kissed his grandmother, who was surprised by the whole incident, sat down at the table as if nothing had happened and began to eat the cake with the cream already slightly melted from the heat. Then he sighed some more and grinned and said: “but that they flew to the neighbor... as if there were no apple trees at our place...”.
 But it was a fun birthday!

Address:

ul. Żołnierzy I Armii Wojska Polskiego 10 / B6,

81-383 Gdynia,

Honey Lab sp. z o.o.

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