According to a recent internet buzz, “the custom of ‘telling the bees’ is a charming and ancient tradition where beekeepers inform their bees about significant events in their lives, such as deaths, births, marriages, and other major occurrences. This practice is believed to have its roots in Celtic mythology, where bees were seen as messengers between the human world and the spirit world. The presence of a bee after a death was thought to signify the soul leaving the body. The tradition became particularly prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries in Western Europe and the United States.

To tell the bees, the head of the household or the ‘goodwife’ would approach the hives, gently knock to get the bees’ attention, and then get stung. Ah, no. Sorry. I didn’t mean that. The goodwife would then softly murmur the news in a solemn tone. “This ritual was believed to keep the bees informed and prevent them from leaving the hive or dying. The custom underscores the deep connection and respect that people historically had for bees, viewing them as integral members of the household and community.”

The other day, I was kneeling in the garden, weeding, when a large black and yellow, bumblebee, landed on the flower next to me, and I whispered, “Nothing to tell you. No one’s died. No one’s been born. Our daughter, as you probably already know, is not married, yet. It’s a hardship, but we’re coping. The only major occurrence, I suppose, is that I’m still here and gardening.” The bee growled and lunged at me. I had to stand up to get out of its way. 

“Hey! I’m the goodwife!” I shouted as my neighbor and her dog passed by. “Let’s have some respect.” She looked at me, and saw no one. 

Later that night, in the dark, I found what looked like a very tired honeybee. And so I googled ‘bees at night’ and found that, “old bees don’t return to the hive at night. They spend the night on flowers, and if they’re lucky enough to see another sunrise, they resume their activity, bringing pollen or nectar back to the colony. They do this knowing their end is near. No bee waits to die in the hive so as not to be a burden to the others.”

Here are a dozen facts about bees:

1. Like all insects, bees are cold-blooded, however, within the colony they form a warm mega-organism. 

2. There are bees that collect pollen and others that bring nectar.

3. A pollinating bee will never change its task to collect nectar, and vice versa. 

4. Although dandelions are yellow, their pollen turns orange when it mixes with nectar. 

5. The record for survival of a bee colony during the winter is 356 days without them going out to clean their flights. 

6. Bees can be useful to humans even after their death, as their venom is used to treat joint pain. 

7. Bees never sleep so ‘bee’ aware.

8. There are over 20,000 known species of bees worldwide. 

9. In the United States, about 4,000 species are native. These bees exhibit a wide range of sizes and behaviors, with some being solitary while others live in colonies. 

10. Neither hornets nor yellow jackets are bees. They are wasps.

11. Many fruits, vegetables, and nuts rely on bee pollination, and their production would decrease significantly without them, leading to changes in our food supply and potential nutritional deficiencies. 

12. Without bees the human race might not survive.

RAMONA JAN is the Founder and Director of Yarnslingers, a storytelling group that tells tales both fantastic and true. She is also the roving historian for Callicoon, NY and is often seen giving tours around town. You can email her at callicoonwalkingtours@gmail.com.