removing bees from the wall
A Catholic Priest and two Baptist preachers walk into a room filled with bees. Sounds like the beginning of a joke, huh? No, it’s actually the beginning of an adventure I experienced here in Westcliffe, Colorado. There were bees in the wall of one of the buildings at Horn Creek Christian Camp (where I volunteer in the summers). They gave me the chance to remove the bee colony (estimated 30 – 40,000 bees) to a better location at my friends’ place. The local priest had a lot of experience with bee removal. The video (click below to watch) is a summary of the 4 hour time it took to cut out the bees and transfer them to their new home.
Bees are an amazing sight to watch. The honey is an extra benefit. Even here at Horn Creek (altitude of 9,000 feet) with cold winters, the bees not only manage to survive, but actually thrive in harsh mountain conditions. A single queen along with 40,000 worker bees all working together, each doing their part. Some of the bees are nurse bees tending to the eggs laid by the queen. Some are foraging bees, seeking nectar from flowers in the mountain valleys for their honey production. A few of the older ornery bees have become guard bees. Their job is to protect and sting any intruders. (we met a few of these during the cutout 😉 )
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 NIV
We could learn a lot from honeybees. They are definitely beeing what God has created them to bee! Whether in your church,family, or whatever social situation comes your way, look for what you have in common with other people. Todays’ world is spending way too much time on our differences and what divides us as a nation, or community, or even as potential friends. Just like the bees, we all can work side by side doing what God has created each of us to do. Now you go and Bee what God has created you to be. He is your Heavenly King, or in this example, the Queen?………
See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher
