Honey harvesting is a delicate process. The honey is precious to the honeybees as it is their food which sustains the whole colony. Food is shared with all the workers and the queen throughout the cold, dark, and flowerless days during late fall, winter, and early spring. As we harvest the honey, care is taken not to harvest too much or tour the queen or her workers.

For me it is a time of gratitude, not only for the honey our sister bees share with us but also the wisdom & wonder the bees bestow on me and those who come to the apiaries to visit during the season of flowers! Colonies of honeybees have lived in harmony with all of Creation for millions of years. We could learn so much from our sister bees if we only took the time to listen. All of Creation speaks of a way of being in an interdependence that is mutually beneficial to the whole of Creation as it expresses life’s diversity and abundance.  

So it is with gratitude and humility that I enter the harvest season, appreciating the honey and wax the honeybees give us. At L’Arche Farm & Garden, health and wellbeing are important and so it is with our honeybee colonies. We care for our bees with love and respect as they are wise teachers of life. The bees show us how to live in-harmony with God’s Creation. It is only through respect, understanding and love that we can live well with Creation and be in balance.

In order to be blessed with health, a fruitful harvest, and an understanding of the ways of the Creator, we need to be in harmony with Mother Earth.

~ Rick, The Keeper of Bees