Bees Are Trendy 🐝

by

Like everything else in our society, our view of nature is subject to trends. Once it was wolves, then herbs, and now it’s clearly bees. Beekeeping courses are as popular as yoga classes were in the 90s – booked up months in advance! Even Einstein is often quoted in this context – or rather, misquoted. He is credited with the grim prophecy that humanity would only have four years left if bees became extinct. It sounds dramatic – and it works!
Curious to find out what all the fuss about bees was about, we set off. Dina and Selma did some field research in nature, while Klausbernd (Kb) and Siri made their way to our library.

Wie alles in unserer Gesellschaft unterliegt auch unsere Naturbetrachtung Moden. Mal waren es die Wölfe, dann die Kräuter, jetzt sind es eindeutig die Bienen. Imkerkurse sind so begehrt wie Yogakurse in den 90ern – monatelang im Voraus ausgebucht! Selbst Einstein wird in diesem Zusammenhang gerne zitiert – oder besser gesagt: falsch zitiert. Ihm legt man die düstere Prophezeiung in den Mund, dass die Menschheit nur noch vier Jahre hätte, wenn die Bienen aussterben würden. Klingt dramatisch – und es wirkt!
Neugierig, was es mit den Bienen auf sich hat, zogen wir los. Dina und Selma machten Feldforschung in der Natur, während Klausbernd (Kb) mit Siri den Weg in unsere Bibliothek einschlug.

The first bee we met in our garden was a Buff-tailed Bumble Bee. The anemone japonica is popular with all insects.

When Dina and Selma learned that there are a confusing number of bee species, Kb recommended that curious Siri read Maurice Maeterlinck’s “The Life of the Bee.” The book is a classic of “philosophical apiculture.” The Belgian symbolist won the Nobel Prize in 1911, and rightly so; even in this book about bees, his style is brilliant. He offers us a romantic and symbolic view of bee society.

Als Dina und Selma lernten, dass es verwirrend viele Bienenarten gibt, empfahl Kb der neugierigen Siri in „Das Leben der Bienen“ von Maurice Maeterlinck zu schauen. Das Buch ist ein Klassiker der ‚philosophische Bienenkunde‘. Der belgische Symbolist bekam 1911 den Nobelpreis und das zur recht, selbst bei diesem Bienenbuch ist sein Stil brillant. Er bietet uns eine romantische und symbolische Sicht auf die Gesellschaft der Bienen.

The busy Common Carder Bumble Bee heading for the Agapanthus.

Ten years ago, when this book came out, we read “The History of Bees” by Norwegian author Maja Lunde, which begins with a dystopian chapter. In China, bees have died out and women balance in trees to pollinate them by hand. This bestseller is brilliantly written and a joy to read. It intertwines three narrative strands: the dystopian one in China, that of a contemporary American beekeeper whose colony is dying, and that of an English businessman experimenting with new beekeeping techniques. Anyone who reads this book will love bees.

Vor zehn Jahren, als dieses Buch herauskam, lasen wir „Die Geschichte der Bienen“ der Norwegerin Maja Lunde, das mit einem dystopischen Kapitel beginnt. In China sind die Bienen ausgestorben und Frauen balancieren in den Bäumen, um sie per Hand zu bestäuben. Dieser Bestseller ist brillant geschrieben und eine Freude zu lesen. Er verbindet drei Erzählstränge, den genannten dystopischen in China, den eines zeitgenössischen amerikanischen Bienenzüchter, dessen Kolonie abstirbt, und den eines englischen Kaufmanns, der mit neuen Imkertechniken experimentiert. Wer dieses Buch liest, wird Bienen lieben.

The Western Honey Bee with heavy pollen baskets.

Then there is “The Lives of Bees” by Thomas D. Selby in our library. A practical handbook illustrated with photos and graphics, aimed more at beekeepers and encouraging them to rethink beekeeping. A book for those who really want to know. A heavy book in every respect.

Dann steht noch in unserer Bibliothek „The Lives of Bees“ von Thomas D. Selby. Ein mit Fotos und Grafiken bebildertes Handbuch für die Praxis, das sich eher an den Imker wendet und ihn auffordert, die Bienenzucht zu überdenken. Ein Buch für den, der es wirklich wissen will. Ein in jeder Hinsicht schweres Buch.

A Red-tailed Bumble Bee on our new Sedum.

Next to it is “The Hive” by Bee Wilson. Her name really is Bee, and with a name like that, you simply have to write the cultural history of honey bees from ancient Egypt to the present day. We found this book particularly worth reading because it shows how bees have influenced art and mythology and how philosophy has viewed them—in short, how they have influenced the human imagination.

Daneben steht „The Hive“ von Bee Wilson. Sie heißt wirklich Bee und mit dem Namen muss man einfach eine Kulturgeschichte der Honigbienen vom alten Ägypten bis heutzutage schreiben. Wir fanden dieses Buch besonders lesenswert, da es aufzeigt, wie die Bienen die Kunst und Mythen beeinflusst haben und wie die Philosophie sie betrachtete, kurzum wie sie die menschliche Fantasie beeinflussten.

Why hadn’t we noticed earlier how popular the Artichoke is? A German Yellowjacket, a Buff-tailed Bumble Bee and a Red-tailed Bumble Bee sharing a buffet.

Our latest bee book is “A Sting in the Tale” by Dave Goulson. It’s about bumblebees. The British biologist has been a fan of bumblebees since he was a boy, and now he’s dedicated to protecting them. Unusual for nature books, he writes in a relaxed and humorous style.

Unser letztes Bienenbuch ist „A Sting in the Tale“ von Dave Goulson. Hier geht es um die Hummeln. Der britische Biologe war schon als Junge ein Hummelfan, für die er sich heute einsetzt. Was für Naturbücher eher selten ist, er schreibt locker und witzig.

We were not able to identify this insect on the aster. Can you help?

Dina is a member of a literature group that reads books about nature. For the upcoming meeting, she is currently reading “Dancing with Bees” by Brigit Strawbridge Howard. After Kb and Selma read the foreword, they lost interest in the book. However, Dina and Selma enthusiastically use it as inspiration for their excursions to our garden to track down bees and bumblebees.

Dina ist Mitglied in einer Literaturgruppe, in der sie Naturbücher lesen. Für die kommende Sitzung liest sie gerade „Dancing with Bees“ von Brigit Strawbridge Howard. Nachdem Kb und Selma das Vorwort gelesen haben, waren sie nicht mehr an diesem Buch interessiert. Dina und Selma nutzen es jedoch begeistert als Inspiration für ihre Streifzüge, um Bienen und insbesondere Hummeln in unserem Garten aufzuspüren.

They found the entrance to a Buff-tailed Bumble Bees nest on our lawn. So far, it’s the only one, but they keep a close eye on it.

Sie fanden den Eingang zu einem Büffelschwanz-Hummelnest in unseren Garten. Bislang ist es das einzige, aber sie halten es im Auge.

Whether poetic, dystopian, scientific, or humorous, there are bee books to suit every taste. Regardless of whether you get to know bees in books or in nature, they are not terrifying stinging insects, but creatures that touch on the big questions of humanity.

Ob poetisch, dystopisch, wissenschaftlich oder humorvoll – Bienenbücher gibt es für jeden Geschmack. Egal, ob man die Bienen in Büchern kennenlernt oder in der Natur, sie sind nicht die fürchterlich stechenden Insekten, sondern Wesen, die die großen Fragen der Menschheit berühren.

The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂



© text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers & Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2025

165 thoughts

  6. Illustrated with some incredible photos from Hannah, a wonderfully informative post as always. In our small garden in Beetley, we have ‘Masonry Bees’ living in holes in the brickwork at the back of the house. Love from Beetley, Pete. X

    ‘Masonry bees, are so called because they sometimes burrow into soft or perished mortar joints in brick walls or will occasionally use crevices in walls. There are a number of different species of bee that do this, but the most common has the scientific name of Osmia rufa.’

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear Pete.

      It’s amazing how many different species of bees there are, and they are all highly specialised. Our bees live mostly in little holes under our lawns.

      Great that you like Dina’s photography. She was out bee-hunting for photographs in our garden for many days.

      Happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Anneli

      Thank you very much 🙏 🙏

      Yes, they are great with their striped jackets and their little bags.
      Now we see the bees differently.

      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Maggie

      And these are only the books from our private library.
      We had a look at the following books of bees as well:

      “The Bees” by Laline Paul
      “The Murmur of Bees” by Sofia Segovia
      “The Glass Bee” by Ernst Jünger (Gläserne Bienen, a SciFi novel)
      “The Keeper of Bees” by Gene Stratton-Porter

      And there are many more. Bees are a topic and a metaphor that inspired writers quite a bit.

      Happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Gorgeous photos and wonderful post! Best bee photos I have ever seen! There are many bees in my garden and they brought lovely new wild flowers last year. The flowers will be blooming again this year very soon. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Mermaid

      You made Hanne-Dina’s day by liking her photos. We have especially lots of bees in our lavender bushes.

      Thanks for your kind words.
      Enjoy your garden.

      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Dear friends,
    not only the various bees look stunning, your variety of good looking flowers in the garden is impressive. Have you had any rain lately?
    I must get some of the books mentioned. I actually have Maja Lunde’s book so it’s time to read it now.
    There is a subtle message of hope here. That even amidst ecological crisis, there’s still joy to be found in paying attention, still healing to be had from reconnection with nature and slowing down and looking closer.
    Hanne, your photos are brilliant! Thanks for sharing the beauty in your garden and well done Siri and Selma for caring so much.
    Kram
    Annalena xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Anna-Lena

      We didn’t have any rain for quite a while. There is no rain forecasted, but we, with the help of Siri and Selma, water all our plants twice a day with plant food. We see clearly that it helps a lot.

      We like Maja Lunde’s book. Especially, Kb is not in such non-fiction books about nature and bees. He is not that interested in bees in nature but in bees as a symbol, as metaphors and in bees in literature in general.

      But since we studied bees for this post, even he stops and looks at the bees in our garden.

      Thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Guten Abend, liebe Uschi

      dankeschön für dein Lob, über das wir uns sehr freuen.
      Wir lasen gerade “die Imker sind die neuen Gurus“.

      Dann laßt euch den Honig gut schmecken. Wir sahen letzte Woche eine TV-Sendung, dass man Honig nur noch beim Imker kaufen kann. “Kaufhaus-Honig sollte man eher als Zuckerwasser beschreiben“, meinte Selma erbost.

      Mit lieben Grüßen an dich und Herbert
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Marie

      Especially Maja Lundes and Maeterlinck’s books made us look more intensely and passionately at our bees. We didn’t know much about bees. That has changed. We plant now bee-friendly plants, for example.

      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Audrey

      We didn’t know about the different bees before. Bee was like bee for us before we researched for this post. This we like with blogging, one learns a lot about subjects one didn’t know anything about before.

      For identifying bees, we actually use nature guidebooks with pictures. They make it easier. Unfortunately, the books we listed in this post didn’t help much.

      We wish you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Dear friends,
    This is not a subject I’m very familiar with and I had no idea how many different bees and bumble bees there are. I find the unidentified insect fascinating and I gave it a try, but what came up was only maybees.
    Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
    I’m looking forward to catching up with you soon.
    Klem
    Per Magnus xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Per Magnus

      You are like me, most of the kind of bees are maybees for me. Well, just let them call maybees and start a new group of bees. Maybe the maybees are the biggest group of bees.
      You are especially handicapped, as in the Arctic there are no bees – oh dear, that’s wrong, there are bumble bees in the Arctic pollinating the Arctic flowers.

      Let’s phone soon
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Hanne-Dina and Selma are our nature specialists.

      Like

    • Thank you very much, dear Suzette 🙏 🙏

      We are very happy that you like our post. We found it exciting researching about bees.

      Happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  18. It was quite a revelation for me when I learned bees are more than “honey” and “bumble.” It was even more of a revelation when I discovered bumblebees can sting more than once; unlike other bees, they don’t lose their stinger when they visit human flesh. From personal experience, I can attest to their ability to sting at least six times. (NB: Don’t kick open a ground-nesting bee’s home.)

    I’m not sure how many species of native bees I’ve photographed at this point, but there’s always a new one lurking around, and every one is a delight.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Linda

      Actually, bees don’t sting without reason. That’s the difference from wasps. We get stung about twice to thrice a year, but it’s not as horrible as people think when you’re not allergic.

      Before our research for this post, we never really looked at the bees, and therefore they were all alike to us. Hanne-Dina didn’t photograph them before.

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  19. When a trend helps folks open up to the importance of pollinating insects I am all for it. I thoroughly enjoyed the bee essay today, Fab Four. I liked the bee book reviews, the narrative highlighting the Fab Four’s bee education, and I found Dina’s photos to be absolutely stunning. Great to see the bee identification here, too, not an easy task. Many thanks Fab Four!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Jet

      thank you so much for your kind comment.

      We are not against trends. Trends often make us familiar with the unknown and help the economy. But at first glance, we didn’t connect trends with nature. Of course, in the ‘Society of Spectacle’ nothing can escape fashion. It helps the bees that ‘bees are in’.

      Dina learned bee identification for this post. She has a feeling for nature. She learned bee identification amazingly quick. She has a kind of ‘nature intelligence’, a high NQ ;-).

      We like to make our posts a bit educational because we like to learn something from reading and looking at posts like yours and Athena’s brilliant posts.

      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Ihr Lieben in Cley, habt herzlichen Dank für diesen wunderschönen bebilderten Bericht betreffend Bücher zu Bienen. Zuerst wollte ich mich für “Die Geschichte der Bienen” entscheiden, weil man nach China transportiert wird, wo die Bienen bereits ausgestorben sind, aber dann habe ich gemerkt, dass alle vorgeschlagenen Bücher ihren Reiz haben! Habt’s gut:)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Martina

      Maja Lundes Buch ist zusammen mit Maeterlincks Buch das am besten geschriebene. Lundes Buch hat mir sehr viel Freude beim Lesen bereitet. Ich bin nicht derart an Naturbüchern interessiert wie z.B. Dina und Selma, deswegen haben mich die anderen Bücher weniger beeindruckt.

      Herzlichen Dank.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  22. Ich finde es erstaunlich, wie man einem gesellschaftlichen Trend folgt, von dem man gar nichts weiß und sich dabei als Individuum fühlt. Ich musste meine Imkerausbildung dieses Jahr noch vor Beginn aus gesundheitlichen Gründen abbrechen, mochte jetzt im Herbst den Theorieteil lernen, um dann nächstes Frühjahr noch mal zu starten.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Man kann es auch so sehen, folgt man gesellschaftlichen Trends, lernt man ständig etwas Neues und unterstützt dazu noch die Wirtschaft.

      Alles Gute für deine Gesundheit und für das Lernen für den Imkerkurs
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Das war aber nicht das, worauf ich hinaus wollte.
      Sondern dass ich denke, ich treffe eigene, individuelle, unabhängige Entscheidungen, und am Ende verhalte ich mich doch nur wie die Masse.

      Schon komisch.

      Liked by 2 people

  24. Thank you for the excellent images and the book recommendations! Your post brought back fond memories of when my Dad was a hobby beekeeper for a few years. As kids, we learned a lot about honey bees when the hives were in our back yard.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Terry

      We suppose you know a lot about bees. We were all city-kids. Bees were for us some stupid insects that sting. What we know about bees we just learned recently.

      Thanks a lot.
      Happy Sunday
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Fab Four of Cley,
    I like the flowers, the photography is perfect – but – I’m allergic to bees. They do serve a purpose, so I hope they cease their decline in population.
    Thanks!
    GP

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  26. Wonderful presentation on bees. I like to see these fine bee book recommendations. My mother is a nature lover and she may receive one for Christmas. I like how the FabFour has taken these beautiful home garden bee photos. I did something similar a few years ago because I was curious what the population was in our back yard. At a party a week before that, a man had told me it was not possible that I had seen honey bees in our garden because they were in decline. I disagreed, but had no proof. I discovered and photographed that we did indeed!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  28. Nothing makes me happier than watching bees doing their thing! Thank you for the post, hopefully I can start to learn the different species!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  29. Some interesting recommendations, particularly The History of Bees. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

    I’m fond of bees and scatter wildflower seeds around my garden every spring. We usually get a fair number of bee visitors.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Richard

      We all four enjoyed Maja Lunde’s book very much. We think it’s the best book about bees – but it’s fiction.

      We have many bees in our garden, especially in our lavender bushes.

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  32. My impression is that if you say “bees,” almost everyone thinks of honeybees. Most people are also aware of bumblebees. Beyond that, few people know anything about the hundreds of species of other kinds of bees, the large majority of which are solitary rather than living in colonies.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Steve

      We only knew honeybees and bumblebees before we researched for this post. Especially Hanne-Dina knows many different bees now. She is teaching us to identify the different species.

      Thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  33. Yes, well, beautiful photos and interesting facts but why do these beauties always show their love and interest by such painful swelling bites . . . as I seem to be one of their favourites, I do have somewhat of a tendency to hide . . ,

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Eha

      Bees only sting when they feel in danger. They are not like the aggressive wasps. Actually, it’s quite rare that bees sting. And even if they do, it’s not a problem for your body if you are not allergic. Don’t worry, the probability that a bee stings is low.

      Happy Sunday
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Kb – *smile* I would not have spoken if I had not been stung at least half a dozen times absolutely not pestering them in any way . . . no, am not allergic but the bites grow plum-size and hurt for days!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  34. You got me wondering about the English word trend. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the Old English verb trendan meant ‘turn round, revolve, roll.’ The Middle English successor trenden meant ‘to roll (someone or something) over or about; turn, revolve.’ The modern meaning is relatively recent: “The sense of ‘tendency, proclivity’ (of affairs, opinion, etc.) is by 1884; the sense of ‘a prevailing new tendency in popular fashion or culture’ is from c. 1950.’ That last was in my own lifetime.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Steve

      That is quite a shift in meaning in our lifetime. Normally, such shifts in meaning only affect nuances or result in the opposite of the original meaning – at least in Indo-European languages.
      Here one sees how cultural history affects the language.

      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • And now I’m wondering if the 1884 sense of ‘”tendency, proclivity’ (of affairs, opinion, etc.)” arose from people confusing trend with the similar-sounding tend. Such confusions aren’t unusual, as for example when many people now say to hone in on rather than the original to home in on, or speak of a ship floundering when they mean foundering.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you, dear Belinda 🙏 🙏 We very much appreciate that you like Dina’s photography.

      It’s amazing how busy the bees are when the weather is fine.

      Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Jo

      Don’t worry, they only sting when they feel threatened. If you keep cool when they are around, you are safe.

      Thanks and happy Sunday
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Jacqui

      Store-bought honey is called ‘sugar water‘ by Siri and Selma. One can only buy real honey from the beekeepers.
      We know that keeping bees is a lot of work – otherwise we would have done it too.

      Thanks
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  39. You learned so much about bees! My best memory about raising bees is when my husband had a new queen shipped in via U.S. Postal Service. Usually they don’t open a minute early or stay open past the posted time. We got a phone call, and they invited us to come pick up the bees the next day before their normal hours. 🤣

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks for your interesting comment. We didn’t know that you could get a queen via the Postal Service. But we never thought about how to get a new queen. Now we know the easiest way is to get a queen from another beekeeper.
      Of course, you can produce your own queen. When the colony has decided to re-queen or swarm, it forms queen cells from freshly laid eggs of the old queen. The selected larvae are fed royal jelly. This special food produces new queens. You need experience to do this.

      Thanks and have a happy Sunday
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Rob

      If you are not a beekeeper and have to buy honey, then it is usually more or less sugar water.

      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Fraggle

      Thank you very much.

      Indeed. Hanne dedicated the last weeks outside in our garden, photographing bees. And she learned amazingly much about bees.

      Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Ashley

      Unfortunately, we didn’t know this collection of poems. We read in a review that the bees are a symbol of the natural beauty we have lost.
      We’ll surely have a look. Thanks a lot for telling us

      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  47. Your photos and information are delightful! There’s something funny and sweet about a big old bumblebee, sitting on a flower and filling itself with dinner! I didn’t realize y’all have Sedum, too — I just planted some, and it’s already attracting pollinators. (So are my butterfly bushes!) Happy weekend, and thanks for all the “bee book” titles.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks, dear Debbie

      We have Sedum here, but the bees like most the lavender. Norfolk is lavender country. We have butterfly bushes, too. We seem to have a similar climate, but actually we doubt it. We have a moderate sea climate. It’s never really warm here (what we like) and never really cold here (what we don’t like). It’s hardly ever freezing and hardly ever above 75 degrees F. We think you have a more extreme climate.

      We wish you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  48. Ein schöner Beitrag. Die Biene mit dem spitzen Hinterleib halte ich für eine Zweizahnbiene Dioxys spec., der Gattung ähnelt sie mehr als der Gattung der Kegelbienen Coelioxys, die eine ähnliche Körperform haben. Beides wären Kuckucksbienen.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  49. Feine Buchhinweise, die neugierig machen.

    Und so klasse Fotos!! Tolle Aufnahmen, liebe Dina!

    Ein Genuss auch, wenn man selbst fotografiert.

    Ich freue mich über jede Biene oder Hummel auf dem Kemenatenbalkon.

    Es ist so schön, wenn ich die Blumen gieße und eine kleine Hummel summt mir vor der Nase lang –

    sie hat natürlich Vorflug! Es gibt auch nur Blumen, die die Insekten mögen bei mir. 🌸

    Liebe Grüße,

    SyntaxiaSophie

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Liebe Sophia,

      die Blumen werden erst durch die Bienen so recht lebendig. Ohne Biene keine Bestäubung und wir würden verhungern, naja, oder wir müßten wie die Inuit vom Fleisch alleine leben.

      Mit liebe Grüßen vom heute ruhigem Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Peter

      habe ganz herzlichen Dank, dass dir Dinas Fotos aus unserem Garten gefallen. Ja, die Bienenfotografie braucht einesteils Geduld, und wenn die Biene in der richtigen Position ist, muss man schnell sein. Dina verbrachte wochenlang Stunden täglich im Garten.

      Bleibe gesund und fröhlich
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Guten Morgen, lieber Pit.

      Wir wissen es gar nicht, ob es hier weniger Bienen als früher gibt. Siri hat das gerade schnell recherchiert. Der Wildbienenbestand hat sich etwa um 20% in Norfolk verringert, der Honigbienenbestand steigt jedoch kontinuierlich. Wir können keine Veränderungen in unserem Garten beobachten.
      Auffallend sind jedoch in manchen Gegenden Wespenplagen. Zum Glück jedoch nicht bei uns.

      Mit lieben Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  52. Auf arte.tv gab es einen interessanten Beitrag, Titel: My Garden Of A Thousand Bees. „Während des Corona-Lockdowns im Frühjahr 2020 entwickelt der englische Tierfilmer Martin Dohrn eine besondere Faszination für die Bienen in seinem kleinen Stadtgarten in Bristol. Er kommt ihnen mit seinen Objektiven so nah, dass er rund 60 verschiedene Bienenarten identifizieren und sogar einzelne Individuen unterscheiden kann.“ Vielleicht könnt ihr diesen Film irgendwo abrufen, er ist wirklich sehr sehenswert! Auf YouTube ist jedenfalls ein Trailer zu finden.

    Unseren Balkon bepflanzen wir schon seit vielen Jahren mit Blumen, die Bienen und Hummeln als Futter dienen. Da mache ich sogar eine Ausnahme und ziehe in einem Kübel Himalaya Balsamine, eine invasive Pflanze, die in der hiesigen Natur unerwünscht ist, da sie unser heimisches Springkraut unterdrückt. Bienen und Hummel lieben diese Bauernorchidee jedenfalls sehr.

    Liebe Grüße, Elvira

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Herzlichen Dank, liebe Elvira. Wir werden schauen, ob wir den Film noch irgendwo finden.

      Dina verbrachte mit Selma viele Stunden täglich in unserem Garten, um die Bienen zu fotografieren. Bei uns lieben sie sehr den Lavendel. Wir leben hier im Lavendel-Country, so haben auch wir Lavendelhecken und Büsche von verschiedenen Lavendelarten in unserem Garten.

      Wir wünschen dir eine höchst angenehme Woche
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  55. Guten Morgen, habe mir Honig auf dem Höhenhof im Odenwald gekauft, dort leben einige Bienenvölker. Die Imkerei ist vor Ort!

    Ebenso Gelée Royal…habe es aber noch nicht eingenommen, kann euch also kein Foto “vorher-nachher” schicken. Werde ich dann, falls es mit der Verjüngung geklappt hat! Weiterer Verfall wird nicht dokumentiert…

    Später tanze ich mit kleinen Kindern, mal sehen, wie müde sie vom ersten Schultag heute sein werden…vielleicht machen wir Übungen am Boden, wer zu müde ist, kann einfach liegen bleiben…

    Einmal war ich bei einer Honig-Zupf-Massage für den Rücken, war klasse!

    Propolis ..da gibt´s scheinbar Qualitätsunterschiede…muss man aufpassen!

    Danke für den großartigen Blogpost! Und – da fällt mir noch ein – in der Abiprüfung, mündlich, Biologie, wusste ich plötzlich nicht, dass Bienen den “Schwänzeltanz” tanzen, um andere Bienenkollegen zu den Futterstellen zu führen…es gab dann eine 1-, schade, denn über Molekulargenetik wusste ich voll Bescheid, nicht so bei “Verhaltensforschung”, Mist…

    Bee cool! Ihr schnuckeligen Honeys in Cley!

    Euer tanzendes Pialein

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    • Liebes, tanzendes Pialein

      Ja, den Honig kann man nur beim Imker kaufen. Was da im Supermarkt als Honig verkauft wird, ist keiner. ‘Verdicktes Zuckerwasser’ nennt es Selma.

      Dann möge dich das Gelee Royal um Jahre verjüngen. So etwas benötigen Kb und Dina auch (meinen Siri und Selma im Geheimen). Mal sehen, wie es bei dir wirkt.

      Honig-Zupf-Massage habe ich noch nie gehört. Gibt es dabei einen süßen Rücken zum Entzücken?

      Eine wunderschöne Woche wünschen wir dir
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • You are very welcome, dear Mary.

      It’s amazing how many books are written about bees and in how many works of fiction you’ll find bees.

      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  61. Great bee photos! And a good reminder why we need to protect pollinators worldwide; a little less pesticide and a little more flowers would be a good start.

    Liked by 2 people

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  62. This is such a magnificent post ~ and the opening photo Dina has made, captured brilliantly the beauty of the bee 😊. My older sister, Sandi, and her husband caught the beekeeping bug about a decade ago, so I will forward this post to them and their friends. The life of a beekeeper is a rich one, I’ve learned, just from being around them. While visiting Czechia, Sandi spent hours talking with a beekeeper she met while exploring Brno (I think I went to have a pivo 🍺 during this time… 🙃). As a photographer herself, she will appreciate the immense talents of Dina 🐝.

    Thank you for such a delightful and insightful journey into the world of bees, weaving together science, literature, and the personal appreciation for these remarkable creatures you Fab Four have—and again, the photographs are stunning. I especially appreciate how you connect the resurgence of interest in bees not just to trends, but to a deeper sense of wonder and care for nature – and do so humorously 😊. More and more these days, it is we, the individuals, taking action and bringing understanding of even the smallest lives around us. The list of books, along with their insights, is most helpful… I may have to check out Maurice Maeterlinck’s “The Life of the Bee.” Since the book is a classic of “philosophical apiculture,” that description alone raises my interest. May more of us take the time to notice, learn, and protect these amazing pollinators! As Einstein said (and he can’t be wrong, can he?!?), we’d be quickly extinct without these amazing beauties. And with that, I think I’ll have a little toast with honey 🍯 for breakfast…

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Dear Randall,

      Thank you very much for sharing our post; that’s greatly appreciated.
      We know a keeper of bees as well. Unfortunately, since he is in beekeeping he doesn’t talk about anything else. It’s a bit boring for no beekeepers.

      Hanne was out in our garden most of the time the last weeks. As we have a lot of lavender, we live in lavender country, we have a lot of bees. They like the lavender. So the beekeepers produce delicious lavender honey.

      We toast with lavender honey back, dear Randall and wish you a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  63. Als Wildbienenfan bin ich von den schönen Fotos besonders begeistert :-)! Eins schöner als das andere. Die Bücher von Goulson machen mir viel Spaß. Diese alten Bestimmungsbücher sind sicher sehr gut gemacht und eventuell hilfreicher, als neuere Ausgaben. Ich bin immer begeistert von den fantastischen Zeichnungen alter Bestimmungsbücher. Was die unbekannte Wildbiene angeht, falls es nicht schon jemand in den Kommentaren geschrieben hat, könnte eine Kegelbiene (Coelioxys) sein. Es ist eine sogenannte Kuckucksbiene, die bei anderen Wildbienenarten parasitiert, wenn ich denn richtig liege mit meiner Vermutung. Viel Spaß noch mit den Bienen 🙂 LG Almuth

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Liebe Almuth

      Habe ganz herzlichen Dank für dein Lob für Dinas Fotografie.
      Wir lieben auch die fantastischen Zeichnungen alter Bestimmungsbücher sehr. Sehr oft helfen sie weitaus mehr als die Fotos moderner Bestimmungsbücher.

      Danke für die Bestimmung unserer unbekannten Biene. Nun werden wir auch diese Kuckucksbiene wiedererkennen.

      Mit herzlichen Grüßen vom heute völlig stillen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber kühl als zu heiß, da stimme ich überein. Naja, heute war es heiß, aber die Tage soll es wieder runtergehen. Das reicht mir völlig! Liebe Grüße ins schöne Engeland!

      Liked by 2 people

  65. What an interesting post with totally amazing pictures. Hanne is an excellent photographer, so you could do another new bee book together 🙂 I totally love hte pictures and look at them a long time. I have plenty in my garden and try pictures yet I need so much more practice and change lenses most likely 🙂

    Thanks for this delightful post !

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear Ute 🙏 🙏
      Hanne spent a lot of time in our garden getting these pictures in the last weeks.
      We don’t want to write a new book. The writing isn’t the problem, but the selling. You have to do lecture tours, book signings and take part in talk shows. That’s hard work we don’t like, well, we are both retired.

      We wish you a fabulous long weekend.
      With love from the sea
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  66. A lovely post about bees. In Africa, we don’t have pretty, fluffy bumble bees. We have ferocious killer bees that swarm. They must be hardy to survive our environment. I find bees very interesting but I have to be careful as I’m highly allergic to them. The Hive sounds like a great book.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks a lot, dear Roberta 🙏 🙏

      Fortunately, we don’t have ferocious killer bees here. We have the dear busy bees and the fat bumble bees, both not ferocious.
      As you are allergic, do you have to carry an epi-pen with you all the time?

      Wishing you all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good afternoon, dear Amy

      Thank you so much for liking Dina’s photography. In the last weeks, she has been disappearing all the time in the garden to photograph bees (and other insects). It helped that we have had beautiful weather for many weeks now.

      Happy Sunday
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Liebe Belana Hermine,

      in unserem Lavendel, obwohl bereits ziemlich verblüht, summt und brummt es enorm zur Freude von Dina.

      Wir haben morgen Bank Holiday und wunderbares Wetter. Jetzt geht es doch erst einmal in die Sauna in unserem Garten.
      Tschüß und vielen Dank fürs Kommentieren
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  71. Guten Morgen Ihr Vier!
    Ich muss gestehen, dass ich Maja Lundes Buch nie gelesen habe. Der Grund ist schlicht der, dass ich etwas Sorge habe, es nicht zu verkraften. Ich kann nicht besonders gut hinschauen, wenn Tiere leiden oder sterben.

    Dabei mag ich Bienen so gerne!
    Beste Grüße aus dem lauwarmen Hessen.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Guten Tag, liebe Barbara,

      dann sind die anderen Bienenbücher besser für dich. Ich bin nicht so ein ‘Naturfreak’, deswegen hat mich “Dancing with Bees” weniger interessiert. Hanne-Dina fand es allerdings toll. Sie ist unsere große Naturfreundin.

      Hier gab es endlich Regen und gleich tropischen Ausmaßes, was wir unbedingt brauchten. Trotz Wolkenbrüchen und Gewittern ist nach wie vor warm.

      Mit lieben Grüßen nach Hessen
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  75. Glorious photos of bees, Hanne. So crisp and colorful. You are right, bees have taken center stage in recent years… they are the canary in the coal mine for our survival. I’m always thrilled when a bee comes by when I am shooting flowers! History of Bees sounds like a great read, among others you noted. Long live the bees! 🐝

    Liked by 1 person

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