I’ve known for a while that I was moving to Ireland. I applied for a Fulbright fall 2021 and got word I received the award in March 2022. After that, I spent nearly every moment of the next five months planning for the trip. It was laborious and exhausting. Should we sell the house? Yes! We thought and began to purge our belongings. Then we decided NOT to sell the house but continued with the purge. Then we had to find renter/house sitters. And someone to take care of the dog and the cat.
All these details were things that the typical Fulbrighter has to deal with. But unlike the typical Fulbrighter, I’m a beekeeper. I needed someone to take care of the bees.
Luckily, I have a wonderful neighbor who was interested in learning beekeeping. He started working with me over the summer to learn how to do bee inspections and basic bee care.
So, in the process of preparing my house and packing for a move to Ireland, I had to prep for fall care.
I decided to do intensive mite treatments after I pulled my honey in July. I also started feeding be the bees and building quilt boxes for the winter months. I left 19 gallons of sugar syrup, twelve sheets of solid food, and plenty of cedar chips to line the quilt boxes in the hands of my very capable beekeeper apprentice.
I’ve been in Ireland two weeks now. It’s been a crazy start—opening a bank account and buying a car (both much more difficult than I expected). Today I woke up with a head cold, and I wish I had my pup sitting beside me as I write this. I rarely travel without Stella, but the thought of subjecting her to a trans-Atlantic flight seemed too big a price to pay for my need to have her with me.
I know that Stella is loved and well cared for by my neighbors. Rosie, my amazing kitty, is living in our house with the house-sitters, who send regular videos of her. She seems very content, although I’d like to think she’ll be happy to see us when we return next year.
I don’t worry about Stella and Rosie. They are both in good hands. And while there are times when I’d love to have them by my side, I don’t miss them in the same way I miss my bees. This has nothing to do with the person who is caring for the bees. I know they, too are in good hands. I miss being near the apiary, standing on my deck and watching them wake up in the morning. I miss doing inspections and seeing how well the queens are laying in preparation for the winter. I miss watching them forage and fly wildly out seeking whatever pollen and nectar they can find.
In Ireland I find myself sitting outside following the flight of the bees, walking in country, listening for the tell-tale buzz of a wild colony in the woods.
I’ve been overwhelmed with the amazing Irish weather since we arrived. It’s been sunny and warm, and there are flowers everywhere. Unlike at home, Ireland doesn’t seem to be in a nectar dearth—the period when most summer flowering plants die off in the hot and dry period between spring and autumn flowers.
As I watch the Irish bees fly, I think of my own girls. They’ve done well this year. We split one healthy colony into three and caught two wild swarms, bringing my total to six colonies. I can’t explain the love I feel for my honeybees. Although fuzzy, they aren’t cuddly. They are stinging insects that would probably prefer to be left alone than cared for.
Right before my husband I left to catch our flight, I went to the apiary and told the bees that I would be gone. When I return next year, all of these worker bees will have died, replaced by new spring bees. I look forward to meeting those girls.