Category: Animals

A very long time ago when I was 11 years of age I got my first pair of glasses.  I was reminded about it recently so thought I’d tell you a wee story. (Don’t panic – it’s short).

I can remember vividly that day. The glasses arrived in the afternoon and immediately my mother told me to put them on. “Oh, mum, you’ve got wrinkles!” I exclaimed.
Her response… “Take them off!!!”

I saw a lot of “firsts” that day – my sister’s freckles, my brother’s burgeoning lip fuzz, the veins on a leaf and the individual petals on the daisy flowers on the lawn – in fact, I even saw the blades of grass.  But the thing that fascinated me the most – was the bumblebee.  I had never seen the wings before.  Oh, I knew instinctively that it must have had wings because it flew, but I’d never seen the wings – never seen how small they were.
From then on the bumblebee became my hero – we shared the same attitude – not supposed to be able to fly….but just watch me! To the point that I stylized the bumblebee as my personal logo and take him with me to remind me that anything is possible (yes, that means I have a discreetly placed tattoo).
Although I must add here, that science has busted the myth about not being able to fly. They are perfectly engineered to fly as, of course, they would be. But at the time, I thought it was a wonderful concept to follow.

What prompted me to write this? An article I read the other day that pesticides are killing honeybee populations worldwide.  I have no doubt that it will be affecting my darling bumblebee as well.

If bees on organic farms are not affected…..doesn’t that say something about what the world is doing with the chemicals that are routinely used on farms and in garden centres? The bees in these areas are in a much more vulnerable state.

The world cannot lose the bee – honey or bumble!