Presbyterian Connection Newspaper

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PRESBYTERIAN
The Presbyterian Church in Canada • presbyterian.ca ISSUE 11, FALL 2019
Caring for Creation
Taste of Grace
By the Rev. Ken and Shaunna MacQuarrie, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Thorold, Ont.
Our family has been keeping honey- bees since 2015. It has been a rich experience of discovery, growth, pain, disappointment, connection, ecological engagement and wonder. It all began when we were inspired by a few members of our church who had kept bees in the past. They shared their wisdom with us, we pur- chased two colonies and were on our way! We now manage approximately 30 colonies located on three different proper ties.
Bees are absolutely amazing! The queen—the mother of the colony— is able to lay more than her own body weight in eggs daily. The workers carry out specialized roles—cleaning the hive, caring for the brood, gath- ering pollen and nectar, storing and curing the honey, feeding the popula- tion, protecting the hive from preda- tors and pests, etc. A forging bee will generally fly up to two miles from her home to gather nectar from flowers. In her entire life (30 to 45 days) one bee will gather approximately 1/8 of a teaspoon of honey. Fortunately, a colony has about 80,000 bees, so a good hive can produce many litres of honey in a season.
The honeybee has been a creature of intrigue and esteem for humanity throughout history. And bees have found a place of stature within many faith traditions. In the Bible, bees and honey are attributed with the quali- ties of healing, prosperity, blessing and abundance. And so it is of little surprise that beekeeping has been a passion of many Christians over the generations—especially, it seems, ministers.
The most commonly used bee boxes today are called “Langstroth hives.” Prior to their invention, bees
were kept in skeps (upturned straw baskets), which required destruc- tion of the comb, and sometimes the bees, to harvest the honey. In 1852, L.L. Langstroth, a congregational minister in Massachusetts, patented a system of stacking boxes with re- movable frames. This innovation al- lows a beekeeper to easily check the health and condition of a colony and remove honey frames without harm- ing the bees.
Do you want to help our important pollinators thrive? There are many things that you can do. Learn not to fear honeybees (they are not inclined to sting!). Avoid using pesticides on your lawn (get to know the beauty of dandelions). Learn more about hon- eybees and natural pollinators. Plant a pollinator garden at your home or your church. Get to know a beekeep- er and buy local honey. Perhaps even visit an apiary—maybe you’ll be a beekeeper yourself one day!
The author of Proverbs writes, “Pleasant words are like a honey- comb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Proverbs 16:24). Our experience of bees is that they can teach us much about living a life of faith and to be attuned to God’s will for us. A day spent in the bee yard brings a sense of calm, order and beauty which is difficult to de- scribe. It’s a taste of grace.
Lessons from the Bee Yard
By the Rev. Linda Patton-Cowie, St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Orillia, Ont.
Lesson #1: When we each do what we can, and do it well, we make it possible for others to do the same A queen honeybee is constantly at- tended to by a “court” of worker bees. These workers feed and groom her. Without the constant care of her attendants, the queen would die. She
Beekeepers the Rev. Ken and Shaunna MacQuarrie. PHOTO CREDIT: BOB LIDDYCOAT OF THOROLDNEWS.COM
The Rev. Linda Patton-Cowie, beekeeper.
even relies on them to digest her food. Queens do not have the same glands workers use to digest their food, so her food is predigested and then fed to her.
Before she will lay an egg, the Queen inspects the wax cell to make sure it has been properly cleaned by the workers. Once satisfied the cell is clean enough, she lowers her abdo- men into it and lays a single egg. She repeats this process with every egg.
Bees each have a job, and they know what it is. The queen doesn’t try to do the worker’s job, and the
worker doesn’t try to do the drone’s job. I think this is a good reminder for us. We can’t do it all—we all have limits. We need other people. Do what you can, and do it well, and then leave the rest up to others.
When we each do well what we can, we make it possible for others to do what they can.
Lesson #2: There is a time for every purpose under heaven
The life span of an adult worker bee varies with the time of the year. When the colony is active in spring and
Removing bees from a hollow tree.
summer, a worker bee may live as long as 5 to 6 weeks. During the in- active period in winter, a worker bee can live five months or more. What this means is that often the bees who live during the winter are sustained by honey provided by the bees that lived and worked during the sum- mer. In the same way, we are often fed and sustained by those who have gone before us. As we too, by offer- ing our love to others, may find that that love outlives us and strengthens others, even after we are gone.
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An Attitude of Gratitude
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General Assembly 2019
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Liberty of Conscience
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