Just bee cause

The little things we can do for our buzzy friends

25th of January 2025

Found you

One day, this summer I was walking around the neighborhood and I found this little fuzzy friend on the sidewalk. Thinking someone might step on him I carefully scooped him up with a leaf to put him near some flowers in someone’s yard. As I placed him near the buds, I watched him move carefully and I was worried that he might not be able to fly or save himself from nearby birds. I watched him struggle on a flower for a while until I decided he needed a little extra care and I scooped him up again to take him home. Walking home I ran into the mailman who saw me with my new companion. He advised me to give him some water or sugar water to help him regain his strength. Yes, the mailmen are a leading authority on saving bees and their bumblely cousins. This should be national knowledge. I jest, but he had a point so I decided to take my new friend home and name him.

Boris

A name so big it was perfect for my little fuzzy companion. I picked some flowers in a nearby bush. Got a saucer, placed some stones on it and poured a little bit of water over it. Boris got very excited about the new flowers and the water and started to crawl over to them. He was a happy little… I want to say bumble bee? I used the insect identifier app but it gave me different answers. It might be a bee or a bumble bee. Never the less he had a little sanctuary of his own. But there were very few options for him to hide in. This needed to be solved!

To bee home

Visiting our favorite farm supply shop I found the perfect home for Boris. A wooden multiply story bee home where he could shield from the rain and bird and sun. And possibly, lay eggs? It is always possible that I misgendered the little fella. Anyway, this bee home/hotel had it all! I placed it in his new sanctuary, on the chair, in the front yard. And waited for him to claim his new digs. It took a while but when I returned in the evening to check on him (yes, I was quite invested in his survival) I found him “hanging out” in his fancy crib. After two days making sure he had enough water and flowers, I woke up one morning and he was gone. Anything could have happened of course but I choose to believe he got his strength back and flew away. I left the bee hotel in the front yard for another day or two and then moved it to the back yard where it remains to this day. And I’ve checked it a few times in the summer, it has seen some use. Some of the straws are already filled with eggs. Meaning that it wasn’t for nothing any way.

Bee futures

The few days Boris was here I realized my yard wasn’t too bee friendly. I have very few flowers in my front or back yard. The flowers in my neighbors yard might also have been rocks as far as bees are concerned so I’ve since invested in some bee friendly plants. One of which is multifunctional. This spring I’m going to expand my efforts.