Christmas of the bees

Kol žmonės Kalėdoms puošia namus, ruošia vaišes ir laukia sugrįžtančių artimųjų, avilyje taip pat vyksta savotiškas šventinis gyvenimas. Bitės žiemą praleidžia susitelkusios į vieną šeimą, dalydamosi maisto atsargomis, šiluma ir rūpesčiu viena kitai.

Jų žiemos kasdienybėje netrūksta nei „šokių“, nei bendro stalo, nei pasiruošimo naujam sezonui. Tik viskas vyksta pagal gamtos taisykles – tyliau, taupiau ir be nereikalingo šurmulio.

Šiame straipsnyje sužinosite, kaip bitės praleidžia žiemą, kuo jų gyvenimas avilyje primena mūsų Kalėdas ir ko iš jų galime pasimokyti apie bendrystę, rūpestį bei tikrąją švenčių prasmę.

If it's to celebrate, it's to celebrate

Bees are true "party animals" - they don't know what they are celebrating (Christmas, harvest or New Year), but the feast lasts for months before the spring sun starts to knock on the hive's door. In fact, even on sunny days during the cold season, we can see the hard-working bees taking a short break from their winter fun and flying off to exercise their wings by circling around their hive or cave. After a few laps and a fresh helping of treats, the worker bees return to the hive to continue their honey feast. The bees spend the whole summer preparing the feast - storing honey and preserves pollen. To make it easier for the hard-working women, the feasting table is also filled with caring beekeepers, who not only provide the treats, but also make sure that they are not in short supply throughout the festive period.
As the weather gets colder, all the strays return home to the hive, and the first main focus of the preparation for the festival is the cleansing and getting rid of what is unused, old and no longer needed. Drones, for example. The little workers have no scruples about letting them out - they drag them out of the hive and shut all the doors behind them, taking the keys with them. The moral is that you can only sit on your neck and dig for honey for a very limited time. If you too feel like a worker bee, constantly snooping around your work and home throughout the year, the first thing you should do in the run-up to the holidays is to get rid of anything old and unnecessary: unused things gathering dust or unnecessary thoughts and emotions. The bees recommend that Christmas be greeted with a clean home and a clear conscience. This will certainly help to prolong the festive period indefinitely.

Ideas for the festive table

Bitės tikrai negamina šventinės vakarienės iš dvylikos patiekalų. Gamtoje maisto atsargos naudojamos taupiai ir pagarbiai – iki paskutinio lašo. Viskas, ką darbštuolės valgo – tai medus ir bee breadand, as they should, they feed their younger generation with milk, royal jelly. It turns out that these three products contain everything a living organism needs to survive for a relatively long period of time: a myriad of vitamins and minerals, a large carbohydrate load, essential proteins and enzymes, and many other beneficial substances. If we were able to make these dishes, it would hardly be necessary to put on the table a multitude of meals that we often do not have time to taste. So there is something to learn from the honey carriers here too. The good news is that bee products now not only they can enjoy it, but, thanks to beekeepers, all of us can too. Perhaps this holiday season, your table will be decorated with ten dishes made by you and at least two made by our hard-working beekeepers?

Bee dances

Who knows, bees sure know how to have fun! If you open the hive in winter (something we don't recommend even for adrenaline junkies), you will see bees huddled in a ball, constantly "dancing". Well, that's how it would appear at first sight. In fact, bees move their wings and their little bellies to maintain a constant temperature in the centre of the ball, where the queen bee, the lady of the house, walks and feasts. Wherever she goes, so do all the dancing bees packed into the ball. If the weather outside is particularly cool, the bees start to 'dance in circles' - holding hands together as tightly as possible to minimise the spaces between them. A colony is a true example of a dedicated and supportive family, whose main goal is to make sure that the queen is not in need of anything, and to take care of each other. If the bees notice that one of the sisters has "slowed down" or has become sluggish, they immediately push her into the middle of the ball to warm up, regain her strength and refresh herself. After all, every member of the family - even the smallest - is priceless. And, besides, the more people dancing, the merrier the party. These "dances" continue throughout the feasting period - until the weather outside warms up enough for the bees to start their foray into spring honey.

If you want to celebrate St. To celebrate Christmas like a bee, you will need:

1. Invite everyone in your family to the festive table;
2. Get rid of what you don't need: bad thoughts, unnecessary things, painful memories...
3. Create a festive mood in the hive: real beeswax candles or beeswax Christmas tree toys will create a cosy atmosphere and a unique aroma;
4. Pasirūpinti, kad ant šventinio stalo netrūktų maistingų patiekalų. Pritrūkus idėjų – bitės skuba pagalbon su bičių duonele, žiedadulkėmis ir medaus produktais;
5. Know how to have fun: dancing is probably the most important part of a bee festival, so everyone will have to join hands, form a big circle and move their tummies or other body parts until it gets really hot. We will dance like this for at least a week or two.

Bičių dovanos

Gerai bitėms, kad viena kitą turi – ir linksmiau, ir saugiau, ir jaukiau, ir ne taip vieniša. Gal dėl to bitelės dovanoja dovanas kasdien: motinėlė suteikia visoms ramybę, jaukumą, aiškumą, šeimą; bitės darbininkės – saugo viena kitą nuo įsibrovėlių, augina jaunąją kartą, dovanoja maisto atsargas ir net gyvybes kada tik prireikia; net tranai, kurie, iš pažiūros, nieko kito neveikia tik siurbčioja medutį, atlieka kilnią misiją – prisideda prie giminės pratęsimo netekdami savo gyvybės. Tačiau bitės – kuklumo įsikūnijimai ir nė kiek tuo nesipuikuoja, bet ir toliau kantriai dirba darbelius vardan tos savo šeimos.
Tad, jei šiais metais vėl svarstote, ką padovanoti savo artimam – pasisemkite idėjų iš bitelių – dovanokite ką nors neįkainojamo, ką nors, kas sako „myliu Tave“, „Tu man rūpi“, „ačiū, kad esi“. Išsiilgusiems vasaros ar šąlant širdutei dovanokite vasaros saulę ir laukų žiedų aromatą įamžintą meduje. O jei dovanos ieškote mažiesiems ar smaližiams, puiki idėja bus ir gumdrops, pagaminti su medumi bei vaisių sultimis. Pritrūkus jėgų, energijos, užklupus lietingoms nuotakoms pradžiuginkite bičių duonele ar žiedadulkėmis. Pasigedus namų jaukumo ir ramybės, braškant liepsnai šeimos židiny ar paklydus kryžkelėje pasišvieskite natūralaus bičių vaško žvake, išgerkite žolelių arbatos ir nuraminkite mintis šaukšteliu saldžios medaus pagundos. Patikėkite, net didžiausios vėtros kartais praeina, kol išgeri vieną puodelį šiltos arbatos. Net didžiausi priešai pažvelgia vienas kitam į akis su šaukšteliu dorodami tą patį stiklainėlį honey delicacies and all the families flock home - like the cosiest beehive - where not only warm tea but also the warm hands of warm people await them.

Christmas in the home hive

One of the most beautiful holidays of the year is approaching, during which we will remember what has been done, what is to come, what has been experienced, what has been hoped for, what has happened... We will remember those who are near us, and those who will never come back again. We will break the patch and wish for harmony, wholeness, love and peace. Let us pause for a moment at the table and remember those little miraculous insects that have brought so many hearts closer together: how the little ones flap their wings furiously, how their buzzing sounds, how they share their bread and honey, how they 'dance' together, not thinking about whether it was good or bad, what has been and what will be. Let us remember and learn from that sense of communion. After all, in every home, at least on St. Christmas can be like a beehive: only with good memories, with a sincere sharing of food and thoughts, without fear of holding hands, hugging and, finally, dancing. Who knows what miracles await you and your family if, just for one day, we exchange all means of communication for the eyes of our neighbour and, simply, celebrate St. John of God. Christmas like bees - with hands and hearts...