Humbled & Bumbled

Humbled & Bumbled

Noel Laflin

8-23-15

Illustration from 'The Tales of Peter Rabbit,' by Beatrix Potter

A colony of bumblebees has taken up residency under part of the old wooden deck in our small garden here in El Modena.  They moved in stealthily enough this past spring and have been multiplying ever since. Their comings and goings, like brightly painted small black and yellow hovercraft, is pretty interesting to watch – from a distance. It only took one small sting to the forehead to drill that into my brain. 

Now, the deck butts up against some large rocks lying adjacent to one of the ponds.  It’s probably an old rodent hole, according to every bumblebee site referenced thus far.  Better bees than rodents I suppose. 

Anyway, I have been reading up on bumble/humble/dumblebees for the better part of two days, trying to determine just how long they might stay. I don’t want to be an ungracious host, especially since these guys and their queen are doing nature’s calling with pollinating, etc. And although there are varying opinions, more than one expert assures me that the colony will peter out come the fall and cooler weather.

But as the summer wears on and the multiplying continues, making it all the more perilous to work at that end of the garden, well, autumn can’t come soon enough. I now empathize with Mrs. Tittlemouse, of Peter Rabbit fame, who once remarked to Babbity Bumble: “I am not in the habit of letting lodgings; this is an intrusion!”

Intrusion or not, one bumble bee web site emphasizes just how fortunate I should feel that these majestic, fuzzy, humblebees have chosen my land as their new home. 

I should feel so humbled and honored.

Meanwhile, I’m secretly cheering for cooler weather.

Just don’t tell the bees.