The Bee's Knees

My Grandfather, James C. Andis.  Storekeeper 1st Class
Navy, Sea Bees 77th Battalion
September 12, 1915 - July 19, 1998
A Good Man

Today, while talking with friends about grandparents, and honoring memories a gift came to me in the form of a sweet as honey memory.  It was of a trip with my Grandfather, whom I called Dad mostly because Mom called him Dad.  He was a wonderful man, who left me with wonderful memories.  I would like to share one.

When I was a young girl, and my grandfather a younger man, we would go to visit his war buddy, Rufus, who lived in Blue John, KY.  This is a place that is far more rural than any other place you could imagine.  Rufus lived in a white, country house, with a large porch.  He lived here with "Mommy", and a brother Roscoe.  It was like going to a foreign country.  Whenever we visited, Dad and I, we always took a bucket of chicken.  As the Hyden's didn't get into town much, and this was a real treat.  It was a treat for us to, because of the fun we would have there.

On one particular visit we were there to get a "Queen".  A wild hive of honey bees had made themselves at home in a birch tree.  Very high in the tree, mind you but, my grandfather had an empty hive and this was perfect timing.  I remember so vividly the way Rufus shimmied up that tree.  He moved up the smooth tree just like we walk to the mail box.  Now, what made this feat all the more spectacular is that Rufus had lost a leg from the knee down in WWII.  He used crutches, he said, "that 'ol plastic leg just slows me down".  He was a real character, one I will never forget.

Dad and I stood patiently, well Dad was patient, while Rufus lulled those bees to sleep with a smoker.  He moved so skillfully, so confidently.  Once the bees were calm and relaxed, Rufus began to split the hive, carefully smoking all the time, and removed the queen.  Placed her in a coffee can, holes in the lid, and shimmied back down the tree, bee and smoker in hand!  Amazing.

Now, what's even more amazing is the fact that we took that queen back home with us, some 22 miles north.  Placed her in the empty hive, and miraculously the colony followed shortly there after.   We harvested that hive many times after, for the clover honey.  It was so sweet and glowed golden, but I will have to say my memory is sweeter still.

Some years later, when Rufus had grown too old to shimmy the trees, and wild hives were fewer and far between, we were in need of another hive.  Well, Dad order a colony from a mail order honey bee catalogue of some sort.  The colony arrived in a wire box with a shaft like piece down the center.  This shaft held the queen secure during delivery, there was some sort of substance on it that keep the worker bees busy, trying to eat her out.  Upon delivery, Dad (my dad), smoked the group, and placed the queen into the newly made hive, and shook several workers in, and off they went.  Right into there new home. 

This is the box (hanging) that our bees came in.  I have two.
On the far right is a bee smoker.  The one Dad and  Rufus used.