Hornet's Nest
There was a hornet's nest in the orchard. Some of the bigger boys had tried throwing rocks at it to knock it down, but they were unsuccessful. 9 yr old Varian had drawn up plans for a spray gun to coat the nest in chemicals, but his father wouldn't let him actually build it. Quirin said the nest was best left to the beekeeper Paul to destroy, and talked with the man during the afternoon. Paul agreed to smoke the nest out at night, when the hornets were least active. Varian was a little disappointed- this meant he couldn't watch- but Quirin was adamant about Varian staying safe. Paul had special clothing like the bee hat he always wore and had worked with stinging insects for years, while Varian was still just a kid and prone to leaping into situations he should avoid.
Varian spent the evening after dinner drawing sketches of the hornets and their nest, wondering when adults would take him seriously. His chemicals could be just as effective at killing insects as the smoke would be! Quirin did let him spray insecticide on the pumpkins when they were growing, so he knew he'd been successful before. But apparently pumpkins were considered far safer than hornet's nests.
Quirin came in to tell Varian to go to bed. "The nest will be gone come morning, and you can go over to Paul's and thank him. You can bring him some of our apples, as a gift." Quirin told him.
"Okay Dad." Varian said half-heartedly. He knew he was missing out on something exciting. And Varian knew he could have been helpful- he started fires all the time, sometimes on purpose even! But when Quirin made a decision, he didn't budge. Varian would have to wait til morning.
The morning came soon enough, a bright sunny day. Varian ate breakfast with his father, who was pleased Varian hadn't snuck out last night to watch the beekeeper work. (Varian had considered it.) Quirin smiled and gave him permission to go see Paul, handing Varian a bucket of apples father and son had gathered the day before.
"I won't take long Dad, cause I know we've got work to do in the orchard." Varian said.
"Good boy. Tell Paul I said hi and ask him about his honey." Quirin replied.
"Okay Dad." Varian nodded and went on his way. Paul lived towards the outskirts of Old Corona, past the shepherds. Varian waved as he walked past Katie's house. On another day, he might have stopped by, but today he didn't have the time. Quirin expected him to be very quick with his visit to Paul so he could do his chores afterwards. Varian soon saw Paul out with his hives and smiled.
"Hi Paul! Dad says hi and to give you these apples as a thank you for getting rid of the hornet's nest." Varian called out.
"Wonderful! Nothing beats your father's apples for quality." Paul praised. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Maybe you could tell me something about the hives." Varian pointed.
"Ah. Well the hives I have are different from a hornet's nest. Hornets can kill honeybees for starters. They're aggressive. I got a few stings last night, but I managed to smoke them out and then I was able to destroy their nest. Now for my colonies, I use a hive stand. It elevates the bottom born of the hive and keeps it dry. The bottom board serves as the floor of the colony and is open in the front. It's a landing platform for foraging bees. Next is a series of boxes or hive bodies containing the brood nest and the honey supers where the surplus honey is stored. You wouldn't believe it, but when filled with honey they can weight 60 lbs! You have to be strong to be a beekeeper." Paul bragged.
"Wow." Varian was very impressed with the engineering behind beekeeping.
"The suspended beeswax comb is held within a frame. Each frame consists of a top bar, two end bars, and a bottom bar. My top bars and grooved and the bottom bars solid. I nail V-sharped metal frame spacers on ledges for reinforcement. The comb foundation consists of thin sheets of beeswax. Thin surplus foundation is used to produce comb honey, while a thicker foundation is used for the brood chamber. I secure these with metal support pins. A queen excluder confines the queen and brood rearing to the brood nest, while allowing the workers to pass through. The inner cover rests on the top of the uppermost super and beneath the outer cover. It prevents bees from gluing down the outer telescoping cover with wax and also provides insulation. The outer cover protects all the hive parts from weather. It fits over the the inner cover and top edge of the uppermost hive body. With the inner cover in place, I can remove the outer cover if needed and disturb few bees. It's rather impressive, don't you think?" Paul couldn't resist showing off, explaining things to the boy. It wasn't often than he had an audience, and he wanted to make the most of it.
"It is really neat." Varian agreed. "I don't think Dad would let me try beekeeping, though."
"Probably not. It's a very specialized field and I enjoy it. Would you like some honey to take back home, in exchange for listening to me ramble?" Paul offered.
"Yes, please." Varian nodded.
"Here you are! Apples for me, and honey for you. A good deal all around." Paul held out his hand for Varian to shake. "Call me again if you find another nest where one shouldn't be! I'm happy to help."
"Thanks, Paul." Varian said. He might have missed the removal of a nest, but he'd learned something new and he had honey to bring back home. Not a bad start to the day. He smiled as he walked home, eager to share both the honey and the knowledge of how it was stored with his Dad.
The End
Varian is braver than I am. I wouldn't want to investigate a hornet's nest, I'd just want it gone.