Bee Clever. Bee Resourceful.

*Iolaire* · 07-18-2020, 12:51 PM

Iolaire had put a lot of work in as of late, though not many knew of her task. It was something that she kept mostly hidden, though she'd hinted at Sirius of her plans. She told her mother as well, and Roan, of course. If successful, the Armada would never again have to travel out in search of honey. Her garden would get pollinated regularly and without worry. There really was no downside to keeping her own bees. Hopefully, all that the small woman had to do was keep the fuzzy little bugs fat and happy and they would stay with her. Until she was able to collect her own swarm, however, Iolaire still needed to go out and collect honey.

During her time away with Sirius on their island exploration, Io had discovered two big, hollow barrels. It had instilled the idea to craft beehives out of them. Painstakingly, she had bisected each barrel the long way and had crafted a standing frame upon which the barrel sat, it's open portion facing the sky. From her knowledge of other hives, she'd crafted slats which could be inserted into the barrel, a little lip of wood holding the slats in place. After that, she built a covering over top of the space. With a few more tweaks, she would have a suitable bee home in no time. Spring was the best time to harvest bees, after all. The lure of the plethora of flowers that she'd planted throughout the sweeping, tiered gardens were a huge draw. Bees already came from far and wide, pollinating the plants within the garden. Having her own hive would further boost that pollination. It was an exciting prospect.

Feeling as though she was at a good spot to stop for the morning, Iolaire put her task aside and placed her tools safely away. She still had to collect honey today. Enki had brought her word of a partially abandoned hive. A young bear had disturbed the swarm, eating some of the comb. In getting to that comb, it had broken open the hollow tree in which the bees had been nestled. The power of the stings perhaps had sent the bear scurrying off, but the damage had been done. The hive was no longer suitable for residence. The snow leopard had watched the swarm for two days, noting how many were leaving and returning. They must have found a new home, for the numbers returning drastically altered. It was the perfect opportunity for Iolaire to harvest combs without damaging a thriving hive.

With Enki beside her to lead her to the damaged hive, the pair made their way to the orchard. It was an ideal place for bees to nest. The flowering trees and rotting fruit would create a particularly fruity flavor in the honey. It was an exciting prospect. There were so many things you could do with honey. Iolaire decided what to do with it depending on that flavor. Perhaps this batch, depending on how much was left, would be used towards making summer mead. She would have to taste it first.

In time, the pair arrived at the hive. The dainty fae wasn't terribly surprised at the small number of bees around the busted tree. Inspecting more closely, she frowned. The bear had really decimated the hive. Io hoped that the queen wasn't injured but if she was, a new one would be crowned. That was the way of bees. Though they all held their own positions, everyone was replaceable.

Iolaire set to work. Collecting the splintered bits of wood, she used her flint and steel to make a small fire. The smoke would aid in settling the remaining bees and helping to calm them. Furthermore, she moved a few yards away and crushed some lemongrass between a few rocks, spilling the sweet smelling oils. This would help to draw returning bees here rather than the hive that she would soon be elbow deep in. Back to the tree, the wood that she'd burned was down to embers. Pushing the coals closer to the tree, but not close enough to catch. With gentle, blowing breaths, she prompted the smoke into the hollow tree. The woman added some grass to the fire to create a bit more smoke. Light smoke made bees docile for a time, which was ideal for her task.

Spreading a deer skin upon the ground, Iolaire set to work. Reaching into the busted hive, she used her knife to cut the layers of comb away from the tree. She worked slowly and gently, very careful to not injure any remaining bees, though there were few. As she worked, she cut off the darker of the pockets of each comb, knowing that these were tainted and would make the honey taste rather nasty. She would do a more thorough job cleaning them away later.

There had been more in the hive than she'd originally thought. The swarm had been rather large in their prime. It was a pity that the bear had displaced them, but she was glad to reap the benefits. During her extraction, she didn't see a queen in the hive, which was good. They had already moved their monarch to a new home where they would rebuild. Pity that she hadn't been able to take this queen back to her own makeshift hives, but there would be time to collect a queen later.

Wrapping the combs in the deer hide, Iolaire tied it with twine to keep it compact and safe. She then put out the fire with a bit of dirt, making sure that it was thoroughly extinguished before she left the tree. It wouldn't do to catch the orchard on fire, especially with the dead, hollow tree being such good kindling. Casting her green-gold gaze to Enki, the woman smiled. "A decent days work, I think." Being the gentleman that he was, the pale leopard man hefted the skin of comb and slung it over his back. The pair then made their way back home. There was still quite a bit of work to do to process the honey, but it would be worth it and the whole back would reap the rewards of their work.

"Speech"

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Bee Clever. Bee Resourceful.

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Iolaire