Volume 26, Issue 6
WisconsinChristianNews.com Bee Kind
Page 31
By Lynn Fredrick October 2025
Is there something we can learn from these amazing creations of God? I think some things are obvious. “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33. “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.” Proverbs 4:14. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteous- ness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14.
When I was young, still in high school, I started a love affair with a bug, the honey bee. I talked to my biology
teacher about drilling a hole through the brand-new brick wall of the science room in the brand-new addition to our high school. The two-inch pipe, through the wall, would provide the entrance and exit to a glass walled honey bee hive. My Wisconsin State Biology teacher of the year, award winner, talked the school powers into allowing it. None of us had any idea of how many people would come to our school’s science room to ob- serve honey bees at work in a com- pletely safe environment.
Just simple observation will identify that a person’s personality and character are greatly shaped by the people they associ- ate with. Like the worker honey bee’s per- sonality and character is totally shaped by the queen they hang out with. In today’s world it is increasingly important that Christ followers exhibit Christ-like behavior. Some want to exhibit the one time behav- ior of Jesus chasing the money changers and hypocrite Pharisees out of the temple. But we, as followers, cannot forget Jesus’ instruction to love as He loved, even unto death. In His death, as He was murdered, He forgave His killers. I don’t do social media, but I hear there is a war of words between political conservatives and far left liberals. I recently experienced that in a store while picking out a new frame for my new eye glasses prescription. A man made a statement about the chaos in the world. I took the bait and said “it is sad when a man is assassinated for merely expressing his beliefs.” Aggressively, he identified himself as a devote atheist and me as one of those wacked out weirdo Chris- tians, a MAGA follower and a Fox News junkie. (I don’t watch T.V.) This guy was going for verbal assault blood as he called Carlie Kirk more derogatory names than I could keep up with. I was numb and greatly offended, but calmly told him that we all make decisions and then have to live with the consequences. Even though I had only spoken two short sentences, he responded “I don’t want to talk to you anymore” and I agreed, that was a good idea. How easy it would have been to return some sharp words, I sure felt like it! But the King I hang out with tells me to not have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments but instead, I should be kind to everyone. 1 Timothy 2:23-26. When people hurled insults at Jesus, He did not retaliate and when He suffered, He made no threats but entrusted Himself to God who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23. If we are affected by the aura of Jesus, we will not repay wrong with wrong but we will be kind to everyone. 1 Thesalonians 5:15. At John 15:17, we are commanded to love one another and at 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, love is defined. Patience and kindness lead the list. Additionally, love does not envy, boast or is prideful. It is not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil. Love rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, hopes and always perseveres. Love never fails. Our personality and character are greatly affected by the people we hang out with, whether in person or social media. Hang out with King Jesus and others who hang out with Him. As Christ followers, we have the great opportunity and responsibility to demonstrate the forgiveness, peace, love and kindness that comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ and a relationship with Him. In the midst of a society that is full of anger, dissention and hate; I encourage you to BEE KIND. Lynn Fredrick is the author of “Stand Firm,” a recovery program to help transform your life by using the divine power of God’s Word. LynnFredrick.com
my protective bee suit to mow the lawn, I had been stung over 20 times. The hive was always in turmoil and by the time came to pull off honey, they had not even made any for themselves to get through the winter. I’m not sure but, it may be, as they passed from this life, for lack of food, they went to the lake of fire to eternally torment the residents there. I have had good hives over the years but this year was exceptional! When I brought the two new nuc hives home, (a nuc is a small 6 frame cardboard box hive of active bees) I relocated them to a 10- frame wooden box. I wore a bee suit but I seriously don’t think I would have had to. I have been back to the two hives to add a sec- ond box, called the “second deep.” (More room for bees and the level they will store honey and pollen for their winter food supply). When the second level is full of bees, I add new levels called “honey supers.” (The honey they are making for me). This year I added three honey supers to each hive. Every time I opened the hives, I was greeted by calm and friendly bees. The most trying time for honey bees and the bee keeper is when you pull off honey the end of Au- gust. I am taking their honey and, well they have worked hard for it. A single honey bee will visit ten flowers every minute and may visit 600 flowers, each time out, before returning to the hive. She will make about 1 teaspoon of honey in her life time. When pulling the honey, first I put on smelly stuff, called honey robber, to drive the bees out of the supers, (not all leave), then I take the honey supers away from the hives and blow the remaining bees out of the frame using a small air compressor, then off to a sealed room where I will extract the honey. Lots of bees are on the ground and in the air, all of them disturbed by my actions, yet not one ex- hibited aggressive behavior. The final telling of the bee’s character was exhibited later that day when Terry and I finished mowing lawn. (No bee suits). We were walking past some of the bees that were still on the ground or flying around. These bees are disoriented but after several
For me, the project launched a lifelong interest in the honey bee. I never lived in a location appropriate to have honey bees until the last 22 years on the country hobby farm, where my wife Terry and I live. Most always when I have to purchase a hive of bees they were birthed in California over the winter. When I get the hive, it may have several thousand bees in the hive and they are active. The queen is daily ramping up to laying over 2000 eggs per day and the workers are bringing in nectar and pollen to feed the ever-increasing popu- lation. The cycle goes from egg, to larva, to pupa, to a living honey bee in 21 days. Other than the queen, the life expectancy of a honey bee is around 40 days, the queen can live several years. At the peak of the season, July and August, a good queen will have built the pop- ulation in the hive to around 50,000 bees, mostly females. I have two hives, so the activity of going and coming bees at this time is quite amazing. Foraging bees visit 5 million flowers to produce a sin- gle pint of honey. I like to tease my wife, Terry, so generally on my way to check the bees I will tell her “I’m going out to hang out with some of the 90,000 California beach girls for a while.” It is difficult to get the hives through the winter. It is wonderful when that happens, but sometimes I have to buy new bees because they didn’t make it, mainly because of the many environmental diseases, pests and pesticides that are killing many pollinators. When I have to buy a new hive, I am always on edge, a little, until I can determine if I have a good queen. A good queen, of course is a prolific egg layer. But it is her temperament I am looking for. Is she calm and kind or is she on edge, crabby or mean? Every bee in her hive knows their queen by the aura she alludes. That aura will determine their character. If you have a crabby queen, you have a hive of crabby, short-tempered bees. If you have a calm, kind queen you get a calm, kind and hard-working hive. For a comparison and contrast, my worst hive was just downright mean. Before I made the decision that I would have to even wear
hours will find their hive. A bee came right after us and targeted Terry, flying around her. Terry doesn’t physi- cally react well to bee stings, so she was nervous. I told her to just stand still because the bee was not exhibiting any aggressive behavior. Like bumping into you repeat- edly. The bee landed on her bare arm and walked up to her shoulder, looked right at her, as if to say, “nice to meet you,” and then flew back to her hive. These amaz- ingly calm, kind bees, exhibiting the character and per- sonality of their queen, made over 70 pounds of honey, in each hive, as their winter food store and 50 pounds extra to share with us.
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