{"id":5015,"date":"2026-05-05T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/?p=5015"},"modified":"2026-05-05T23:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T22:00:09","slug":"may-the-bees-be-with-you-may-5th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/may-the-bees-be-with-you-may-5th\/","title":{"rendered":"May the Swarm of Bees Be with you! May 5th"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-dominant-color=\"4d3328\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #4d3328;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alvin-david-WXLBMLXLlVo-unsplash1-576x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12133 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alvin-david-WXLBMLXLlVo-unsplash1-576x1024.webp 576w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alvin-david-WXLBMLXLlVo-unsplash1-169x300.webp 169w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alvin-david-WXLBMLXLlVo-unsplash1-768x1365.webp 768w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alvin-david-WXLBMLXLlVo-unsplash1-864x1536.webp 864w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alvin-david-WXLBMLXLlVo-unsplash1-1152x2048.webp 1152w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alvin-david-WXLBMLXLlVo-unsplash1-1320x2346.webp 1320w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alvin-david-WXLBMLXLlVo-unsplash1-scaled.webp 1441w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@alvinbcd?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Alvin David<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/a-group-of-bees-sitting-on-top-of-a-honeycomb-WXLBMLXLlVo?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Swarm of Bees in May<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A swarm in May<br>Is worth a load of hay<br>A swarm in June <br>Is worth a silver spoon<br>A swarm in July<br>Is not worth a fly.<\/em>&#8216;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry&#8217; published 1573, suggests we should:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;<em>Take heed to thy Bees, that are ready to swarm, the loss thereof now, is a crown&#8217;s worth of harm.&#8217; <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Hillman&#8217;s &#8216;Tusser Redivus&#8217; of 1710, swarming in May produces particularly good honey. &#8216;Their hours of swarming are for the most part between the hours of ten and three, and they ought to be watched every day.&#8217; He advises following the bees to retrieve them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;<em>You are entitled by custom to follow them over anyone&#8217;s land and claim them &#8230; but only so long as you &#8216;ting-tang&#8217; as you go, by beating some metal utensil &#8211; the sound whereof is also said to make your bees stop.&#8217;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of the above is quoted from The Perpetual Almanac of Folklore by Charles Kightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Queen Bee<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Bees swarm when a new Queen Bee takes a proportion of the worker bees to form a new colony. They will latch unto a branch or a shrub, even a car&#8217;s wing mirror. Then sending worker bees out searching for a suitable new home, such as a hollow tree. There may be hundreds or even thousands in the new colony. This may be very alarming. But, at this point, they will not be aggressive as they do not have a hive to protect. Look <a href=\"https:\/\/ag.purdue.edu\/department\/btny\/ppdl\/potw-dept-folder\/2022\/honey-bee-swarm.html\">here<\/a> for more information on swarming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sweet, Long Distance Flyers <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An average hive will produce 25 lbs of honey, and the bees will fly 1,375,000 miles to produce it. This is like flying 55 times around the world (according to the British beekeepers Association (and my maths)) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbka.org.uk\/honey\">https:\/\/www.bbka.org.uk\/honey<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Swarming in Hackney<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_02-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5016\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_02-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_02-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_02-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_02-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_02-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Swarm of Bees, Hackney (Photo Kevin Flude 30th May 2018). The Swarm is at the top of the Column and on the edge of the porch roof.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, on 30th May, I was perturbed to find a swarm of Bees hanging outside my front door. Frightened of leaving my house, I rang a local beekeeper, who came to take possession of the Bees and take them to a new home.  By the time he  came, they had moved 20 yards to a Buddleia bush.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"507\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_06-507x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Swarm of Bees having moved 20 yards to a new home, being 'rescued' by a bee keeper.\" class=\"wp-image-5017\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_06-507x1024.jpg 507w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_06-149x300.jpg 149w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_06-768x1551.jpg 768w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_06-761x1536.jpg 761w, https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/61_bees_may_18_06.jpg 977w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 507px) 100vw, 507px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Swarm of Bees, having moved 20 yards to a second perch, being &#8216;rescued&#8217; by a bee keeper. You can see the swarm above his head.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Helping Bees<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Bees are still having a hard time as their habitats are diminishing and threats increasing. In July, DEFRA hosts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/bees-needs\/bees-needs-campaign#bees-needs-week-2026-13-to-19-july\">Bees\u2019 Needs Week 2026: 13 to 19 July<\/a>.  This aims to increase public awareness of the importance of pollinators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They suggest we can help by these 5 simple actions<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Grow more nectar rich flowers, shrubs, and trees. Using window or balcony boxes are good options if you don\u2019t have a garden.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Let patches of garden and land grow wild.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cut grass less often.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not disturb insect nests and hibernation spots.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Think carefully about whether to use pesticides.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Patron Saints of Bees include: <mark>St. Ambrose, St. Gobnait, and St. Valentine<\/mark>. Click here to see my post of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/february-14th-seynt-valentynes-day\/\">St Valentine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>On This Day<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1821<\/strong> \u2013 Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1835<\/strong> \u2013 The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen, which is 36 kms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1964<\/strong> &#8211; Europe Day is launched by the Council of Europe but the European Union celebrates Peach and Unity in Europe on May 9th<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First Published 2024, revised 2025, rearranged 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo by Alvin David on Unsplash A Swarm of Bees in May A swarm in MayIs worth a load of hayA swarm in June Is worth a silver spoonA swarm in JulyIs not worth a fly.&#8216; &#8216;Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry&#8217; published 1573, suggests we should: &#8216;Take heed to thy Bees, that are ready &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/may-the-bees-be-with-you-may-5th\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;May the Swarm of Bees Be with you! May 5th&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Swarming bees in May","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[112,116,321,118,298,115,333,7,23,324,4,16,185,712,12],"tags":[1597,1601,1599,1602,21,1600,1598],"class_list":["post-5015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-almanac-of-the-past","category-calendar","category-europe","category-events","category-farming-history","category-folklore","category-food-history","category-georgian","category-heritage","category-history","category-london","category-modern","category-nature","category-science","category-tudor-stuart","tag-bees","tag-bees-needs-week","tag-hive","tag-honey","tag-london","tag-pollinators","tag-swarming"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>May the Swarm of Bees Be with you! 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