On a misty, damp, steamy morning, very unsuitable for beekeeping, we nevertheless made an urgent visit. We needed to top up the anti-Varroa thymol treatment, but that wasn't the real reason for the ungency. I explained to them, as one must do, that we have a new member of the family, a grandson

As I've mentioned before, this is a compassionate colony; a couple of them flew up to veil level, looking me in the eyes, searching for early signs of memory loss. You are probably having similar thoughts, but it's true! Within three weeks and one day, we have gone from zero grandchildren to two grandsons. That is a lot of emotions; I'm a little bit wired

The bees got it; multiple births is no big shock for them. They went back to their tasks, reassured that the world is working as it should. Just for reassurance that all is well with them, we hooked out a couple of frames; there, by chance - or maybe not - was the queen. 'Queen' is a misleading label for her role in the colony; she doesn't rule or direct or control, but she is the source of new life and motivation and peace (a queenless colony becomes very agitated). 'Mother' would be a better word

I've mentioned Louise Bourgeois, artist and sculptor, before. She is most famous for her giant spider sculptures. She had a difficilt and unhappy childhood and used art as a treatment for her trauma. To her, spiders were symbols of mother-love: "deliberate, clever, patient, soothing, reasonable, dainty, subtle, indispensable, neat". Notoriously though, spiders are often not great examples of co-parenting. Nevertheless, you can see what she was getting at: the fierceness of a mother's love and protection

I see something a little more inclusive happening: the crucible-fierceness of new families forming, as the emergence of that new life changes everything in an instant, and two irreversibly become three. What a privilege to be included in the fashioning of a new reality. The bees, who know everything about metamorphosis, have promised their support