4:30pm, 19C, a bit windy and overcast.
I've just been down to the apiary and the guys were pretty active.
Lots of comings and goings.
Unusually though, they seemed bothered by my presence.
I got buzzed and made to feel pretty unwelcome.
This wasn't at all normal so I decided to let them get on with it and moved away.
I wasn't sure why they were behaving like this; they weren't usually this defensive.
Then I looked at myself.
I was wearing lumo cycling gear and, having just cycled 20 miles, wasn't smelling particularly neutral.
 |
| Sweaty lumo-clad cyclists probably shouldn't wander into the Apiary and stand in the bees' flightpath |
So I replaced the shirt with something bland and got a bit clean.
Unsurprisingly, when I then went into the apiary the guys totally ignored me.
I was no longer a sweaty, CO2-emitting lumo predator but had morphed back into a friendly bee-neutral beekeeper.
It's always good to be reminded of basic principles and to not take your bees for granted.
