This is rather old news by now but our niece’s hive, all tucked up for winter, fell victim to vandalism last mid-December. At first we were too shocked and sorrowful to record it here; then too busy and distracted; then simply remaining at a loss for words. But here it is written at last.

The stack of hive bodies was knocked over in the night, presumably by the angry, shouty, possibly drunk or drugged individual heard noisily passing through the area. The next morning some dead bees were found clinging to the frames but most had gone away. She reassembled the hive in the slim hope that they would return but that did not happen.

Heartsick as she is, she is looking forward to starting again. We can not resist the inaccurate joke that she has been bitten by the bug. And there is, at least, honey to harvest.