Bee stings for science

The 30 or so of us who gathered last night at the Gale Free Library in Holden took our cue from Loree and Ellen and became eager to tell our stories. We wanted to learn about science and wanted to tell what we knew. The five-year-old girl in front of us was quick to add what she knew about bees, how they stung, and how they live. She knew her stuff and she wasn't afraid.
Loree Griffin Burns, Ph.D. and Ellen Harasimowicz have written a book, The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe (Scientists in the Field Series) about the alarming disappearance of bees. The hives are empty, a condition called colony collapse disorder, or CCD. You might find a queen alone in the hive with a few of her assistants. The honey would be there, but the rest of the bees have gone missing. Where'd they go? Why'd they go there? Why won't they come back?
The first thing that investigators in any field have to do, particularly in science, is to try to identify their own prejudices. Foremost among the prejudices in dealing with bees is that we are typically afraid of getting stung.
And so, in the name of science, Loree and Ellen set about to get stung and to photograph same. Getting a good photograph of a bee sting requires skill, patience, and willing participants (human and apid). They got the picture and got beyond the fear of being stung. (Bravery doesn't preclude being practical. During their visits to a half-dozen apiaries, they wore protective suits.)

Tess, Loree, and Ellen

The audience was a bit shy (except for the aforementioned five-year-old), so there were just a few questions after the presentation. That is, until people queued up to have their books signed. Everyone had a story about bees or agriculture or science or something slightly related. (One of my interests is in communications technology. Bees are able to communicate complex messages about food sources and other topics of interest to the colony, in the dark or in flight. For some intriguing studies, see the Bumbling Bees section of You Are Here: Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon, but Get Lost in the Mall by Colin Ellard.) The book-signing line moved slowly as each person shared a story with Loree and Ellen who, in turn, shared their enthusiasm about each topic.
Science, at its best, is about getting to know our world, our selves, and our fellow travelers and in the delight at what we might find.