0088

Quite warm today - upper 60's, I think. I weed the strawberries a bit, and pick another box of green tomatoes to ripen inside. Pick enough green beans for supper plus 2 portions in the freezer, but many plants are dead now. The garden work finished, I install some wiring in the garage, including prep work for an outside outlet.

On the south side of the garage, the bees catch my attention. They're busy in this mild weather storing up for their winter larder. The incessant departures and arrivals from the landing board, like a busy airport. I make myself comfortable, content to just sit and watch their industry for awhile. But something else today. Those two bees appear to be wrestling! Is an intruder being dealt with here? I move closer for a better look. No danger of getting stung as long as I move smoothly and don't threaten the hive. I'm just another immobile object around which they easily fly.

The smaller bee is an ordinary worker. I slowly realize that the larger one is not exactly an intruder, but a drone, and this hive is his home. Or it was. Apparently, he's being evicted; winter is coming and all useless eaters must depart.

The drone is bigger and stronger than his adversary, but she has a tight grip on one of his wings, so that he can't escape, and her weight and tenacious hold is vexing him. She has managed to get him this far, outside onto the landing board, and is struggling mightily, tumbling him as best she can toward the edge. Finally she succeeds, and they drop down to the grass, still gripped in struggle. Up onto a tiny twig he climbs, clumsily and with great difficulty, but she tumbles him, and, losing his hold on the twig, they both fall. Up and down, tumbling and wrestling this way and that, she drags him one centimeter at a time away from the hive. Finally, he manages to climb up a blade of grass where another blade crosses over laterally. With tremendous exertion, he climbs upward, where the lateral blade blocks his opponent's path, and she is forced to lose her grip on his wing. In a flash, he's up in flight, and back into the hive, where, I suppose, another worker will serve eviction again, until he is finally gotten rid of.

Such pathos! Such tragedy and comedy! Such life-and-death drama!

(Sigh) Meanwhile, I have work to get done before I rest tonight.