On a Saturday afternoon in June, Farrah King, a beekeeper from Oregon, was rearranging the workbench in her greenhouse when a distressed female bee caught her attention. King told The Epoch Times, “The bee was buzzing incessantly, sounding very despondent. I could immediately see that it was trapped in an old spider web.”
Driven by her instinct to help the bee, King picked up a garden stake nearby and carefully assessed the situation of the trapped bee, intending to help it break free from the entanglement.
Concerned about potentially tearing the bee’s delicate wings, as bee wings are fragile, she carried the bee to a hive closest to her beekeeping area.
King revealed, “It was a complete gamble. I didn’t know if the other bees would help this female bee or ignore it, or even attack it, because bees have a strong territorial instinct. I really hoped these bees would assist it.”
What followed left King in awe. She noticed six vigilant worker bees running out from the hive entrance, surrounding the foreign bee. They worked together with their tongues and legs, and within 10 minutes, they removed the spider web covering the trapped bee.
Residing by the Columbia River in Astoria, King exclaimed, “It was simply a miracle.”
Reflecting on the symbolic significance behind the actions of the bees during this special summer day, King said they conveyed a profound message: that humans can adapt to their environment.
She shared, “Bees are highly cohesive in this aspect, surpassing human consciousness. Even if they do not belong to the same community, bees are communal and always serve the collective, so it’s a beautiful message.”
King posted a video on her social media account, which quickly went viral online. Inspired by the bees’ compassionate act, hundreds of people reached out to King, thanking her for capturing this serendipitous event.
She expressed, “It’s too cute and heartwarming. The care and positive feedback from so many people make me incredibly grateful.”
As a beekeeper, King has gained insights into bees’ behavior and learned much about them. She described bees as “mysterious” and “curious,” emphasizing that they operate together in a hive and do not act individually.
“They function as superorganisms, benefiting the whole,” King shared. “I often observe worker bees cleaning each other. They exchange nectar with their tongues or proboscis, then turn it into honey.”
Highlighting an interesting fact, bees are neat creatures that collaborate to keep the hive free from foreign substances.
In addition to being a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and an ultrasound technician, King only began beekeeping in 2014. Initially finding traditional beekeeping methods challenging, she persisted and soon discovered the “bee-centric” and natural approach to beekeeping. She underwent apprentice training in this method.
While King has developed a deep affection for these tiny creatures, she acknowledges that not everyone shares the same fondness for bees, often due to past experiences of being stung. However, she clarified that bees do not naturally seek to sting humans; they do so to protect their hive, and they die once they sting.
“To protect the hive and the entire bee colony, they are willing to sacrifice their lives. This sacrificial act is truly a beautiful thing,” King stated.