under the cover of the association...
What you will learn here
- Our experiences with bumblebees
- Stories and "storytelling from the set"
Introduction
"Bumblebees in the Herbarium", or " What Couldn't Fit in the Herbarium"
On 22/11/2020, Čmeláci PLUS appeared on ČT1, season 8, episode 6 of the Herbář .
It was only a few minutes of footage, but very valuable to us. Thanks to Herbář, we were able to reach out to many nature lovers and introduce them to our group Čmeláci PLUS and, most importantly, what we do.
It all started with contact with the Herbář team, to whom we offered the topic of bumblebees. It was just in time, because Herbář had a similar topic planned. Thanks to that, we reached an agreement very quickly.
In addition, we agreed to help Katka Winterová, the face of the Herbarium, who is very busy with work, and bring a hive of bumblebees to her garden. Unfortunately, they did not become the protagonists of the Herbarium, but they made her happy all spring and part of the summer.
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium
Bumblebee nest for Katka
We went to the farm where Herbář films its programs on May 1. Immediately upon arrival, we discovered that Katka, although she is the Herbář "star", is also a very pleasant woman with whom you can talk for a long time about anything.
We talked about Herbář, about bumblebees, how bumblebees differ from bees, how they live, and why they are so endangered.
Then together we placed the hive with the bumblebees in the designated place. We chose a shady spot in a blooming apple orchard. Everything went smoothly and as soon as we opened the hive, the workers set off to explore their new home. It was almost as if they were following an ideal scenario.
Kat's farm is located in a beautiful village, in the middle of nature in Bohemia. Most of the fields, flower beds and orchards that you see in Herbarium are from here. So are many of the buildings used as backdrops during filming.
Together with Katka and her family, we watched as the workers one by one found their way to the new location and flew off in search of a food source. Soon they started returning with pollen grains. Everything was perfectly fine and we were all happy that it turned out this way.
Katka and I talked for a long time about how to take care of bumblebees and that they cannot be done without care. After a short while, Katka became an avid "bumblebee fan", i.e. a bumblebee breeder.
Bumblebees on the farm
Photo by O. Hercog, 6/2020
Katka and I met again at the Farm in mid-June when we checked the hive. We were there later than we had originally planned. But everything was fine.
New queens have already flown out of the hive in the garden, and we have met some of them. So next year another queen will appear there.
Katka assisted in checking the hive and cleaning it. We were lucky and watched a new drone being born in the nest.
At the end of June, we filmed with the Herbář team in Prague. They are professionals, but they were very relaxed. We also talked about bumblebees with them first and then filmed for half a day. Most of the time was devoted to them by Jaromír, who is the "practical doyen" among bumblebee collectors in the Czech Republic. He is also an inexhaustible well of knowledge about everything related to bumblebees. Fortunately, cameraman Martin and his team had enough capacity in the recording disk and full batteries in the camera.
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium – filming
Photo O. Hercog 6/2020
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium – filming
Photo O. Hercog 6/2020
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It's a shame that Herbář doesn't last several hours, there was enough material filmed. But the editor's scissors are merciless, as is the time block that ČT1 devotes to Herbář. That's why the show lacks a lot of close-up shots of bumblebees and their hustle and bustle around the hives. There's also no footage filmed at Jaromír's place. Jaromír used to travel the world as a member of a band and composes music. That's why the Herbář crew caught him playing an original bumblebee song.
Katka is also missing from the show, resting with a kitten in her arms in front of a bumblebee hive in the orchard on the farm. As she admitted to us, she often escaped from the hustle and bustle of everyday life there and watched bumblebees. We know very well how addictive it is, so we warned her in advance - in vain. We also warned her not to taste pollen. Just like watching bumblebees, eating bumblebees leads to the development of bombusophilia (obsession with bumblebees).
We would like to thank Katka and the entire Herbář team (Václav, Martin, Magda + others) for the invitation to the filming. Thank you for the pleasant meetings and for the opportunity to show the Herbář audience bumblebees and introduce them to the group Čmeláci PLUS.
We thank the herbarium for giving viewers, in these difficult times, not only the smell of herbs and spices from the kitchen, but also the scent of nature and the hope that the difficult times will soon end.
If you haven't seen Herbarium with Beetles, Bees and Bumblebees yet, you can watch it in the ČT1 Archive, or directly HERE
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium
J. Čížek
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium