under the hood of the association...
What you will learn here
- Our experiences with bumblebees
- Stories and „behind-the-scenes tales“
Introduction
„Bumblebees in the Herbalist's Compendium“, or„What didn't fit into the Herbarium“
It was only a few minutes of footage, but very valuable to us. Thanks to the Herbalist, we were able to reach a number of nature lovers and introduce them to our Bumblebee PLUS group and, most importantly, what we do.
It all began with contact with the Herbář team, to whom we offered the topic of bumblebees. It was just in time, as Herbář had a similar topic planned. Thanks to this, we reached an agreement very quickly.
Additionally, we agreed to help Katka Winterová, the face of Herbář, who is very busy with work, and bring her a bumblebee nest to her garden. Although, unfortunately, they did not become the protagonists of Herbář, they brought her joy throughout the spring and part of the summer.
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium
Bumblebee nest for Katka
We set out for the ship where Herbář films its shows on May 1st. Straight after arriving, we discovered that Katka, despite being a „star“ of Herbář, is also a very pleasant woman with whom one can talk about anything for a long time.
We talked about the Herbalist, about bumblebees, how bumblebees differ from bees, how things work with them, and why they are so endangered.
Then, together, we placed the bumblebee colony in its designated spot. We chose a shady location in a blossoming apple orchard. Everything went smoothly, and as soon as we opened the colony, the workers set off to explore their new home. It was almost as if they were following an ideal script.
Katka's farm is located in a beautiful village, in the middle of the countryside in Bohemia. Most of the fields, flowerbeds and orchards you see in the Herbal are from here. The same applies to a number of buildings used as backdrops during filming.
Together with Katka and her family, we watched as the worker bees oriented themselves one by one in the new location and flew off to find a food source. Soon they started returning with pollen baskets. Everything was perfectly fine, and we were all happy that it had worked out this way.
Katka and I talked for a long time about how to look after bumblebees and that it's not possible without care. After a short while, Katka became an enthusiastic „bumblebee keeper,“ meaning a bumblebee breeder.
Bumblebees at the farm
Photo O. Hercog, 06/2020
We met with Katka again at the Ship in mid-June for Ulk's check-up. We were there later than we originally planned. Everything was fine though.
The new queens have already flown from the hive in the garden; we've met some of them. So, next year, some queen will appear there again.
Katka helped with the inspection and cleaning of the hive. We were lucky to observe a new drone being born in the hive.
At the end of June, my team and I from Herbář were filming in Prague. They are professionals, but were incredibly relaxed. We first chatted with them about bumblebees and then filmed for half a day. Jaromír, who is the „practical doyen“ among Czech bumblebee experts, dedicated most of his time to them. He is also an inexhaustible source of knowledge on everything concerning bumblebees. Fortunately, the cameraman Martin and his team had enough capacity on their recording drive and fully charged 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 the Herbář doesn't last several hours, as there was enough material filmed. But the editor's scissors are merciless, as is the time slot that CT1 dedicates to the Herbář. Therefore, many detailed shots of bumblebees and their hustle and bustle around the hives are missing from the programme. Shots filmed at Jaromír's place are also missing. Jaromír used to travel the world as a musician and compose music. That's why the Herbář crew filmed 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 nest in the orchard on the farm. As she admitted to us, she often escaped from the hustle and bustle of everyday life there and observed bumblebees. We know well how addictive that is, and therefore we warned her in advance – in vain. Likewise, we warned her not to taste the pollen baskets. Just like observing bumblebees, devouring pollen baskets leads to the development of bombusophily (obsession with bumblebees).
Our sincere thanks to Katka and the entire Herbář team (Václav, Martin, Magda + everyone else) for inviting us to film. We're grateful for the pleasant meetings and the opportunity to present bumblebees to the Herbář viewers and introduce them to the Čmeláci PLUS group.
Thank you, Herbáři, for giving viewers, in these difficult times, a whiff of nature and the hope that these difficult times will soon end, in addition to the aroma of delicacies and spices from the kitchen.
If you haven't seen the Herbarium of Beetles, Bees and Bumblebees yet, you can watch it in the CT1 Archive, or directly HERE
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium
J. Čížek
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium
Bumblebees PLUS – Herbarium