Jiří Moutelík * August 17, 1961 – August 26, 2020
Once you start working with bumblebees, you will easily fall in love with them. It can really become a lifelong hobby and you will fall in love with it.
It is a very useful hobby, albeit time-consuming and full of adrenaline and endorphins. The usefulness lies in the fact that it also helps nature, to which we owe so much.
Bumblebee keepers take care of their bumblebees, just like other people take care of their pets. They pay attention and care to them, they get nervous when things are not going well. It must be admitted that sometimes this comes at the expense of family and partners. For keepers, it is lucky when their loved ones understand their passion and patiently support them. This is not always the case and it is not self-evident, however, if the whole family of the keeper is passionate about nature conservation, then things work out and it is beautiful.
Sometimes time and life are relentless. Unfortunately, even something beautiful ends eventually, and sometimes prematurely. That is the beauty of life – its transience. Those who realize this can enjoy life to the fullest while there is time, with a beautiful hobby such as bumblebee breeding.
One of such breeders was Mr. Jiří Moutelík, who unfortunately left our earthly human and bumblebee world in August 2020.
My husband Jiří
Photo M. Moutelíková
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Jiří was a passionate breeder and therefore went into everything to the fullest.
His work was demanding. He sailed as a captain around the Czech Republic and Europe on cargo ships and was therefore often on the road. Although he was away from home, he was always in touch with it. If it was bumblebee season, he did not forget to ask about them - how they were doing.
Some breeders remember him calling them from the deck of a boat and consulting with them on breeding topics to the sound of the waves.
He kept bumblebees in the village of Chramostek.
Photo by M. Moutelíková
Even after he finished sailing on cargo ships, he remained loyal to the water and the skippers. That was when he worked on the survey ship Valentýna. This special ship ensures safe river navigation – it measures the bottom profile and marks a safe route on the ever-changing river bottoms in the Czech Republic.
Survey ship Valentine II.
Photo Vltava River Basin
In the spring of 2012, he decided that he wanted to be closer to nature. He bought a mobile caravan. In which he spent weekends in Chramostek with his wife, so that they could be closer to nature... and also with the first three bumblebee hives.
The mayor of the village of Lužec nad Vltavou (to which Chramostek belongs) allowed him to place his new home on the edge of a field. There, like a true beekeeper, he took care not only of the bumblebees and their hives, but also of their food and nesting possibilities. He maintained the entrusted area, sowed grass and honey plants and shrubs. In this way, he created a small bumblebee paradise.
There was always something to repair and paint.
Photo M. Moutelíková
Like every breeder, he waited impatiently for spring to come outside the windows, and then he was unstoppable. He had to go out with a net or a glass to catch bumblebees.
Especially when queen mothers appeared looking for a nesting site, he spent long hours observing them, as well as settling them.
He reported his successes and observations home full of joy or anticipation of how the next attempt would turn out. He knew well that everything takes time and that even with bumblebee mothers you have to go slowly and that "a crowd" is not the way to success. You could feel his enthusiasm and pure joy.
There was no shortage of fun with bumblebees either. For example, when a swarm of bees that had flown away from someone nearby settled in his empty hive. Fortunately, he had beekeeper friends around him who were happy to help him in such a situation.
He had a caravan in Chramostek for the weekend.
Photo M. Moutelíková
As Jiří gained experience, he established many contacts with other bumblebee breeders - bumblebee farmers. He consulted with them and shared knowledge and experiences.
Of course, what happened to him, like every other "bombophile", i.e. bumblebee lover, was that the number of his hives grew imperceptibly.
It was probably the materialization of his "pleasure" in the winter, which did not let his skillful hands idle. The officially admitted number of hives was 17.
We, the beekeepers, know how it is. That is, how many hives we can admit at home and how many we are able to conjure up from hidden supplies at once if necessary. Or we can quickly add them when the season is going well and the queen mothers around you are looking for a place to lay their heads and wings..
Jiří loved spending time in nature, his family allowed him to do so, supported him in doing so. If possible, they were there with him along with other pets – cats. They also had understanding for him, so they waited more or less patiently for their master to pay attention to them again. As is known, cats are jealous of bumblebees and therefore they were always keenly interested in what had caught his attention and when he would pay attention to them again.
Jiří had big plans and was looking forward to retiring at home and not sailing somewhere far away. He wanted to devote himself fully to bumblebees and bees. He wanted to expand the bumblebee paradise and help them.
But fate did not want him to, and so he did not live to see a career as a beekeeper - he left this world earlier than he wanted.
It's a shame to leave some aspects of life unwritten, unfortunately it sometimes happens. There were many of those described and they are described in beautiful stories.
Jiří, thank you for the bumblebees and for everything you have done for them, we appreciate it!