Telling the bees

“London Bridge is down” is how Sir Edward Young, Queen’s private secretary, conveyed the official news about the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. As the news spread through the world, a headline     1     many on social media: “royal beekeeper has informed the Queen’s bees that the Queen has died.”

Did bees need to be told about human affairs? Would they have any sort of opinion on the matter?

But some beekeepers,     2     by historians, say “telling the bees” is a standard practice that goes back centuries, with potentially serious consequences if not followed.

“It’s a very old and     3     tradition, but not something that’s very well-known,” said Mark Norman, a folklorist and the author of Telling the Bees and Other     4    : The Folklore of Rural Crafts.

The tradition holds that bees, as members of the family, should be informed of     5     life events in the family, especially births and deaths. Beekeepers would knock on each hive, deliver the news and possibly     6     the hive with a black cloth during a mourning period. The practice is more     7     known in Britain but is also found in the United States and other parts of Europe, Mr. Norman said.

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, it was believed that neglecting to tell the bees could lead to various     8    , including their death or departure, or a failure to make honey. Nowadays, beekeepers may be less likely to believe they risk bad luck, but they may continue to follow the tradition as “a     9     of respect,” Mr. Norman said.

Stephen Fleming, a beekeeper for 25 years and the co-editor of BeeCraft, a magazine for British beekeepers, said he once     10     the tradition after a friend died. He went to the friend’s bees, gently knocked on the hives and told them the news, he said.

“It was just something I thought my friend would have enjoyed,” he added.

Mr. Fleming said most beekeepers would most likely be aware of the tradition, but not as many would practice it.

“It’s generally thought to be a good and nice thing to do,” he said.

When we visit museums, we see cultural artifacts -from everyday household items to precious carvings and statues, that give us glimpses into the     1     cultures and communities from around the world. However,     2     surrounds these artifacts and whether or not countries should return these pieces of culture if they were stolen or forcefully taken during colonization.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, European countries such as Britain, France and the Netherlands had     3     many African and Asian countries. During their rule, they either seized artifacts or took them as spoils of wars, and brought them to their own countries where they are now displayed in museums.

In 2017, the Government of Benin in West Africa     4     with the British Museum in London to return their renowned Benin Bronzes, a     5     of thousands of metal sculptures and plaques, which were previously hung in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin.

The debate regarding this issue took a turn in 2018 when under President Emmanuel Macron a report was released that directed that all heritage objects brought to French museums (without the permission of their original countries) be     6    . With the official release of this report. museums all across Europe began reconsidering their previous policies on colonial treasures.

Those who propose returning these objects to their original homes argue that with technology enabling virtual museum tours, returning these artifacts to their homeland does not take away the opportunity to learn about them. Furthermore, the country of origin will receive a     7     part of their heritage back, and these artifacts will be given a chance to be truly appreciated under proper historical context. Those against the restoration claim that culture is a     8     treasure and the artifacts are in fact “cultural ambassadors” that promote     9     and understanding They believe that while stealing them was wrong, history is full of “good” and “bad” actors. Moreover, they feel that keeping the cultural objects in the current museums have kept millions of artifacts     10     from disfiguration and damage.