A swarm in May
Is worth a load of hay
A swarm in June
Is worth a silver spoon
A swarm in July
Is not worth a fly . . .
- Old English Proverb
Research indicates that, prior to my initial impressions, collecting a swarm of bees is not an exceptionally difficult matter, requiring little more than good sense, patience, and a suitable container. Achilles has the first two in abundance, and creating the third is not beyond his capabilities. The whole project would require several years to complete; fortunately he has had several years.
Phase one of the project - recognize the need.
This will have occurred during Achilles' first season. As his crops began to flower, he would notice that something was missing, and it would not take long to discover what it was. A little exploration would reveal that the Caldera has no bees at all.
Phase two: Find one or more hives:
If there are no hives inside the Caldera, it is necessary to go elsewhere. There are enough slack periods during the agricultural year so that Achilles will be able to spend time on the outer slopes of the mountain. Once outside the volcano, bee-tracking becomes simple in theory, though less so in practice: find the largest available patch of flowering plants, sit down, and watch. If there are bees in the area, they'll show up. Achilles would then track them to their source. Losing sight of an individual bee happens frequently; fortunately, one can then stand still and wait for another. Eventually one will be led to the hive.
Preparing suitable containers:
A suitable container is essentially a box with a hole in it (well within Achilles' carpentry skills and background). What is not within his scope is creating hive boxes with removable combs; hence removing honey means destroying the hive. Fortunately Achilles is more interested in bees for his crops than in honey, so that won't be an immediate problem. Later, however, when he has several hives and is in a position to do a little honey harvesting, it may become a problem - particularly after a few bee generations have passed, and the aura has been to have an effect.
That is for the long term, however. In the near term, Achilles will place his bee-boxes at what he hopes are appropriate times, and then visit them every couple of days. He would hope to catch the bees in the actual act of swarming, in which case he can simply scoop them up (see attached documentation). If not, then he will hope that the bees will find his boxes attractive enough to move into. Once a box is inhabited and the bees have settled down, it can be wrapped in fabric (at night, when the bees are asleep inside) and moved into the Caldera, where they will be relocated in areas rich in blossoms. If any of the transplanted hives survive and thrive, Achilles will place more bee-boxes around the new hive, in order to encourage it to duplicate itself.
Closing notes -
As stated above, collecting bees and moving them into the Caldera is mostly a matter of common sense and patience. What will happen to them thereafter is a matter of magic theory, though I suspect that it will not be too long before Achilles starts having visions again . . .
Last modified: Wed Nov 18, 1998 / Jeremiah Genest