Hokuou Kizoku to Moukinzuma no Yukiguni Karigurashi

Let’s Become a Beekeeper
Volume 3 — The Northern n.o.bleman and the Raptor Wife’s Village, Great Renovation Plan!?

When the snow melted and fresh sprouts came out of the ground, it was finally the long-awaited season for beekeeping.
According to father’s research, honeybees can survive the winter. Apparently, they huddle together and flutter their wings to keep the temperature of the hive around thirty degrees Celsius. They also stock up honey to survive the winter.

I promptly carried hives and headed for the forest.
I only made two so far. I carried one with a rope, and I carried the other in my hand.
Sieg said that she’ll help too, but since her hair colour might agitate the bees I decided to do it alone.

I got wooden boxes from the shop lady to build the hives. At the side, I made square holes like windows as well as a small hole for the bees to enter through, then I cast a net over it.
Inside the hive, there needs to be basic frames for the bees to make their own combs. I made square frames and placed wooden sticks in a cross shape. I placed around six of them inside. They help stop the combs from collapsing.

The honeybees will create combs based on the frames and gather honey there. However, the honey won’t be complete. The sugar content is low, being just nectar from flowers. From there, the substances will be changed many times inside the bees’ bodies, warming and sweetening the honey.

Then I would gather that completed honey.

My father’s paper had detailed description on how to collect honey. It mentions a centrifuge, where the combs are placed inside and spun to separate the honey from the combs.
It sounds really convenient, but I had no data for it so I can’t make it.
Well, it’s only the first year, so I decided to aim for getting honey.

The hives were placed in a field of flowers in the forest. The sunlight is good and the wind doesn’t blow much, so it’s the best place to make honey.

The next part is getting the bees.
In the hives, the remains of a hive with honey will be placed in to lure bees with the smell.
Few days ago, I happened to receive a honeycomb from Teoporon so I decided to use that.

After that, I visited the hive everyday. None of them had any honeybees migrated to them.

Since that didn’t work, I moved on the next method.
After honeybees winter, the beehive is conceded to a new queen. The previous queen bee takes half the worker bees and makes a new nest.
The previous method was a tactic trying to lure wild bees, but that didn’t work.
So this time, I decided to go for capturing a swarm.

In this period, it seems that honeybees gather in a spherical shape around the queen bee.
To protect the queen apparently.
I need to capture them in a net.

Since I am going to carry out the capture plan, I came heavily armed.
I attached a tightly woven net to a hat to keep them from approaching my face, and made sure no parts of my body was exposed.

I searched for the ball of honeybees in the forest. Swarm, to be accurate.
I found a beehive, but I could not find a ball of honeybees.

Since it was disappointing to just return like this, so I thought, wont’ the queen bee come out of the hive~ and observed the beehive hanging from a branch. However, an unexpected thing happened.

“—— Ouch!!”

A severe pain shot up from my calf.
I immediately realised that I was stung by a bee.
The thought that I would not stung if I had thick winter clothing was a distake it seems.
If I panic here, I might end up agitating the beehives hiding around the area. I decided to leave the area slowly.

I trod through the forests for a long time, but it was the first time I was stung by a bee.
A dull pain gradually grew from the stung part. I was told that stings have to be removed immediately, but I had to get away from the hive so I endured the pain.
I went to a stream and carefully rolled up my trouser. Of course, the stung part became swollen.
I couldn’t see any stings.
I quickly washed the stung part with water. It was written that cold things are good for stings, so I had my foot in the water and waited.

Apparently honey works well for stings. It alleviates the pain somewhat, or so.

I tilted my head in wonder why I was stung, but thinking carefully, a human observing the hive can only be seen as suspicious. It’s not strange that I was attacked.

Bees don’t forgive those who aim for their hives.
So it can’t be helped that I could be attacked. I reflected deeply.

Because I was stung by a honeybee today, my spirit was broken today. The sun was setting too, so I returned home after picking herbs.

“I’m back!”

When I returned, Sieg was doing the laundry. She had Arno on her back.
My son was sleeping soundly. Even when his eyes are closed, he’s surprisingly cute. That’s our son.

“Should I place Arno in the cradle?”
“Aa, can I ask you to do that?”
“Leave it to me!”

While supporting Arno with one hand, I loosened the cloth tied around Sieg’s belly.
A sleeping infant’s body is hot. Just touching him was relaxing.
I laid him down on the cradle in the living room and stared at his face.
Chubby, with slightly red cheeks. Just seeing his tightly clenched hands was healing.
As I stared at my son’s sleeping face, Sieg came back in.

“I laid out all the herbs in the basket for drying.”
“Thank you.”

Out of the herbs, there are ones that are dried and ones that are heated. Sieg seemed to be remembering the kinds perfectly, and her reaction was perfect as well.

“Sieg, it was no good again today.”
“I see.”

Unexpectedly, interacting with bees is hard. I felt that every day.
To be honest, I want to end the report there, but since I am beekeeping thanks to the cooperation of my family, so I shouldn’t hide anything. I have to tell them about getting stung by a honeybee. I took a deep breath and spoke.

“T-Truth be told, I was stung by a honeybee for the first time in my life.”
“What!?”

Sieg was worried, but getting stung by mistake was a very embarra.s.sing affair.

“Where did you get stung? Any swelling?”
“It’s alright.”
“Show me.”
“No, erm, hahaha.”

I tried to laugh it off, but I got scolded and she demanded to see it.
After I rolled up my trouser, she knelt down on one knee and looked closely at the affected area.

“Any pain?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“Any difficulty in breathing or dizziness?”
“None.”

When I asked why she was worried about those things, she replied that it was because she once saw someone collapsing from a bee sting when she was in the army.

“It’s a rare case, but it seems that there are also cases where the body reacts harshly against stings, leading to death. I heard that from a doctor a long time ago.”
“I see.”

She told me to take care of my body if I get stung by a bee.

“I will.”
“Please do so.”

Then, Sieg brought over the medicine box she bought during our honeymoon and kindly applied ointment for bug bites and stings.
Once that was done, she placed the box back in the shelf and sat down next to me. She crossed her arms and started talking with a calm expression.

“If possible, I’d like to accompany you……”
“H~m.”

Sieg’s hair colour triggers the defensive instincts of honeybees, and Arno doesn’t have resistance so we can’t go out together.

“Well, in this period, it can’t be helped now. But some day, I’ll also——”
“Yes, sure.”

If her hair is tidied properly and hidden under a hat, there shouldn’t be a problem. I felt happy that she was willing to help, so I think that it will be nice if we could do it together in the future.

Sieg looked at me with a surprised expression.

“What is it?”
“N-No, I just didn’t think you would let me help.”
“Though, that’s if gathering honey does succeed.”

Right. First, I have to capture honeybees. And another problem is safely getting to the honey collecting. The road to becoming a beekeeper is long.

“Until then, Sieg, please be a flower only for me.”

If it’s a flower blooming in a safe place, it would be rea.s.suring since no other bugs will gather, but she is a hard worker and an active person. But that is also her good point.

She suddenly grew quiet, so when I looked at Sieg who was sitting next to me, her cheeks were dyed red.

“W-What’s wrong!?”
“It’s because Ritz said something absurd.”

I seems like she’s shy at being described as a flower.
Seeing that expression makes me embarra.s.sed too.

“But it is the truth.”

I’m just an insect lured in by a large flower called Sieg.
However, I never did tell her that.

Even so, embarra.s.sed Sieg is so cute, it’s something to die for.
When our eyes met, she turned away.
Even that cold att.i.tude is cute!

I slowly and fully enjoyed Sieg making such unbearable reactions.