I managed to think to myself that everything was true about what I have heard about these bees, colloquially known as “killer bees”. But in reality, this was not the case. These bees were not actually stinging me. They were simply buzzing curiously around my head and wondering what strange creature was approaching them. And I did look strange in my suit, almost like an astronaut!
To calm the bees and to stop them from hurting themselves, we used a smoker which does not hurt the bees in any way but makes them very sleepy. This prevents any damage from being done to the colony and also discourages the bees from penetrating my suit. Once the bees settle down, we were able to open the hive. Opening up the hive is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Imagine yourself as a giant taking a small chunk out of the Empire State building in New York City. Inside, you can see thousands of people scrambling around, working vigorously. Everyone has a job to do, and they are all working together. It's organized chaos.
One of the main jobs of the Africanized honey bees is, as one could guess by the name, to produce honey. If you ever have the opportunity to stick your bare hand in a beehive to try the golden sweet sticky liquid that is produced by these hardworking tiny creatures, I highly recommend doing so. Nothing is sweeter than fresh honey. Just imagine taking a piece of the waxy rubbery comb and chewing it in your mouth while sucking out every last drop of honey. It was one of the most wonderfully satisfying and natural things I have ever eaten.
The honey harvested through CINAT is not only used for consumption.
