The Beekeeper Mystery Read online

  Laura turned to the children. Her troubled face eased into a smile. “Anyone hungry?” she asked.

  “Me!” said Benny.

  “I thought so.” She laughed.

  Missing!

  Everyone helped set lunch on the big kitchen table. They sat down to a meal of honey-barbeque ribs, honey-roasted carrots, and fresh-baked honey biscuits. Laura set down glasses of lemonade. She also put four glass jars of honey on the table. “Honey tastes good on biscuits,” she said.

  Violet noticed the honey varied from light gold to dark brown. “Why are their four different colors of honey?” she asked.

  “The color depends on which flowers the bees visited,” said Laura. “This dark-brown honey comes from bees living in hives near our field of buckwheat. This light honey comes from hives near our clover.”

  “How do bees make honey?” asked Benny. His face and fingers were smeared with barbeque sauce. Jessie handed him another napkin.

  “Have you ever seen bees buzzing around flowers?” asked Laura.

  “Sure,” said Benny, licking sauce off his fingers. “Our dog, Watch, barks at bees all the time.”

  “Well,” said Laura, “a bee’s tongue is hollow, like a straw. Bees stick their tongues deep into the flowers and slurp up sweet liquid called nectar.”

  “Like this?” Benny slurped lemonade through his straw.

  “Exactly!” said Laura. “Except only girl bees collect nectar. Boy bees—drones—stay in the hive with the queen.” Laura went to a big whiteboard on the kitchen wall. She wrote: Hollow tongue. Nectar. Worker bee (girl). Drone bee (boy). One queen. “I’ll add things as you learn,” she said.

  Jessie took out the small notebook and pen she always carried. She copied the words on the whiteboard.

  Benny finished a second rib. “I sort of want another rib,” he said, “but my stomach’s too full.”

  “You need two stomachs,” said Laura, “just like bees.” She spread honey on a warm biscuit. “Honeybees don’t have hands to carry nectar back to their hive. So they carry it in a special second stomach—a honey crop.” Laura got up and wrote honey crop=second stomach on the board.

  Henry thought about that. A honeybee’s stomach seemed very, very tiny. “How much honey can a bee carry?” he asked.

  Laura measured 1½ teaspoons of water into a glass. The water barely covered the bottom. “This is about all the honey a bee makes in its whole life,” she said, writing the information on the whiteboard.

  Jessie quickly copied down the bee fact. It was her favorite one yet!

  After lunch, the children cleared the table.

  “Did anyone leave room for dessert?” asked Laura.

  Benny patted his belly. “I have room in my honey crop.”

  Laura laughed and cut them slices of honey cake. Someone knocked on the kitchen door. “Come in,” called Laura.

  Zelda strode in. The neighbor was wearing a beekeeper’s suit. “Someone damaged the pasture fence,” she said.

  “I saw,” said Laura. “Walt’s fixing it.”

  Zelda frowned at the Aldens. “Children can be allergic to bees,” she said.

  “The children used to help in my garden,” said Laura. “I’ve known for a long time that they’re not allergic.”

  Zelda turned and walked to the door. “I can see you’re busy,” she said. “I’ll go check the other hives.” The screen door slammed behind her.

  Laura sighed. “I know Zelda seems rude,” she told the children. “But she’s just nervous about raising her first bees. Zelda used to own a big New York company. She retired here without knowing one single thing about farming or raising bees. Zelda took my beekeeping class, but she still has a lot to learn. Until you came, I was like her private teacher. She wanted me to give another beekeeping class for adults right away, but I wanted to do my junior beekeeping class first. Now Zelda has to learn to share me with you.”

  “I had a friend like that,” said Violet. “She was jealous if I played with anyone else.”

  “I hope Zelda gets used to us,” said Jessie. “That she doesn’t mind you teaching us about bees.”

  Benny licked cake off his fork. “I still don’t get how bees make honey,” he said.

  “Ah,” said Laura. “So first, the bee slurps up nectar into its honey crop. When its honey crop is full, the bee flies back to its hive. Then it passes the nectar to another bee.”

  “How?” asked Benny.

  Laura wrinkled her nose. “This may sound yucky,” she said. “The bee throws up into another bee’s mouth.”

  “Ew!” Benny made a face. “I don’t like throwing up.”

  Laura laughed. “Then,” she said, “that second bee throws up nectar into another bee’s mouth. Each time, the nectar changes a little until it becomes the honey we love.”

  Benny finished his last bite of cake. “I guess I don’t care how bees make honey,” he said, “as long as I get to eat it!” He patted his full tummy. “Now can we wear bee suits?” he asked.

  White beekeeper suits hung from a rack in Laura’s den. The children pulled up the new suits over their clothes. Then they put on wide-brimmed hats and pulled mosquito netting down over their faces. They could see out through the netting, but bees couldn’t get in. Next, Laura passed out gloves.

  Walt had finished mending the fence, and the red truck was parked outside. As they walked to it, Laura said, “There are a couple of bee rules. First, always wear your beekeeper’s gear around the hives. Second, stay calm and move slowly around bees. You don’t want to startle them.”

  “It’s a good thing Watch stayed home,” said Benny. “He’d be chasing bees all over the place.”

  As they climbed into the truck, Henry saw the key in the ignition. “Couldn’t someone steal the truck?” he asked.

  Laura turned the key, and the old truck rattled to life. “I share this truck with Walt and Noah,” she said. “Someone is using it all the time. It’s easier to just leave the key inside. Besides, who would steal this old clunker?”

  The truck bumped alongside a chain-link fence toward stacks of boxes. “Those are beehives,” said Laura. Each beehive was painted a different color: yellow, orange, blue, green, and purple.

  “Walt always painted his hives white,” said Laura. “I thought I’d try colors.”

  “Can bees see color?” asked Violet.

  “Yup,” said Laura. “And they remember which colored hive is theirs.” She parked along the chain-link fence. The hummm of bees filled the air. “Ready to meet the bees?” asked Laura.

  “Ready!” said four excited voices.

  The second they climbed out of the truck, bees landed on them. The children froze. Benny’s heart raced. He moved closer to Henry. Jessie gripped Violet’s hand.

  “The bees are just checking to see if you’re flowers,” said Laura. More bees landed on them then flew away. Little by little, the children relaxed. One bee stayed on Benny’s sleeve. Benny named him Buzzy.

  They followed Laura to the blue-colored hive. Up close, they saw that the hive was made of four boxes stacked on top of each other. “I thought bees lived in trees,” said Benny. “We had a beehive in our backyard once.”

  “That’s how bees live in nature,” said Laura. “Luckily, a man named Langstroth invented this kind of beehive. Now beekeepers like me don’t have to climb trees to collect honey.” Laura squatted, pointing to the two bottom boxes. “These are the brood boxes,” she said. “This is where the queen bee lives. There’s only one queen bee in a hive. She’s the biggest bee and lays over a thousand eggs a day.”

  Henry whistled. “That’s a lot of eggs!”

  “Her only job,” Laura said, “is to make sure the hive always has enough bees.” Laura stood. “These top two boxes are called supers. This is where bees make honey.”

  “Why do bees make honey?” asked Benny.

  “Hmm.” Laura tried to think of a good way to explain it. “Do you have a place at home where you store food?” she asked
. “Like cans of soup or boxes of pasta?”

  “We have a pantry in the kitchen,” said Violet.

  “Well,” said Laura, “these supers are the bees’ pantry. This is where they store their honey. In winter, when there are no flowers to give them nectar and pollen, they eat this honey to stay alive.”

  Bees flew in and out of an opening in the front of the hive. Suddenly Buzzy flew off Benny’s sleeve and disappeared into the hole. “That’s the hive’s front door,” Laura said. “Let’s move so we don’t block their way.”

  Around the back, Henry walked to the chain-link fence several feet away. Henry could see where Walt sewed the fence closed with a piece of wire. The tear Walt mended looked big enough for a person to climb through. A few broken links lay on the ground. One had a piece of white fabric caught in it. Henry worried that an animal might eat the small pieces of metal. He put the links in his pocket to throw away later. Then he joined the others around the hive.

  Laura picked up a metal can with a spout. “This is a bee smoker. It is a beekeeper’s best friend,” she said. She pumped the handle. White smoke streamed from the spout like steam from a kettle. “Smoke calms bees,” Laura said. “That makes it easier for the beekeeper to work. Henry, please carry that top box, that super, over to the bench.”

  Henry lifted the box off the hive. “It’s really heavy,” he said.

  “That’s because it’s full of honey,” said Laura.

  Henry set the super on the bench. Laura lifted its lid a little and squeezed a puff of smoke inside. As the bees quieted, Laura took off the lid. “Oh!” she gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Jessie. The children crowded around. They saw six bee-covered wood frames hanging next to each other.

  “Four frames are missing!” said Laura. “There should be ten.” She chewed her lip. “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.” She looked up and saw the concern on the children’s faces. She didn’t mean to frighten them. “I’ll explain in a moment. First, let me show you a honeycomb.”

  Laura lifted a frame out of the super. It looked like a regular wood picture frame. Except instead of a picture in the middle, there were tiny shapes all joined together. “This is a honeycomb,” she said. “These little spaces full of honey are called cells. Any honey you’ve ever eaten came from a honeycomb just like this.”

  Violet studied the cells. They all had six sides exactly alike. “Why doesn’t the honey spill out?” asked Violet.

  “Great question,” said Laura. “When a cell is full, the bees make a wax cap.” Laura poked her pinky finger through the pale wax covering a cell. Golden honey glistened inside. She eased the frame back into the super.

  “Here’s the problem,” said Laura. She pointed to the space where the four missing frames used to be. A bunch of bees were building odd-shaped honeycombs all over the space. “These are burr combs,” said Laura. “Burr comb is any honeycomb bees make where we don’t want it. These bees saw the empty space and started building. Just look at their messy honeycombs. I must put this super back in order.”

  “Why?” asked Jessie.

  Laura sighed. “Burr comb is messy and hard to get out of a super. Honeycombs in frames are easier to harvest.” She put the lid on the super. “My work here will take a while,” she said. “Why don’t you walk over to the gift shop. I’m sure Noah could use help.”

  The children put their beekeeping gear away. Then they walked over to the gift shop. As they went inside, two young boys chased each other out the door. A line of customers waited for Noah to ring up their purchases. The teen looked frazzled. “How can we help?” asked Henry.

  Noah nodded at a box in the corner. “Could you unpack those tee shirts?”

  The Aldens set to work putting Applewood Farm shirts onto shelves. While they worked, Jessie asked her siblings, “Did anyone notice the broken fence?”

  Henry nodded. “Walt said a branch could have fallen on it,” he said. “But I found some broken fence links on the ground. It looked like they were cut with some sort of tool.”

  “I wonder,” whispered Violet, “if the cut fence has anything to do with the four frames missing from Laura’s super.”

  Before anyone could think about what Violet said, Noah came over. The Aldens were almost finished with their job. “Thanks,” Noah said. “That was a big help. How was your beekeeping class?”

  “Interesting,” said Henry. “You should work with them.”

  “Me?” said Noah. “No way.”

  “Are you scared?” asked Benny.

  Noah stared at the floor. “I don’t like bees,” he said. “I just took this job to earn enough money for school.” New customers walked in. “I’d better get back to work.”

  “We have free time,” said Henry. “Is there another job we can do?”

  Noah scratched his head. “That back storeroom sure needs organizing,” he said.

  Secrets in the Storeroom

  Boxes, boxes, boxes. Small boxes, big boxes, boxes piled every which way. Boxes covered the floor, shelves, and tables of the small storeroom.

  Jessie crossed her arms, tapping her foot. “This room does need help,” she said. Jessie liked everything tidy. Back home, she organized her dresser drawers, closet shelves, Benny’s toys, Henry’s tools, and Violet’s art supplies. This storeroom was going to take a lot of hard work.

  Jessie pulled her long hair into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. “First,” she said, “we’ll mark the outsides of all these boxes. That way, people can tell what’s inside without opening them.”

  She put Henry in charge of opening the boxes. Violet found a thick, black marker to write on the boxes. After Henry opened a box, Benny looked inside. Benny told Violet what was inside, and Violet wrote it on the side of the box. “Jars of honey,” Benny said. Violet wrote JARS OF HONEY in bold black letters. Benny looked into the second box. “Candles,” he said. CANDLES wrote Violet.

  When Violet finished writing on a box, Jessie moved it. She grouped each item together. Finally, every box was neatly labeled and put in its proper place. Jessie swept the floor while Benny held the dustpan.

  Henry climbed a tall ladder. “There’s a bunch of stuff up here,” he said, brushing aside old cobwebs. Bottles clanked as he moved things around. Dust puffed up as he wiped the shelves. “It looks like no one’s been up here for years.”

  Violet straightened piles of papers on the big desk. “Look,” she said, holding up a stack of yellow papers. “These are flyers for Laura’s beekeeping class.” She read:

  JUNIOR BEEKEEPING CLASS

  Become junior beekeepers

  Harvest honey made by bees in real beehives

  4 week class for ages 10–18

  Learn all about these amazing insects

  Why do we need them? How do they make honey?

  Applewood Farm

  Call Laura at: 555-864-1246

  Email: [email protected]

  Benny frowned. “Ages ten to eighteen?” he said. “B—but I’m only six.”

  “Laura knows you,” said Henry as he climbed down from the ladder. “She knows what a great worker you are.”

  Jessie put away the broom and dustpan. “Maybe Laura could take us into town tonight,” she said. “We can pass out flyers. How many are there?”

  Violet started counting. “Oh no!” she said.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Jessie.

  “Only the top flyer is good. Someone marked up the rest with red ink.” She handed each of her siblings a ruined flyer.

  JUNIOR BEEKEEPING CLASS

  Become junior beekeepers

  Harvest honey made by bees in real beehives

  4 week class for ages 10–18 adults only

  Learn all about these amazing insects

  Why do we need them? How do they make honey?

  Applewood Farm

  Call Laura at: 555-864-1246

  Email: [email protected]

  Violet blinked
back tears. “It’s not right to ruin someone’s work,” she said. “It’s just not!”

  “Who would do this?” asked Jessie.

  Violet gathered up the stack of flyers. “We’ll have to show these to Laura when she comes back.”

  They waved to Noah as they left the gift shop. Since it was such a nice day, they sat in big wooden chairs on the gift shop lawn. Honeybees buzzed around the shop’s purple flowers.

  “Why would someone ruin Laura’s flyers?” Benny asked.

  Violet slowly untied her ribbons. “Noah worked near the storeroom all day,” she said. “He’s afraid of bees. Maybe he wants to stop children from taking beekeeping classes. To protect them.” She took her two pieces of purple hair-ribbon and wrapped them like bracelets around her wrist.

  Jessie folded her legs under herself. She tried to think logically. “It is strange that Noah works here when he’s afraid of bees, but I don’t think Noah did it,” she said. “He needs money for school. If customers don’t come to visit the farm, the gift shop will close. Noah would lose his job. So he wouldn’t do anything to stop people from coming to the farm. Besides,” she said, “Noah seems nice.”

  Noah came out of the shop carrying a plate filled with light-brown squares. “The storeroom looks amazing,” he said. “Thanks.” He passed around the plate. “This is honey peanut butter fudge. I helped Laura make it.”

  They thanked him. “I’ve got to get back to work,” Noah said. “The fudge is all for you.”

  The children let the sweet fudge melt in their mouths.

  “I’m going to design a new flyer for Laura,” said Violet. “I saw a jar full of colored markers in the office.”

  Henry was quiet for a long time. Finally, he said, “Someone’s trying to hurt Laura’s beekeeping business. Too many bad things have happened.”

  Jessie took out her notebook and pen and flipped to a clean page. “Ready,” she said.

  “Well,” said Henry, “the first thing was the fence being cut.”

  “Then,” said Violet, “four frames of honeycomb were missing from Laura’s super.”