Natural Beekeeping

Clipping Her Wings

July 20, 2018

In *some* beekeeping practices beekeepers are taught to clip the wings of the queen. This is done to prevent queens (mothers) from swarming (reproducing). When you cut off her ability to fly far, you cut off her ability to bee who and what she is.

Travel the world on fifteen damn dollars
Why I don't believe in affiliate marketing
Clipping Her Wings
JUmp IN:
I'm Ariella!

If there was one thing I am called to do in this life, it is to help us all fall a little more in love with the Earth and its creatures, including humanity.  This blog centers on threads of that nature, from bees, to dreams, to the land.

hello,

Want to work with me?

Take a course

I teach, share lectures, and do mentorship in the areas of natural beekeeping, dreams, and the sacred feminine. 

AriellaDaly_bees

In *some* beekeeping practices beekeepers are taught to clip the wings of the queen. This is done to prevent queens (mothers) from swarming (reproducing). When you cut off her ability to fly far, you cut off her ability to bee who and what she is. To clarify, she can begin to swarm, but often falls short or gets left behind and the swarm has to return to the hive. When you clip her wings, you take her birthright away from her. And by her, I don’t just mean the queen, I mean Her, the colony. The queen bees needs to be able to fly once a year. Every spring she leaves the colony in a swarm of bees, landing on a nearby tree branch or post and waiting while her daughters scout a new home. In this way, she leaves behind a thriving hive with their virgin queen, and starts a new hive, thus reproducing on a colony level. The superorganism gives birth to itself. 
The female body and the body of the earth and her creatures has been seen as an object for thousands of years. There is a direct line of connection in the human psyche between the body of the earth and the body of a woman. Both were/are seen as wild, unsafe, monstrous and necessarily needing to be conquered and tamed by Patriarchy. There is a reason we call the planet Mother Earth. All life comes from woman. This is not man shaming. This is woman claiming her birthright to freedom. Earth and woman have suffered for their existence. Both have been suppressed, oppressed, mutilated, studied, dissected, rejected, obsessed over and violated. Even on this platform we are not permitted to express our nature to its fullest without shame, harassment and censorship. 
People get angry at me when I equate feminism with bees. When I draw connection between the body of a queen mother and the body of a woman. I say take your blinders off and look at what we do to our bodies in the name of profit. Clipped wings equals no swarming and better honey yields for humans while the mother and her daughter suffer. Clipped reproductive rights for half the human species mean what? 

Just sayin’

+ show Comments

- Hide Comments

add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MOre reading

Free Guide

Are you considering becoming a bee steward this year?  Grab my
guide on the steps you need to take to start you own bee hive.

DOWNLOAD


Ariella Daly

© Honey Bee WIld LLC 2025  |  Design by Ariella Daly | 

blog
Dream sChool
Lectures
Sessions
Courses
About
Home