These adorable items feature a collage of honey bees and make an attractive display item for home and office. Plus they are a good way to attract attention and then tell everyone about the great bee attack in "Oh Lordy They're At The Syrup" Copyright 2006 By T. A. Lynch
This is a story my grandfater told to his children and which they passed on in turn to their children, of the day the ants, bees and wasps attacked the cane syrup mill in such numbers that not a drop of syrup remained. It is also a story about the power of prayer in the face of peril, one which helped carry my father through struggles in World War II and the Korean War. Ah but those are other tales for another day.
I have two coal buckets from the period which were at the cane sugar mill on the day of the great bee attack. These coal buckets had been used to carry syrup and on that faitful day had been left out in the open full of warm syrup to cool. I've filled these coal buckets with golden magnolia leaves and use them to adorn my home as a reminder of what happened that faitful day, and of the power of prayer!
Period coal bucket with golden magnolia leaves was once used to fetch cane syrup during early 20th Century. Photo Copyright 2006 By T. A. Lynch
I do not know if this is a true story; however, as my grandfather was Columbus Lafayette Sumner, a well respected Methodist minister, I doubt he was given to telling tall tales. So I will pass the story along with faith in its authenticity, though I'm sure some details have been lost or forgotten over the years, as is often the case when stories are told and retold. Should I venture to add some bit of wit or wisdome to the tale, I beg your forgiveness, and hope it does not detract too dearly from the facts as witnessed so many years ago, before my parents even were born into this good Earth.
Rev. Columbus Lafayette Sumner ministered in the rural counties of Alabama and occassionally would deliever prayers, services or sermons as a guest preacher in Mississippi, Tennessee and Florida. He died while vacationing in Daytona, Florida in 1949. According to witnesses he was dragged out into the Atlantic Ocean by a strong under tow from which he could not escape, despite the fact he was a powerful swimmer and a strong man. This occurred before I ever had a chance to meet my grandfather, that I know of his life, sermons and tales only second hand and throught the few writings he left.
Rev. Columbus Lafayette Sumner, 68, with his adorable wife, Althea Octavia Snow Sumner, 60, in August of 1945. Photo Restored. Copyright 2006 By T. A. Lynch
I believe the day of the great bee attack was around the same time that a great influenza epidemic was sweeping the nation. My grandfather had only recently become a minister and was engazed in visiting those who had lost children and other family members, trying to console them in their time of grief. In fact, he had lost his first born during this terrible scourage which occurred at a time when no one really knew the cause of the flu, it being a horrible disease as frightening during that time as is the threat of bird flu in the twenty-first century.
Thus I've been able to gather that the great bee attack occurred around 1918. However, I have not been able to find any other record or mention of this matter, perhaps owing to the rural nature of the attack and the fact people at the time did not wish to anger God by attracting attention to themselves through any claims which might gain them fame when in doing God's work they viewed themselves as but humble servants.
As the story goes my grandfather was visiting with a family in a very rural area who had just lost their baby. They ran a cane syrup mill, making syrup from sugar cane. Now I'm not an expert, but I understand the way syrup is made is that sugar cane is grown, harvested, and the juice extracted under pressure by rollers, then the juice is boiled to remove the excess water to produce a thickened syrup. Also in some parts of the country maple syrup is made using tree sap.
As I recall the death of this infant child caused a disruption in the work and attention which everyone gave to the boiling of the syrup, that it cooled down, there being these two large coal buckets of syrup that had been left out in the open which I mentioned earlier that I inherited and still have in my possession.
At first a few ants, bees and wasps appeared, gathered up droplets of the sweet delight, flew back to their nests and hives, and were followed by others. It is a fact that when bees gather nectar or pollen they return to their hives and give a dance to communicate to the other bees the direction and location of the flowers or other food they have found. When scaveraging ants find such delights, they lay invisible chemical trails which other ants in the nest follow to the food source. On this day there were appearently a great many ants, bees and wasps that were thus alerted to the presence of unattended syrup, an irresistable feast for such six legged Hymenoptera.
These adorable items feature a collage of honey bees and make an attractive display item for home and office. Plus they are a good way to attract attention and then tell everyone about the great bee attack in "Oh Lordy They're At The Syrup." I Love Hymenoptera may be especially appreciated by bee keepers and nature lovers everywhere. Copyright 2006 By T. A. Lynch
While my grandfather was attending the funeral arrangements and services for the sweet child who had passed on and was now in God's hands, an old black man who worked at the cane syrup mill came running in shouting, "Bees! Bees! Oh Lordy they're at the syrup!" He then collapsed!
Now it took some time to revive and calm down the old black man and to make any sense of what he was saying, as he was in such an excited and frightened state that some say his face had turned white! Indeed he had been stung all over his face which was quite swollen, so this may have been a contributing factor to his appearent discoloration. After he was settled down the folk who gathered around listened and soon learned that there were bees attacking at the cane syrup mill.
Those who first learned of this news thought not much of it as there were always bees, wasps and ants around when syrup was being made. So without much regard for the old gentleman's alarm, and being more gravely concerned about the child's funneral, no one did anything, except to send another boy back down to check upon the cane syrup mill.
When that boy returned it is said he was stung all over and could barely talk as his mouth and throat were so swollen that it was difficult to tell what he was saying. However, this sounded the alarm to those at the child's funneral that they knew something was quite wrong so they decided to send three men out to check upon the cane syrup mill.
Some hours later these three men returned also their bodies covered with swelling from bee and wasp stings. They said that when they approached the cane syrup mill they began to hear a buzzing sound which grew louder and louder as they approached. Then when they turned the bend in the road which winded through the piny wood forest coming out at the cane syrup mill, they saw swarming masses covering every piece of equipment. They said it looked like the walls of the buildings were alive, as if the fence posts themselves were moving, that every dog and cat were dead, laying covered with crawling masses!
Then as they approached to get a closer look at what their eyes did not believe, the masses began to move faster and buzz louder until suddenly a great grey swarm arose and increased in size. Suddenly the three men were surrounded by an angry swarm and turned to run for their lives as the bees and wasps stung them over and over.
After learning of this and seeing the condition of the three men it was clear to everyone that they were telling the truth and that there was a serious infestation of bees, wasps and ants at the cane syrup mill. Yet seeing the terrible condition of the three men, the boy and the old black man, who had earlier experienced the same ferocious attack, no one else wanted to venture back to the cane syrup mill. So it was decided to continue with the child's funneral and worry about the cane syrup mill the next day.
The child's funneral and services were held at dusk and as fireflies were mentioned in the tale, I believe it may have been late spring or early summer when the bee attacks occurred. No specific dates or location was ever told to me, so this remains a mystery.
Two of the men who worked at the cane syrup mill decided they would return at night and approach through a path in the forest. On their excursion through the forest they saw many fireflies, some flying close to the ground, others flashing high in the trees. The fireflies were flashing in such great numbers upon this night that it seemed an ominous sign. Yet the two men would not be deterred from their mission by this spectacular sight.
Firefly lovers everywhere will especially appreciate these unique I Love Firefly items create by author/natualist, Terry Lynch.
As they approached the cane syrup mill they heard a buzzing sound which grew louder and louder as the men approached. Then upon reaching the edge of the forest they could see by the light of the moon what appeared to be large black masses of movement around the cane syrup mill. One of the men who was either very brave or quite foolish decided he wanted to get a closer look and it being night thought it would be alright to light a torch and make a closer approach.
After lighting the torch this man began to walk slowly toward the moving black masses. Then suddenly he felt a terrible burning sensation in his legs. Looking down by the light of the torch he saw his legs covered with ants and was so horrified that he flung the torch in the air and screamed, "Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!" As he screamed in terror over and over he ran in circles as if maddened by the sight and pain!
When the torch hit the ground the hum coming from the dark grey masses turned to a roar and the blue glow of the evening sky disappeared along with the stars. When this was seen by the man who remained at the forest's edge, he turned and ran. What became of the man who dropped the torch is not known as he was never seen again by man or God!
When the single survivor returned he told my grandfather what had happened and a prayer was said that God might watch over all through the night. I memorized this prayer, one which my father said also had helped him survive and endure through terrible experiences during the wars he had fought for God and country.
"Father,Watch over these your children.
Bless them each with your love.
May their lives forever be graced
That as their fate is in your hands
It is through your Son and our faith
That there in lies our salvation.
May no further hurt nor harm
Come unto these your servants.
This we pray unto our Father in Heaven,Amen!"
(1918/CLS)
The next day it was told that having given this prayer repeatedly my grandfather walked with a group throught the forest. When they arrived at the cane syrup mill they found nothing stirring, not a single art, bee or wasp. Nor was there a single drop of syrup. They did find a burnt torch, charred ground and the bones of a number of dogs and cats, but no other signs of what had happened the day before.
Thus this story and blessing was passed along through my family as now I pass it along as proof of the power of prayer. Also, as mentioned earlier, I have two coal buckets which I inherited from my grandfather. It was said that prior to the day of the bee attack these two coal buckets were full of syrup and that not a drop was left either in these buckets or at the cane sugar mill.
From this I gather that the numbers of bees, wasps and ants which attacked the cane sugar mill must have been enormous! It was agreed that none should speak of this tale except to family members, given it was through the power of prayer and God's grace that no one else fell victim to swarms of insects attracted to the sweet, sugary delights left cooling while a child of God was burried so may years ago.
As I have no children of my own, nor a wife to adore and cherish with affection, I feel I may pass along this tale of the power of prayer unto all, that should ever their come a time of need, a time when all the modern miracles of medicine and science are not able to help, those in peril or harms way may be reminded of the power of prayer, and repeat those words spoken so many years ago by my grandfather, when he humbly asked our Father to watch over and protect His children.
These adorable items feature what has come to be known as "The Bee Prayer" which may be evoked during times of great peril." Copyright 2006 By T. A. Lynch
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