The harvesting time is here. The first hays have been harvested in the beginning and mid of July, also strawberries had to be harvest in mid July. Now it is best time to collect bilberries, hallons and currants. Apples will be ready in few weeks. So this is the best time in the year for old fashioned bee (talkoot). Back in the old days the harvesting was done much with the help of voluntary workers. The people of a village would settle dates and did the harvesting a house/day. The bee workers did not get any salary, but they got food and drink during the day.
Nowadays people arrange still quite much bees. Of course the bee is not anymore about harvesting. One can invite friends over to help with gardening, painting walls, building something, making their cottage ready for summer or winter, moving or anything else. One can have hundreds of virtual friends in the social media but the true number a friends one knows, when announcing to have a bee.
The housing company or condominium usually arranges bee annually in the spring. The purpose is to clean up the courtyards and gardens, the common areas. The finance of the different sport clubs in Finland is much based on the voluntary / bee work of the members of the club. If you want to participate in old time hay bee, that might be arranged in every July in Helsinki. The city of Helsinki arranges hay bee in the early July (this year it was on 3rd of July) at Tuomarinkylä manor. The hay is collected in old fashioned way by hoisting the hays on poles. The hay is cultivated without any pesticides or insecticides. The hay is collected from an area of about 5 hectare and used during winter as winter feed of the animals of a nearby Haltiala farm, which is also open for visitors. The bee workers are offered soup lunch and coffee. After the work is done the bee workers get to relax and wash up in the saunas of the mannor and farm.
If you are in Helsinki in beginning of September, you may want to join the harvesting bee in 6th of September at Malminkartano gardens. The are hundreds of apple trees waiting to be harvested then.
What about then private bees?
The bee workers - friends, relatives or neighbors - are not often professionals. So the bee has to be made so that everybody can do it or at least have signed duties for everybody based on their skills. Moving is a very good bee work. I have moved three times during my adult life and always managed to do it by inviting friends and relatives to the bee. I packed everything before the actual moving day. The bee started early in the morning (like 9 am) with coffee and breakfast. Then the bee workers did the actual moving and my job was to organize everything. When all the stuff was at the new apartment, I offered the workers lunch. After unpacking the stuff a few weeks later there has always been housewarming party just for the participants of the bee. Friends and relatives have also helped with construction of our house, in gardening and cutting down a tree.
I have also participated to many bees. I have been helping with moving, painting the walls, tearing down tapestry, burning trashes, picking apples and in gardening. Each time I have had wonderful time with the hosts and other bee workers.
