London, September 11: The old tradition of “telling the bees” comes from a superstition that if bees are not informed of their owner's death, they will stop producing honey. John Chapple, the 79-year-old official Palace beekeeper on Friday performed a rather sad, traditional task. He informed tens of thousands of bees about the death of Queen Elizabeth II. As reported by the Daily Mail, Chapple travelled to Buckingham Palace and Clarence House to perform his duty. He spoke in hushed tones, the report added.

While breaking the news to the bees, Chapple placed black ribbons around the hives, and then told the bees inside the bee yard about the news. He also explained that King Charles III is now the new monarch of Britain and that he will be good to them. Charles Becomes King of UK and 14 Other Countries After Queen Elizabeth II Dies.

“The person who has died is the master or mistress of the hives, someone important in the family who dies and you don’t get any more important than the Queen, do you?” Chapple was quoted as saying. Getting into the details of it, he explained, “You knock on each hive and say, ‘The mistress is dead, but don't you go. Your master will be a good master to you.’” Queen Elizabeth II Death: India Declares One-Day Mourning as a Mark of Respect on September 11.

Chapple, who has held his position for 15 years, cares for over a million Royal bees. According to him, this work is a hobby of his, as he is retired, and hopes that “the new tenant of Buckingham Palace” will want to continue keeping bees on the premises, and that he’ll maintain his role. “You do never know,” he said, concerning stability in the monarchical beekeeping economy.

“In Clarence House, there are two hives, and in Buckingham Palace, there are five. At this time of the year, each hive contains 20,000 bees, maybe a bit more, but I’m not very good at counting them. It’s over a million in the summer” Chapple informed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 11, 2022 11:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).