When this woman decided to rescue the life of a helpless bee, she had no idea what that would mean for her future. After all, bees and humans aren’t usually the best of friends in nature. However, it seems that these two have managed to blossom up a friendship that will absolutely blow you away!
20. Backyard
It was a typical afternoon in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada for 22-year-old Ashlie Lennox. She was sitting outside in her backyard when she suddenly spotted something out of the corner of her eye. There was something yellow and black lying motionless against the concrete.
19. Getting Closer
Ashlie was immediately curious about what the creature lying on the concrete was. So she decided to immediately kneel over and take a look. She was pretty shocked when she realized what it was!
18. A Bee
As she knelt down she saw that she was staring at a fuzzy black and yellow bee! Ashlie could see that the poor thing was missing a wing. “I thought she was dead at first, as she wasn’t really moving,” Ashlie told The Dodo. “I brought her some sugar water, [but] she was having none of it.”
17. Intimidated
Even though it was obvious that the bee was unable to move, Ashlie was still pretty intimidated by it. “I was very afraid and intimidated by her at this time,” Ashlie admitted. However, Ashlie knew that if she didn’t help out that the poor bee would certainly die.
16. A Spoon
So Ashlie thought of a genius way to help move the bee to a safer spot. She grabbed a plastic spoon and scooped up the bee into it. Then she placed the bee into a flowerpot.
15. Checking In
The very next day, Ashlie decided to check in on the bee. However, she soon realized that the flowerpot was empty! It seems that the bee had been bored of staying in one place and had managed to crawl all the way over to the pool deck once again.
14. Determined
At this point, Ashlie knew that she had to place the bee in a safer place. “I yet again picked her up and I put her in a big Tupperware bin filled with dirt, some leaves, grass and a few little flowers,” she explained. This is when the bond between them started.
13. Naming the Bee
It was around this time that Ashlie decided to give the bee a fitting name: Beetrice. “[It] took us a few days to get used to each other and for me to actually hold her,” Ashlie explained. “I think I was able to touch her after two days of having her, then day three she crawled on me, which melted my heart!”
12. Overcoming Fear
Ashlie noted that as soon as her and Beetrice overcame their fear of one another that a beautiful friendship began to blossom. “I honestly feel like they can sense how you’re feeling,” Ashlie stated. “She knew I was scared, so she was scared. And when I finally felt confident, so did she.”
11. Trying To Fly
Even though Beetrice’s wing wasn’t fully functional, the little bee still continued to try to fly. However, each failed attempt only continued to put more stress on the bee. Still, little by little, Beetrice began to adjust to her new living arrangements and Ashlie went out of her way to make things as comfortable as possible.
10. Favorite Things
At first, Ashlie had placed Beetrice inside of a reptile tank, however, she could see that she wasn’t happy there. So Ashlie decided to purchase a large plastic tub and place all of Beetrice’s favorite things inside. There are flowers, soil, rocks and tons of room for her to move about.
9. Well-Fed
“To keep her well-fed, I’d sometimes pick flowers and put it in her little home, but mostly I’d let her crawl on me,” Ashlie said. “I let her get her exercise by crawling all over me too. She loved to do that.” Beetrice soon learned that whenever she would be held that food was on the way. This started a tradition between the two of them!
8. High-Five
Beetrice and Ashlie would often high-five during feeding time – it’s pretty adorable! Beetrice would also let Ashlie know when she needed alone time by giving off a soft, warning buzz. For these moments, Ashlie actually constructed a hiding place for Beetrice inside of a little cave made of clay.
7. Pattern
The two of them quickly fell into a lovely routine! During the day, Ashlie would bring Beetrice’s tub outside so that the bee could bask in the sun. However, once the sun went down Ashlie would bring the tub back in so that Beetrice could stay warm.
6. Social Bee
Ashlie was constantly entertained by Beetrice’s social and curious nature. Beetrice would be intrigued by everything and wanted to constantly explore. “She has a huge heart and she’s a silly little thing!” Ashlie exclaimed.
5. A Change
For more than a month the two of them enjoyed a beautiful friendship. However, soon enough Ashlie began to notice a change in Beetrice’s behavior. Beetrice had already lived longer than a bee typical would and Ashlie knew that the poor bee was starting to slow down.
4. Slowing Down
“She doesn’t seem stressed at all, and doesn’t freak out when I touch her,” Ashlie said as she held Beetrice in her hand, “which is nice, but pretty sad that she’s slowed down so much.” Then, a few days later the inevitable happened…
3. Passing Away
Eventually Beetrice passed away and it was a sad day for Ashlie. However, she had the perfect plan to commemorate Beetrice’s memory. She decided to get a tattoo of Beetrice on her arm so that she could always be with her.
2. Life Lesson
“She’s taught me a whole new respect and love for bugs!” Ashlie said. “She also helped me get over my little fear of bugs. I’m always scared they would bite me or sting me or what have you, but treat them with care, don’t scare them, and they’re harmless.”
1. Grateful
Ashlie is incredibly grateful for the time she got to spend with Beetrice. She is even more thankful that getting close to Beetrice has shown her an entirely new perspective on bugs. “My time with her was lovely,” Ashlie said.