Although that may sound fictitious, it's actually a ritual based on a historic tradition.
'Telling the bees' is a tradition in many European countries where hives of bees are told of important events in their keeper's lives.
The royal beekeeper has informed the bees that live at Buckingham Palace that HM Queen Elizabeth II has passed away, reports The Manc.
Telling the bees, as it's often known, is a tradition in many European countries where hives of bees are told of important events in their keeper's lives - such as births, marriages, departures and returns in the household, and of course, deaths.
If the custom is not practiced or forgotten, and the bees were not "put into mourning", then back in the mid-19th century when the tradition is believed to have originated, it was believed that a penalty would be paid.
This could mean the bees leave their hive, which would stop the production of honey or dying.
So, following HM Queen Elizabeth II's death at aged 96, and with several royal households home to tens of thousands off bees, John Chapple - who is the official royal beekeeper, and has been so for the past 15 years - told the Daily Mail that he travelled to the Buckingham Palace and Clarence House on Friday (9 September) to carry out the formality.
Buckingham Palace is home to five beehives, and Clarence House is home to two - with each hive containing an estimated 20,000 bees each.
Chapple also told the bees that a new master would be in charge - King Charles III.
Giving a little more insight into the decades-old tradition, Chapple explained: "It is traditional when someone dies that you go to the hives and say a little prayer and put a black ribbon on the hive.
"I drape the hives with black ribbon with a bow.
"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? You knock on each hive and say, 'the mistress is dead'."
Chapple explained that he visited the hives at Clarence House first to inform them, before heading to tell the bees living at Buckingham Palace.
Chapple said it had been a "wonderful privilege" to care for the bees under the Queen’s reign, and he hopes to continue in his role as King Charles III ascends to the throne.
"I hope they still want to keep the bees on their premises," Chapple concluded.
HM Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September 2022.
During her reign, Elizabeth II served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth – undertaking an important symbolic and unifying role as a head of state, spanning numerous geographical regions, cultures, and religions.
She was not just the longest-reigning British monarch in history, but she was also the first-ever monarch to reign in the UK for 70 years.
She was beloved by many for her sense of duty and devotion to her role.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
The Hoot -
13th September 2022 
