There are many customs and traditions around death, but telling the bees is my favourite. Telling the bees of a death in a family is a tradition that has been practised in many European countries, but has been particularly common in England. Bees have long been considered important creatures, and in mythology were considered as the bridge between the underworld and natural world. For centuries bees have been treated as important members of a beekeeper's family, and it has been traditional to ensure that bees have been informed of important events such as deaths.

It was believed that if the bees had not been formally informed of a death they may stop producing honey, leave the hive or die themselves. Telling the bees could take many forms, from singing to the bees, knocking on the hive to get the bees' attention and making an announcement or draping the hives in black cloth. When a beekeeper had died it was customary for food from the funeral wake to be given to the bees, and they would be put into mourning for their deceased master. 

Although telling the bees was usually associated with a death, bees were also often told of weddings and provided with wedding cake. In some areas newlyweds were expected to introduce themselves to the bees, or else their marriage would suffer.We chose the name Go tell the bees to remember this great tradition, as a nod to the importance of living alongside our natural world and because bees are awesome.