Rachel Seiffert 
The Late Spring (Storycuts) 

The beekeeper has lived in solitude for some fifty years. One day while waiting for Spring to descend he spies a young boy crossing the valley towards the copse where he keeps his hives. With a dependent forced upon him, the beekeeper must face the outside world and all its bewilderments once again.
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Field Study.