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Honey Bee cut-out this past weekend. — Page 3

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I believe in monsters.  This thing is scary!

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I think I had a Transformer that looked like that.  It is amazing that something that size could exist without an internal skeleton, a circulatory system, etc.

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Sluggo said:

I think I had a Transformer that looked like that.  It is amazing that something that size could exist without an internal skeleton, a circulatory system, etc.

 Or a loving God.

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Sluggo said:

I've got a bee question.  A friend of mine was driving across the country to buy boxes of bees.  He said they had thousands of bees per box all packed up.  Is that normal?

Very common.  That's called a package.  It's a shoe-box sixed wooden box with screened sides. They're almost always 3 lbs of bees (10-12 thousand), a can of syrup for them to eat, and a queen in a very small queen cage with a few nurse bees.  It's how a great many new hives are started.  

You dump the bees in a new hive, pour what little syrup may be left into a feeder, and place the queen cage inside.  The queen cage has a marshmallow plug to keep her in for a few days until the bees accept her.  If you put her right in, they'd kill her.  It takes about four days for the bees to eat the plug away and release her. When they do, she enters the hive as their queen and they go about the business of drawing out comb and making honey, while she lays eggs.  I'll try to find a picture of a package.

*edit*

I'll go one better.  Here is a picture of one of my hives from a few years ago.  I started it with a package.  You can see the queen cage laying in front of it.

*edit*

Here is that same hive earlier this year.  It's grown considerably. 

Like all hives, it started as a single Deep (brood, stored pollen, and honey).  These days it's two deeps and three Supers (honey only).  In the picture there were only two supers.  I added a third super about 4 months ago.  I'll be extracting later this month.  One super only, they get the rest for the winter. 

 

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Cool.  I wasn't planning on learning anything today, but whattdya know!

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Anchorhead is the coolest (sorry chaps and lady)!

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While taking the bottle bank out last night (in readiness for today's collection) a rather wobbly looking bumble bee plopped out and slowly began to stagger across the kitchen floor.

I'm not sure if she was tipsy (95% of the glass was the other half's empty wine bottles) or just cold because it was night.

I gently placed her in a plant pot in the garden.

I'm feeling a bit worried for her today though as we are currently suffering the sloppy seconds of Hurricane Katia.

I had to chase the now empty bottle bank down the road as the slightly higher than seasonal winds propelled it around the corner and marched the recycle bin and it's regiment of cousins (Dalek fashion) around the locality. 

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Anchorhead said:

That said, when you see a swarm or giant cluster on a tree branch or the side of a building, that's when the bees are usually the least aggressive.  they're in the process of finding a new home, have no babies, and no real food stores to protect, so they're largely uninterested in anything else.

Weird. I totally missed this thread until it was just bumped.

Anyhow, I'm pretty allergic to bees. Had a yellowjacket somehow get in the house on Thanksgiving of '05, I was sitting on the couch, waiting for my Dad to set out his famous Turkey and Stuffing when *WHAMMO* it stung me on the back of my neck!! It hurt like hell the rest of the evening, swoll up, I was a mess. I loaded up on tylenol and benedryl and made it through.

As far as your comment I quoted, Anchorhead, this happened to us last fall. Me, my wife, and my just about to 2 year old baby girl were playing around in the front yard. We'd set out a blanket by a 6 year old oak tree and we were just having a good ol' family time. I looked up and saw a ball of bees hanging off the side of the tree about 5 feet from us. They had to be at least a foot in diameter. I freaked out, rushed the family inside, and called a dispatcher at work who is also, like you, a beekeeper. She assured me they wouldn't hurt a fly, due to their migrating status, but I stayed inside. She said they'd leave in a few hours, sure enough a few hours passed and they disappeared.

I'm the big joke at parties, I tend to freak out at any sight of a bee, due to my allergic reaction to their sting. I look like the biggest dork dodging and bobbing when one buzzes by. Of course, here in Texas just about every party is an outdoor barbeque, and of course, the bees seem attracted to those.

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ferris209 said:

I'm the big joke at parties, I tend to freak out at any sight of a bee, due to my allergic reaction to their sting. I look like the biggest dork dodging and bobbing when one buzzes by. Of course, here in Texas just about every party is an outdoor barbeque, and of course, the bees seem attracted to those.

This warms my heart.  Of course, you have a legitimate reason to fear the bees, while I'm just a yellow-bellied yank coward, but we're still brothers-in-bee-fear-arms ;-)

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TV's Frink said:

ferris209 said:

I'm the big joke at parties, I tend to freak out at any sight of a bee, due to my allergic reaction to their sting. I look like the biggest dork dodging and bobbing when one buzzes by. Of course, here in Texas just about every party is an outdoor barbeque, and of course, the bees seem attracted to those.

This warms my heart.  Of course, you have a legitimate reason to fear the bees, while I'm just a yellow-bellied yank coward, but we're still brothers-in-bee-fear-arms ;-)

*flashes two thumbs up in unity and solidarity!*

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ferris209 said:

Of course, here in Texas just about every party is an outdoor barbeque, and of course, the bees seem attracted to those.

That's because we make the best barbecue there is.  ;-)  Well, that and all the sweet smells of sugary drinks that inevitably get opened and left sitting out.

The way you and Frink are with bees, I'm that way with snakes.  I go out of my way to avoid them.  I have some land in the pineywoods north of Houston and I'm never without my snake boots - even though I've never seen a snake out there. 

Like Frink mentioned though, if you're allergic, that's a very good reason to stay clear.

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Bingowings said:

...a rather wobbly looking bumble bee plopped out and slowly began to stagger across the kitchen floor.

I'm feeling a bit worried for her today though as we are currently suffering the sloppy seconds of Hurricane Katia.

All bumblebees - except the queen - die in autumn.  It may just be its time to go.  I do the same thing though, taking bugs outside and putting them on leaves.  Remember; Unlike honey bees, bumble bees can sting repeatedly. 

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She gave it consideration, I think but she was too weak to give it a go.

I put a stiff card flyer in her hobble path and placed a glass over the top to lift so I felt confidently safe but it was rather tragic to see her struggle like that.

I also had a close encounter with a large millipede tourist the other day.

I've never had a millipede walk on my hand and arm before but it was a unique sensation (a bit like being tapped gently by the scratchy half of a sheet of velcro).

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Anchorhead said:

ferris209 said:

Of course, here in Texas just about every party is an outdoor barbeque, and of course, the bees seem attracted to those.

That's because we make the best barbecue there is.  ;-)  Well, that and all the sweet smells of sugary drinks that inevitably get opened and left sitting out.

The way you and Frink are with bees, I'm that way with snakes.  I go out of my way to avoid them.  I have some land in the pineywoods north of Houston and I'm never without my snake boots - even though I've never seen a snake out there. 

Like Frink mentioned though, if you're allergic, that's a very good reason to stay clear.

Hey! I'd forgotten you were a fellow Texan! Yep, we sure do make great barbecue.

As far as snakes, I don't like'em, but so long as I know they are there it doesn't bother me. Especially if I know what kind of snake it is, you know there are only four venomous types in Texas. Rattlers, Copperheads, Cottonmouths (water moccasins), and Coral Snakes.

I cannot tell you how many calls I've been on where I get on scene and person says, "Officer, the snakes right inside the house, I don't know where he is at in the house though, when I saw him I ran out and called you."Those kind of calls are very unnerving. I don't know where the snake is in the house AND I have no idea if it is a venomous one or not. Too many people confuse Bull Snakes for Rattlers though, mostly because they do look alike, but Bull Snakes are infamous for "pretending" to be rattlers. They'll wiggle their tail against something in order to make the tell-tell rattle sound and that usually freaks out people. But a rattlers rattle is pretty distinct and the Bull Snake can rarely be close enough to an object that would provide the optimal noise.

I have to admit, I LOVE myself snakeskin boots. I have about 10 pairs. Rattler, boa constrictor, and python. Plus, my guitar strap has a portion of rattler skin inlaid on it.

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I'm rather fond of my Wellington Boots.

The tanned hides of historical war heros can be a bit tricky to track down but I'm worth it.

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ferris209 said:

you know there are only four venomous types in Texas. Rattlers, Copperheads, Cottonmouths (water moccasins), and Coral Snakes.

Fortunately, my days as a Boy Scout helped with snake safety quite a bit, so I know which to really avoid.  However, some of the non-venomous can deliver quite a painful bite, so I just stay clear of all. I get a fair number of Ribbon snakes in my back yard, never bitten though. 

They like to sit up high in the rose bushes, getting sun, out of the reach of my dogs maybe.  Even so, every now and then my guys will get one and bring it inside as a gift.  Always very proud of their kill, tail wagging, happy they did something to help the pack.

Man, that whole going into the house and not knowing where the thing is, or what it is - I'd have an elevated heart rate for sure.

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My cat Mycroft used to do the same with frogs.

He also managed to get a whole and huge Herring Gull through the catflap (still alive and flapping with fury) right under the beak of our bemused blue and gold macaw.

We opened the french windows and let the poor thing out and he gave me a look of, "Aren't you going to do the thing with the 'hot telly' and the sage and onion then?". 

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The weather has been pretty crap this year but the bees are back and in greater numbers.

So many interesting varieties too.

I've been thinking over replacing the whole lawn with clover as it smells really nice when you mow it and the bees love it.

I also have really rubbish clay soil which never drains so clover would be better than grass anyway I'm not sure what the neighbours who bother with grass lawns would think.

I wish I could get my claws on some of those really interesting clover varieties you American's have.

While meandering into the area of gardens, the dreaded garden thief has struck again.

This time they pinched the anti-cat detection system that my next door neighbour/living saint put in.

I have no idea what use that would be to anyone.

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Bingowings said:

The weather has been pretty crap this year but the bees are back and in greater numbers.

That's great news.  If it was a mild winter, the colonies would build up to full strength much faster.  They would also have more food on hand (stored honey not eaten during the winter) and flowers would be blooming earlier - more pollen for babies.  They build up to full strength based on availability of food (stored or otherwise).

I have a feral hive up in a Pecan tree that was fully exposed throughout the winter and they survived.  I was very surprised by that.  The entire hive is exposed and subject to winter temps and storms.  They are about one third their summer size, but they made it. 

They're high in the tree. I'm not sure how I could do it, but I'll try to move them into a hive this summer.

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The bees I work with keep swarming on us. We've had to go recapture two different hives two weeks ago. Both times it was during extreme rapid weather changes. They have plenty of room in the hives and we haven't found any queen cells, so it is puzzling.

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Bingowings said:

My cat Mycroft used to do the same with frogs.

I love that your cat's name is Mycroft.

Anyway, I can't believe I missed this entire thread.  I knew Anchorhead was a beekeeper, but getting the entire buzz of it, with pictures no less, well, that was just inspiring and educational.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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He is probably dead by now as he stayed with my ex, his brother Sherlock was sadly squished by a car.