Bees!

I wasn't sure where to post this so please feel free to relocate it if needed.
I live in the Northeastern part of the Unites States. The bees in my area seem extremely aggressive this year. My son and I have been stung about dozen times this past week.
I tied a paper bag on the front porch to deter wasps because my wife is highly allergic.my back yard had 2 nests that were swarming. My son was stung 4 times. I took care of that with some wasp and hornet killer. I have seen more swarms than usual. Some people left a local amusement park because there were bees everywhere. My son and I were in the garden this evening and I was hyper-vigilant. Did not see any bees. All of a sudden they were everywhere! My son ran into the house taking 1 to the arm and I had 2 fly into my shirt sleeves and got hit 4 times. These were only yellow jackets and do not usually swarm like that. It has been unseasonably hot and dry for this time of year. Has anybody else had similar experiences?

Ricker

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Posted by Ricker

I live in the Northeastern part of the Unites States. The bees in my area seem extremely aggressive this year. My son and I have been stung about dozen times this past week.

I tied a paper bag on the front porch to deter wasps because my wife is highly allergic.my back yard had 2 nests that were swarming. My son was stung 4 times. I took care of that with some wasp and hornet killer. I have seen more swarms than usual. Some people left a local amusement park because there were bees everywhere. My son and I were in the garden this evening and I was hyper-vigilant. Did not see any bees. All of a sudden they were everywhere! My son ran into the house taking 1 to the arm and I had 2 fly into my shirt sleeves and got hit 4 times. These were only yellow jackets and do not usually swarm like that. It has been unseasonably hot and dry for this time of year.

Has anybody else had similar experiences?

Ricker

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Hi Ricker. https://i.imgur.com/LAk0Fum.gif I'm a New Englander. My landlady tends to the beehive on the farm, and I haven't experienced aggressive bees. The landlord also has several large Zen gardens with a variety of flowers to attract the bees.

I'm reposting this because it explains how yellow jackets are extremely territorial and aggressive, especially in late summer and fall when their colonies are at their peak size.

I wish you and your family continued health and wellbeing.

Massive Yellow Jacket Ground Nest Removal. SWARM! https://i.imgur.com/F7KR6pt.gif

• It's A Wild Life
• 227K subscribers

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=c4LgAGMd_-w

Yellow jackets are a type of wasp, not bees. They often build nests underground, in wall cavities, or in trees/shrubs. They’re extremely territorial and aggressive, especially in late summer and fall when colonies are at peak size.

A swarm happens when multiple yellow jackets emerge from the nest to attack an intruder. It’s triggered by vibrations near the nest like mowing. Unlike bees, yellow jackets can sting multiple times and do not die after stinging. A large swarm can result in dozens or even hundreds of stings.

What to Do If Attacked

• Run away immediately. Don’t swat or flail.
• Cover your face, especially eyes and mouth.
• Seek shelter in a building or vehicle.
• Once safe, remove stingers though yellow jackets don’t usually leave stingers.
• Apply ice and antihistamines for swelling and itching.
• Seek emergency help if you have difficulty breathing, stung many times or experience signs of a serious allergic reaction (e.g., hives, dizziness, swelling of face/throat).

Hi Ricker,
Its prolly the opposite where i am which is 50 miles west of Melbourne in Australia.
Bees are kinda missing , have been for perhaps 20 yrs and not just bees but lots of bugs and insects, last summer we had hardly any flies and mozzies, even butterflies were largly down in numbers.
I used to spend alot of time in the bush and in my garden and always had bugs and stuff, i remember back as a young man my mates and i would go on road trips in the country and it was very normal to have to clean all the dead insects such as grasshopers, locusts dragonflys out of the radiator, i cant even remember the last time i had to clean the windscreen of splattered insects like bees and cabbage butterflys, the're just not there anymore.

I saw a post about scientists who had built life sized bees (i guess they are drones) to pollinate plants, to deal with declining bee populations, now that scenario is frightening.

Why do you think your bees are more aggressive, are they like that because of a pollen and nectar shortage so they become aggressive to ward off other insects/bugs and even humans from messing with their food supply...?

BTW what does the paper bag do to ward off wasps, is it just the bags movement in the wind...?


RRR

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Posted by RatRodRob...RRR

Hi Ricker,
Its prolly the opposite where i am which is 50 miles west of Melbourne in Australia.
Bees are kinda missing , have been for perhaps 20 yrs and not just bees but lots of bugs and insects, last summer we had hardly any flies and mozzies, even butterflies were largly down in numbers.
I used to spend alot of time in the bush and in my garden and always had bugs and stuff, i remember back as a young man my mates and i would go on road trips in the country and it was very normal to have to clean all the dead insects such as grasshopers, locusts dragonflys out of the radiator, i cant even remember the last time i had to clean the windscreen of splattered insects like bees and cabbage butterflys, the're just not there anymore.

I saw a post about scientists who had built life sized bees (i guess they are drones) to pollinate plants, to deal with declining bee populations, now that scenario is frightening.

Why do you think your bees are more aggressive, are they like that because of a pollen and nectar shortage so they become aggressive to ward off other insects/bugs and even humans from messing with their food supply...?

BTW what does the paper bag do to ward off wasps, is it just the bags movement in the wind...?


RRR

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Thank you RRR for the response.
The paper bag mimics a paper wasp nest.
It keeps the other bees away. I had an old farmer
show me this. He used it to keep the wood bees
from digging holes into his tool shed.

Thank you Running Deer for the response.
The video makes sense. I've been the garden several
times with no instances. They would fly around but
leave us alone.

Ricker

Do also see these other major threads: :flower:

• Calling all light warriors - the Bees need you!
• Birds, bees and fruit trees - what's happening??

No, not here.

What I see is like RRR said...even butterflies are in low numbers. We have not had many bees for some time, however there were wasps, except this year there are hardly any of those either.

The yellow jacket is a different story, a type of hornet, and I have seen a few big hornets. An individual yellow jacket is not particularly aggressive, but "danger to the nest" will get them all after you. I've done it twice. Fortunately I can run fast. If you can't, I can imagine it could be fatal. And it takes very little to disturb them. Walking past the opening is enough to do it, which is hard to avoid, because they are inconspicuous. And of course they are transients; a colony is not going to sit in place for fifty years, it's going to spread, so they can dig into a new place any time.

Just a little bee info.

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Posted by Ricker

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Posted by RatRodRob...RRR

Hi Ricker,
Its prolly the opposite where i am which is 50 miles west of Melbourne in Australia.
Bees are kinda missing , have been for perhaps 20 yrs and not just bees but lots of bugs and insects, last summer we had hardly any flies and mozzies, even butterflies were largly down in numbers.
I used to spend alot of time in the bush and in my garden and always had bugs and stuff, i remember back as a young man my mates and i would go on road trips in the country and it was very normal to have to clean all the dead insects such as grasshopers, locusts dragonflys out of the radiator, i cant even remember the last time i had to clean the windscreen of splattered insects like bees and cabbage butterflys, the're just not there anymore.

I saw a post about scientists who had built life sized bees (i guess they are drones) to pollinate plants, to deal with declining bee populations, now that scenario is frightening.

Why do you think your bees are more aggressive, are they like that because of a pollen and nectar shortage so they become aggressive to ward off other insects/bugs and even humans from messing with their food supply...?

BTW what does the paper bag do to ward off wasps, is it just the bags movement in the wind...?


RRR

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Thank you RRR for the response.
The paper bag mimics a paper wasp nest.
It keeps the other bees away. I had an old farmer
show me this. He used it to keep the wood bees
from digging holes into his tool shed.

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No worries, didnt know that bout the paper bag :thumbsup:
Yep old farmers know their stuff and are better weather forecasters than the actual weather forecasters.

When i were a little boy my Mum and step Dad would take my lil sis and i on trips into the country to look for mushrooms and to get our cloths dirty playing on the land, our Mum used to say to us that if the cows were laying down it was gunna rain lol, but she was correct alot of the time.

Getting back to bees, i had a business that was washing house exteriors, mainly painted weatherboard, (my last business) but i never used hi pressure washers, i hand washed everything, i had telescopic poles with different broom heads to wash high areas, i was washing this joint with the long pole and accidentally hit under the eave with the broom head and all these pissed off bees come flyin out, and mate they were angry and filled the street, i sat in my kombi van waiting for them to rack off, i didnt trust the little buggers, that was prolly bout 15 yrs ago and i have not seen a bee hive or swarm since,.......................RRR

Again, RRR My thanks.
I have experience working around bees. I painted houses as a teenager and somewhere there's a photo of me standing on a ladder 2 stories up with no shirt on and my back is peppered with hornets.
Now I was a lot braver in my youth however my dad used to say the best thing to do is treat them like they're not even there. It itched like heck but I was never stung. Thinking back on it I guess swatting
hornets when you're 30 feet in the air with a paintbrush is a good way of playing chicken with mean old Mr. Gravity. :-)

In my young days I lived on top of a mountain with no power or anything and grew my own stuff and had several animals for milk, eggs etc . I had several bee hives for them to share their honey etc with me. I learned that total calmness was needed and the bees wouldn't bother me when collecting some honey. I didn't wear coverings or need a smoker, just calmness and a true feeling of thankfulness and love for there participation. That sounds a bit hippy-ish doesn't it.

I highly recommend Rudolf Steiners book "Nine lectures on Bees" which he gave to the workers building the Goetheanum as he was asked about them (bees). I have the book in PDF but can't seem to be able to post it. It is a fascinating book I reckon. You can download it here https://www.valleybees.org.au/wp-con...r-1923-74p.pdf

My Aunt was a Bee Whisperer as a child. She put snacks for Bees in her hand pulled wagon. The bees were attracted to it and there would be swarms all around her and she loved them and they never hurt her. These were true bees and not yellow jacket hornets.

My dad took bee propolis as a supplement he got straight from a bee keeper. Even when he was old in his late 80's he always stayed the same height (6ft 1") and some of his story was used in a bee exhibition for tourists.

Thank you Rosencross for the link above to the PDF of Rudolf Steiners book "Nine lectures on Bees" :stars:


When I was a teenager I was lent a book by a dear elderly friend called "The Keeper of Bees" by Gene Stratton-Porter. Somehow this story touched me deeply and I think of it often.:heart:

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Porter's novel recounts the life of James Lewis MacFarlane, a young WWI veteran who escapes from a military hospital to avoid being sent to a tubercular isolation camp and who eventually finds himself at work aiding a beekeeper. It is there that he finds the courage to recover from his wounds, and for his efforts is rewarded with adventure, happiness, and love. It is also a story of the restorative power and beauty of nature, a dominant theme in Porter's work. There have been several adaptations of this novel to film.

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https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....i/55712529.jpg

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Posted by Harmony

My Aunt was a Bee Whisperer as a child. She put snacks for Bees in her hand pulled wagon. The bees were attracted to it and there would be swarms all around her and she loved them and they never hurt her. These were true bees and not yellow jacket hornets.

My dad took bee propolis as a supplement he got straight from a bee keeper. Even when he was old in his late 80's he always stayed the same height (6ft 1") and some of his story was used in a bee exhibition for tourists.

Thank you Rosencross for the link above to the PDF of Rudolf Steiners book "Nine lectures on Bees" :stars:


When I was a teenager I was lent a book by a dear elderly friend called "The Keeper of Bees" by Gene Stratton-Porter. Somehow this story touched me deeply and I think of it often.:heart:

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Porter's novel recounts the life of James Lewis MacFarlane, a young WWI veteran who escapes from a military hospital to avoid being sent to a tubercular isolation camp and who eventually finds himself at work aiding a beekeeper. It is there that he finds the courage to recover from his wounds, and for his efforts is rewarded with adventure, happiness, and love. It is also a story of the restorative power and beauty of nature, a dominant theme in Porter's work. There have been several adaptations of this novel to film.

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https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....i/55712529.jpg

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I love bees, and am enjoying this thread, so I looked up the author of The Keeper of Bees. She turns out to be a prolific writer, and had an interesting life story to boot.

“Gene” is short for Geneva, and she was the youngest of 12 siblings. Lifespan August 17, 1863 – December 6, 1924.

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The Keeper of the Bees (1925) and The Magic Garden (1927) were the last of Stratton-Porter's novels completed before her death. Both of them were written at her home on Catalina Island and published posthumously. The Keeper of the Bees is a story about a World War I veteran who regains his heath through the restorative "power and beauty of nature."[62] The story was serialized in McCall's magazine from February through September 1925 and was published in book form later that year. The Magic Garden, about a girl of divorced parents, was written for her two granddaughters, whose parents divorced when they were young. Filmmaker James Leo Meehan, Stratton-Porter's business partner and son-in-law, wrote a screenplay of the novel shortly after Stratton-Porter had completed the manuscript.[63]

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Stratton-Porter


:focus:

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Posted by Rosencross

In my young days I lived on top of a mountain with no power or anything and grew my own stuff and had several animals for milk, eggs etc . I had several bee hives for them to share their honey etc with me. I learned that total calmness was needed and the bees wouldn't bother me when collecting some honey. I didn't wear coverings or need a smoker, just calmness and a true feeling of thankfulness and love for there participation. That sounds a bit hippy-ish doesn't it.

I highly recommend Rudolf Steiners book "Nine lectures on Bees" which he gave to the workers building the Goetheanum as he was asked about them (bees). I have the book in PDF but can't seem to be able to post it. It is a fascinating book I reckon. You can download it here https://www.valleybees.org.au/wp-con...r-1923-74p.pdf

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Posted by Harmony

My Aunt was a Bee Whisperer as a child. She put snacks for Bees in her hand pulled wagon. The bees were attracted to it and there would be swarms all around her and she loved them and they never hurt her. These were true bees and not yellow jacket hornets.

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Thank you, Rosencross & Harmony.https://i.imgur.com/F7KR6pt.gif

• "Nine Lectures on Bees" @ AbeBooks - $8 + free shipping in US (several copies for a few dollars more)
  
• Available @ Amazon for $20

Summary:

In response to a question from an audience of construction workers, Rudolf Steiner began this series of lectures on bees. "One only begins to understand the life of the bees when one knows that the bee lives in an atmosphere completely pervaded by love, " Steiner says. The unconscious wisdom contained in the beehive, and how this relates to the human experience of health, civilization, and the cosmos, is amply described in this unique book.

From physical descriptions of the everyday activities of the beehive, to the loftiest esoteric insights, these lectures urge our attention to the importance of bees. Like a bee among flowers, Steiner lights upon a myriad of bee-related topics, and, like the bee, gathers the pollen of knowledge we so desperately need now.

In 1923 Steiner said "We must wait and see how things will be in fifty to eighty years of time, for by then certain forces which have hitherto been organic in the hive will be mechanized." Steiner has accurately predicted the state of the honey-bee today. This book is a fascinating discussion for anyone interested in beekeeping and nature.

***************

• "The Keeper of The Bees" @AbeBooks -$7 + $3.75 shipping
• $12.75 @Amazon

Summary:

The very last novel that Gene Stratton-Porter wrote before her death. The tale of a wounded World War I veteran, a beekeeper and an impish tomboy all helped by each other. A book that examines the healing power that nature and kindness can have upon someone’s life.

Thanks JohnnyCL for the information about Gene Stratton-Porther's life and her family. With her interests in nature I can see why she wrote about bees and gardens. I always loved nature as a child and was looking after any animals that needed care. Sometimes I would have a blue tongue lizard riding on my shoulders during the day and sick birds in the lounge room in a shoebox. My poor parents :bigsmile:


I work among many bees in the garden and they let me know they are there if I don't see them by buzzing near my ear, and I let them know I'll be careful not to water them and they are happy then.:stars:




Blue tongue lizard

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...C5cObM6Ds1dQ&s
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...LQDuEmMOD4ks&s

I’m doing something different with the flies that make their way into my place. I used to gently scoop them up with a damp paper towel and set them free.

This season, I let them know that if they head over to the door, I’ll let them out. Some don’t catch on right away, so I send my energy toward the door to help guide them. Most of the time, it only takes a few seconds to maybe half a minute before they’re off to their next adventure.

:heart:

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Posted by RunningDeer

I’m doing something different with the flies that make their way into my place. I used to gently scoop them up with a damp paper towel and set them free.

This season, I let them know that if they head over to the door, I’ll let them out. Some don’t catch on right away, so I send my energy toward the door to help guide them. Most of the time, it only takes a few seconds to maybe half a minute before they’re off to their next adventure.

:heart:

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I think i just learnt something, i should use your technique, but how do you send energy, is the energy your thoughts telling the flys to go to the open door or is it a skill you have to work for to obtain the ability to send energy..?

I was in my car years ago and i had the window down less than an inch and this big blow fly found that little gap and came into the car as i was driving, it was buzzing around bouncing off the windows and flyin all around my head, i was tryin to hit it with an open hand towards the window but it wouldnt get out, so i wound the window right down and it still wouldnt/couldnt find that big hole to get out, but could find that little hole to get in.
Maybe if i had of taken your approach and had of wound the window down and then just sat still and quiet, maybe it woulda got out without me swiping at it. lol....... RRR

I use raw honey, usually organic, but I have noticed over the past months that ants and flies that used to be very interested in the honey I always have sitting out on my kitchen counter are not at all interested in it anymore, even when there are drips of it freely available, whereas they used to go for it so much I had to keep it completely sealed up and any drips or spills cleaned up immediately at all times.
I have no idea why this is. :noidea:

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Posted by RatRodRob...RRR

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Posted by RunningDeer

I’m doing something different with the flies that make their way into my place. I used to gently scoop them up with a damp paper towel and set them free.

This season, I let them know that if they head over to the door, I’ll let them out. Some don’t catch on right away, so I send my energy toward the door to help guide them. Most of the time, it only takes a few seconds to maybe half a minute before they’re off to their next adventure.

:heart:

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I think i just learnt something, i should use your technique, but how do you send energy, is the energy your thoughts telling the flys to go to the open door or is it a skill you have to work for to obtain the ability to send energy..?

I was in my car years ago and i had the window down less than an inch and this big blow fly found that little gap and came into the car as i was driving, it was buzzing around bouncing off the windows and flyin all around my head, i was tryin to hit it with an open hand towards the window but it wouldnt get out, so i wound the window right down and it still wouldnt/couldnt find that big hole to get out, but could find that little hole to get in.
Maybe if i had of taken your approach and had of wound the window down and then just sat still and quiet, maybe it woulda got out without me swiping at it. lol....... RRR

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There’s a focus of the heart and a rise in energy. I make a promise that if we work together, I can set them free. It’s more a conversation of thought than words. I gesture toward the screen door. Sometimes, I send a stream of energy to guide their attention.

I picture the fly resting on the screen, waiting for release. I thank him for the cooperation, and for giving me the chance to practice the skill.

There’s no single right way. Two of my strengths are visualization and creativity. Generally speaking, I tune into the energy within my body, raising or softening it as needed. And I stay focused on the outcome.

Keep it simple works best for me. :heart:

I learned a long time ago to always make sure that the birds and wildlife have water in the hot summer days. For the deer and turkeys, etc, we had troughs and pans but for the bees I would put trays of sugar water out in the open on a high ledge or somewhere where they could get the the liquid without being disturbed, every morning. I would put a small stone in the middle of the each pan in case a bee fell in. The trays would get covered by wild bees and all the liquid would be gone in less than half an hour. My husband would tell me that the bees took the water to their nest.

I also go out in early afternoon and with a water hose spray all the nearby bushes and tree leaves with water so the little critters have a drink of water.
And I fill a couple of shallow pans with water as well near the bird food.

In Paradise I had a bird bath in the shade which I would fill with fresh water every morning. When the bees discovered it (before I started to put sugar water for them), they would take water from it. They formed a circle around the rim and would scoot over to make room for my hand to fill the pan with water from the hose.

Where we live now in a small town, I have hardly seen any bees or wasps. But I have a few potted flowering plants, and when I water them every afternoon there is usually a bee or two and they move aside so I can water. I did notice they love the flowering lavender, and the tiny oregano flowers too. I figured that the reason I only see a few bees nearby is maybe because we have an abundance of wild flowers throughout the neighborhood. And we have lots of flowering dandelions too.

But I haven’t noticed any aggressive bees maybe because I’ve seen so few. I did notice last week one day when I got the water sprayer and started watering the plants, I felt a tiny prick in the palm of my hand, and it was a little bee that had been under the sprayer handle. Lucky for it and me it didn’t sting all the way but got my attention in time for me not to crush to death.