Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Bees

Bees

I’m not really a bee fan, I must admit. My encounters with them have been largely unpleasant and the few times I’ve been stung, the physiological reaction has been more intense with each subsequent sting.  While I’m probably not totally allergic to bee venom, I’m certainly sensitive to it.

So for a while there it was war between me and the bees.  Didn’t matter if they were honeybees, wasps, hornets, or bumble bees, I used whatever means available to remove individual bees permanently from my immediate environment.

A few years ago I learned that honeybees were experiencing a die-off, with pesticides at the source of the problem. The culprits are seemingly the neonicotinoids that act on the bee’s central nervous system.  The pesticides accumulate in soil and plants and bees get exposed through residues in nectar and pollen or contaminated soil.  Suddenly all the adult honeybees in a colony disappear or die.

This colony collapse disorder impacts the nation’s biggest pollination event—that of California’s almond orchards. California grows ~80% of the world’s almond supply and it takes an ever increasing number of honeybees to do that job.  Each February, approximately 1.5 million bee hives are trucked to California from the Mid-West—where the neonicotinoids are used widely.  Several European countries have banned or limited the use of these chemicals in an effort to protect honeybees; this has not yet happened in the United States.

So I am changing my personal war on bees.  I carefully remove the honeybees that land in the pool so they can resume their flight when their wings dry.  I shoo those that fly into the house back out instead of grabbing the fly swatter.  I distract my dog when I see she is chasing after bees.  Small efforts to be sure, though I feel I must do my personal part while the federal regulators and courts wrangle over the pesticide issues.   


12 comments:

  1. I will try to be a little nicer about bees, but they freak me out too!

    (Stopping by from the A to Z Challenge)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Save a bee and you're doing great! Good luck with the challenge.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for this important post Dot ... yes, bees can be wild and cause harm - death even. My cousin Richard was attacked by bees some years ago in Zimbabwe when he was reversing out of his neighbour's driveway and knocked over a hive by accident .. attacked and died sad to say.
    But if the bee colonies do die off we are in very serious trouble indeed ...
    Keep up your efforts - every small action counts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So sorry to hear about your cousin, Susan. Thanks for encouragement with my efforts 8-) I appreciate your comment.

      Delete
  3. I've only been stung a couple times fortunately. Bees are very important and i do like them. They are fuzzy and that makes them seem cuter than say a creepy 8 legged spider. Now those have to go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I'm not big on spiders either! Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  4. I kind of like the big bumble bees who look like they couldn't find their way to sting anyone. I did learn that peeling apples outside is not a good idea no matter what the yellow jackets think!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did not know about the apples; I've learned to get meat back into the house after the BBQ, though. Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  5. Well I respect you Dot for your efforts! You sound a bit like me!! I don't kill things or step on them either! Yes, the honey bees are all gone in my neck of the woods, however, I saw a few of them today hanging around the orange trees...so I know they all aren't gone! Great post, and very educational too! www.sandysanderellasmusings.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks, Sandy--just yesterday we discovered the start of 2 wasp nests in the outdoor umbrella! We managed to get rid of those without getting stung or killing them 8-0

      Delete
  6. Oh by the way....I forgot to mention how adorable your dogs are!! They are so cute!! Sandy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, terrific post! I'd heard the honeybees were disappearing, and from the Midwest, as well, but no idea why. You provided the details in an incredibly interesting read.

    By the way, did you know that one of Mom's cousins died as the woman above described? Attacked in his own driveway, he was elderly and couldn't get up or get help once he fell. Horrible. After Mom passed away I had started corresponding with him - he was a wonderful letter writer! - and I really missed our communication after he passed away.

    And finally, I'm SO GLAD you included the picture of the bee purse! It turned out fantastic!!!

    Love you! Lanie

    ReplyDelete