As I was leaving the house this morning, a bee (presumably one of mine) decided she liked the scent of my keychain...as I walked to the car, she followed the keychain until she caught up to it, then crawled all over it, my keys, and my hand. I opened my door, and she flew right inside. I felt bad, because that was her doom, but it was really cool, having her just checking my keys out. I guess I walked out just as she was passing by.
Keychains are an item we touch a lot.
...JP
It is cool, but I know what you mean about feeling bad. Each time I cause the death of our bees, I feel responsible and guilty. I even feel bad when I get stung as I feel that I have caused the bee to sting me by my actions. I am especially bothered when I see crished bees between supers or under feeders. The more hives I maintain, the less likely I am to fuss about individual losses, but I am not there yet.
Yesterday I saw a small wasp nest on the side of the house by the patio, those little round mud nests with the lip on them. My wife was standing near it and I told her to knock it off the wall. A few minutes later we saw this wasp having difficulty flying, carrying a big green caterpillar, presumably to stuff inside for the larvae to eat. She was just aimlessly circling around trying to figure out where her nest went. We both felt really bad about that...so we sure know what you mean when we accidentally squish bees.
I can't say that I share your love for the wasps. Even though I've never been stung by one, they still creep me out! Had one fly into my hair in the living room this spring when it was cranefly season (we have a SERIOUS cranefly infestation), I thought it was just a cranefly so I brushed it out with my hand, then saw it land on the wall... EEK! That ruined that day... had the heeby-jeeby's all day... couldn't even sleep. Of course I killed it, but I kept thinking there must be a nest in the house.
Honey bees and bumble bees on the other hand (and even mason bees to a lesser extent), I do like, and would feel bad to kill.
Moonshae, I know that feeling, we all have accidentally killed a bee or two, hee, hee. It is a saddening thing and I don't think I ever will get to the point where I don't care. Now, the yellowjackets. My arch enemy. I have seen too many of them flying off with an unsuspecting guard bee, my opinion of them is low and I couldn't care less if I see one aimlessly flying around if I have knocked down their house. Too bad for them.....ooops, that is my nasty side coming out :evil:
SgrMaj. Are crane flys the same as leather jacket/mosquito hawks? If so, I know what you mean. They are a ding dang nuisance and get stuck in my hair too. Have the most wonderfullest, beautifullest day, Cindi
Yup, they are the same. I wouldn't mind, but they'll literally blacken a wall with their numbers.
Yellow jackets? Now I definitely have no love lost for them! Digging at a hole with my little shovel when I was a kid I watched these fuzzy looking insects buzzing out and quickly landing all over me. I got me stung many times. The home cure for stings back then was tobacco poultice, I still remember lying there with little lumps of tobacco all over me. I think I still am fearful of those little buggers They are just downright aggressive.
No, not yellow jackets... leather jackets. They don't sting and they eat mosquitos. Generally I don't mind them, but when you can't take a breath without inhaling a couple of them... it's just too many.
SgtMaj, I think tlynn was making reference to what Cindi was sayin, not the comments about leatherjackets.
I also have no feelings for hornets, yellowjackets, or wasps. I keep several spray cans of bee-killer on hand. I even used one of those yellow-jacket traps last year until I discovered that it was full of my honeybees (even though the packaging said it does not capture "bennificial Honeybees". What a joke. I called the place that made it and they said I must have been doing something wrong or didn't follow their instructions.
As for a bee falling in love with you, I think you've been watching "Bee Movie" too much! lol
Sean Kelly
Oh, ha, I totally missed that.
As long as the wasps stay away from me, I don't mind them too much. They are supposed to be benefitial after all (they kill many damaging bugs, like the cabbage butterfly larva), kinda like spiders.
Yellow jackets on the other hand... I wish the world could completely eradicate them... I don't care if the entire eco system fails by their removal, it would be worth it. :evil: