comrade123418 hours ago
Well, at least it's not hornets.
— Jerome K. Jerome
I wonder what that's like. Is it just another nice smell, like coffee brewing while sunlight hits your face?
You might want to take a class in beekeeping, one where they take you to do some actual hive inspections. You'll need a beekeeper's suit.
Thoughts on centipedes though?
Depends on the bees! I was always pretty relaxed about bees, until a hive at my house turned mean. They would sting us just for daring to be near them, and by 'near' I don't mean we were approaching the hive -- just walking past it, or doing some gardening several metres away.
I’d rather stub my toe 10 times than get stung by a bee — well, maybe not the same toe. :)
A dozen bee stings' effects will last about two weeks, give or take a few days.
A hundred bee stings is life-threatening.
All that w/o allergies.
I still do not like honey - unless I use it for cooking.
And I like Praying Mantises because I think they're probably secretly alien robots. I wonder if biologists have ever taken one apart to see if they're truly biological or a machine. I've seen one take down a humming bird, so it's gotta be some kinda machine bro.
That reminds me of a bit of fiction where a bioengineered commercial species is being critiqued:
> Miles leaned forward again, to peer in revolted fascination. "It looks like a cross between a cockroach, a termite, and a... and a... and a pustule. [...] Nobody will want to eat food that comes out of something that looks like that. Hell, they won't want to eat anything it touches."
> "People eat honey," argued Mark. "And that comes out of bugs."
> "Honeybees are... sort of cute. They're furry, and they have those classy striped uniforms. And they're armed with their stings, just like little swords, which makes people respect them." [...]
> Enrique said, in a bewildered tone, "So do you think if I put stings on my butter bugs, Barrayarans would like them better?"
> "No!" said Miles and Mark together.
> Enrique sat back, looking rather hurt.
--A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold Enrique sat back, looking rather hurt.
> All honeybee colonies must be registered and inspected for diseases, mites, and Africanized bees. Surveys are conducted for Africanized bees along Delaware’s coastal anchorages and in the Ports of Wilmington and Delaware City. By law, the State Apiarist and state bee inspectors may enter any public or private premises and have access to and from all apiaries or places where bees and bee equipment are kept to inspect them for pests and diseases. The State Apiarist may also declare a quarantine and order the destruction or treatment of hives for serious pest or disease situations.
https://agriculture.delaware.gov/plant-industries/honeybees/
I've got visions of bee inspectors standing there, insisting that this woman burn her house down.
Beekeepers have varroa under control. But the state loves to be able to declare medical emergencies for animals (cull all the chickens!!), including beehives.
In MA, state bee inspections are optional, but you can request one for free once per year. As a new beekeeper, I found it helpful, as the inspectors were highly knowledgeable and friendly.
I ended up deciding to stop keeping bees after two years. My colony died over the winter, so when I sold my equipment, it was helpful to have an official inspection report saying that my equipment was checked and had no signs of disease except for varroa.
I read this at first as “sting” and was briefly horrified.
But bees singing is still, to me, quite horrifying, and would not at all help me fall asleep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ItlOFLTUAs by Advoko MAKES
https://www.threads.com/@bryanmarktaylor/post/DLXdzZzgcRr
It seems to be based on this design:
It's quite a relaxing channel to watch.
https://theonion.com/ant-farm-teaches-children-about-toil-death-1819565648/
I went out and dug up a big black and nest to find the queen and put her and some workers in my farm. Apparently that caused some kind of peasant revolt, because they killed her the first day. 0/10 experience for young me.
Luckily Sim Copter didn't have the same effect on me.
When the tree has had enough of getting eaten alive by ants, it starts producing a compound that will now damage the fungus instead of help it grow, in order to convince the ants to leave it alone.
It was a failure and a lesson learned: bees like sunny locations that can help keep their hive warm, and a shaded yard will not hold them long -- they will abscond.