Bumble bee saved

[Phil Fouracre]

You forget a very important service, killing pests, leather jackets, crane flies etc etc. Years ago called to 'get rid' of a wasp nest (keeping bees at the time) measureable layer of insect wings below nest. Spent a while persuading householder to leave them alone, became converts!

 

[Donger]

I'm converted. Bees = Good. Wasps = OK (so long as they stay in Phil Fouracre's four acres).
Not sure I can really acre about all insects though. The "purpose" of craneflies mystifies me. Millions of years of evolution appears to have highly honed them into being brilliant at repeatedly blundering into things, 24/7. Even the stupidest of humans generally manages to confine this to just saturday nights.

 

[Gravity Aided]

And hornets are right out! I use every weapon at my disposal in the elimination of them. Up to, and including, the Molotov Cocktail.

 

[Phil Fouracre]

Must be America, they are justifiably protected over here. Think about it, they kill huge numbers of pests.

 

[laurence]

i have saved many a bee - i love it when they wave their front leg as a warning, similar to grass snakes hissing.

wasps are ok, they eat aphids. been stung by a few, but i'll only swat them if they allack me.

there are hover-flys that mimic hornets. beautiful creatures, but scary until you realise they are harmless.

 

[Saluki]

We planted bee attractive flowers for them. I like bees. I did shepherd one out of the window the other evening as my Jack Russell was considering eating it.

Not so fond of hornets though. Been stung by one and ended up in hospital with an allergic reaction. Interestingly I don't end up in hospital with wasp or bee stings.

 

[Gravity Aided]

If you want to get rid of wasps, hang a paper bag up outside. The wasps will think its a nest, and being territorial, they will give the area a wide berth. Kind of shape it like a wasp or hornet nest. As for all the good hornets do, I support owls, crows, and bumble bees, and if they are doing their job, I see no need for some prehistoric giant wasp to be lurking about, waiting to prey on the unsuspecting passerby.

 

[slowwww]

Don't, I feel dreadful now.

I too am usually very kind to insects and have always liked bumblebees since my Granddad showed me how to stroke them when I was a boy. If you're very gentle, it seems to have a soporific effect on them. However, last night, my 2 young daughters came sprinting down the garden as some bumblebees have formed a nest in our compost heap, and the bees route away from this is right by their swings, trampolines and other playthings. There must have been about 30 of them flying round where the girls were last night, and accordingly I had to 'deal' with it.

I'd already been onto the Bumblebee Conservation Trust site this morning to find out how to encourage them to nest in a quieter part of the garden, but now I’ve seen this post I feel like Mengele.

 

[Bryony]

Love bees, hate wasps! Got stung by one on the back of my neck when I was a kid after it flew into my hair and got tangled. I ended up very poorly and needing medical treatment, so now they scare the living c**p out of me! Hornets I also hate got stung by one and ended up in hospital for a few days it just flew up to me landed on my arm and stung me!

 

[Gravity Aided]

See? See?!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Love bees, hate wasps! Got stung by one on the back of my neck when I was a kid after it flew into my hair and got tangled. I ended up very poorly and needing medical treatment, so now they scare the living c**p out of me! Hornets I also hate got stung by one and ended up in hospital for a few days it just flew up to me landed on my arm and stung me!

See? See?!

See what?? The need to run about like a big 3 year old screaming and uselessly flapping your arms about like some sort of demented windmill bird??

The wasp accidentally got tangled up and was probably just as scared (evidenced by the fact it thought it had to defend itself).

To be fair, if you are allergic, fair enough, but the simple fact is that most people aren't.

 

[summerdays]

We had both a bees nest and a wasp's nest in our garden last year. I own up to getting rid of the wasps nest as the youngest if absolutely prettified of them after getting stung multiple times on one occasion. He is very scared of bees too but we are working on that one slowly and he does like them if he knows where they are and they aren't near him. So the wasp nest had to go if he was going to be able to get to school as it was next to the path and very obvious it was there by the quantity of wasps.

I've done most of the things in the bee rescue before but the sugar syrup tip is new to me and may have worked on the last rescued bee who seemed to take ages to recover.

 

[Gravity Aided]

See what?? The need to run about like a big 3 year old screaming and uselessly flapping your arms about like some sort of demented windmill bird??

The wasp accidentally got tangled up and was probably just as scared (evidenced by the fact it thought it had to defend itself).

To be fair, if you are allergic, fair enough, but the simple fact is that most people aren't.

Bryony, sitting there, minding own business, and a hornet just shows up and stings Bryony for no danged good reason. Sociopaths of the insect world, see Vernons' diagram.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Bryony, sitting there, minding own business, and a hornet just shows up and stings Bryony for no danged good reason. Sociopaths of the insect world, see Vernons' diagram.

It got stuck in her hair and obviously panicked. Slight difference!

I have NEVER had a wasp just come up and sting me. I hear of it happening, but clearly you lot must be giving off some sort of odour or pheromone with attracts them to you, so..... Its clearly your own damn stupid fault in some sort of Darwinian sense!!


....... What??

 

[Gravity Aided]

No, the hornet just landed on her arm and stung her. The wasp were what got tangled in her hair.