How not to kill Bees

[Dion]

Ohhh the Beemanity!

This is sooooo fricken funny. The story and
accompanying pictures are priceless

[/quote]I am visiting my family in Florida for the holidays. I was chillin at my sister's house when we looked out back and noticed a swarm of honeybees congregating on their swingset. There are a lot of kids around, including my sister's 3 kids. They were inside at the time, fortunately.[/quote]



http://forums.somethingawful.com/sho...0&pagenumber=1

[Hack&Lube]

A nice trip back to 2004 it seems.

This actually is HOW to kill bees.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

This actually is HOW to kill bees.

Typo error in my title. Should have read how to kill bees

[Ford Prefect]

A good way not to kill hornets was demonstrated to me by an old farmer when I was kid. He had a hive under the eaves of a shed on his farm. He was a little flighty about hornets, so he didn't want to get too close to them, but he wanted to get rid of them as the shed they were on was his pumphouse. He figured a 12 gauge shotgun was the right tool for the job ... lots of mayhem delivered from a safe distance.

So he let blast with his 12 gauge from about 20 feet away, only to find out it wasn't the best idea he ever had. The blast of lead might have killed some of the hornets (maybe half), and it certainly took care of the hive, along with about half of the shingles on his shed.. The surviving half of the hornets were some pi$$ed with the guy though, and it turned out that 20 feet wasn't a safe distance. He got stung several times.

[Stumptown]

Ugh, that story makes me sick to my stomach. When honey bees congregate in the open like that, they're only taking a break while they look for a new spot for their hive, which will NOT be on your fricking swingset. They're looking for a nice hollow tree in the woods somewhere. Leave them alone and they'll be gone in a day.

I also find it highly unlikely that a "bee removal company" would charge anything to remove the colony. They probably called exterminators, who generally don't know anything (or care) about the insects they're sent to kill. A legit beekeeper will usually remove a colony on the move for free - there will be a queen in the center there, and it's free foundation stock for them if they come get it. Florida has a lot of beekeepers (lots and lots of pollination-dependent agriculture), so I'm sure it wouldn't have been that hard to find one.

Hornet nests, on the other hand, can be problem. We've got a guy around here who removes them for free because he uses them to produce anti-venom, which he gets well paid for. Don't know if there are other such enterprising individuals everywhere, though.

People's ignorance about insects (and spider) never ceases to amaze me.

[Circa89]

Originally Posted by Stumptown

I also find it highly unlikely that a "bee removal company" would charge anything to remove the colony. They probably called exterminators, who generally don't know anything (or care) about the insects they're sent to kill. A legit beekeeper will usually remove a colony on the move for free - there will be a queen in the center there, and it's free foundation stock for them if they come get it. Florida has a lot of beekeepers (lots and lots of pollination-dependent agriculture), so I'm sure it wouldn't have been that hard to find one.

People's ignorance about insects (and spider) never ceases to amaze me.

I will have to agree that perhaps a few extermination companies have limited entomological knowledge that same can not be said for the organization with which I am employed.
We have one staff member with a Ph.d in entomology, 2 with their masters degrees in Entomology, one with a B.SC in zoology, 2 board certified entomologists and numerous others with University degrees in Various fields. We are also rated in the top 50 companies in all of North America for training. Please don't paint all pest control technicians with the same brush. We are not the Disneyesque characactures portrayed in main stream media. We have a very knowledgeable crew and that is just our branch here in Calgary.

Just a side note the beekeepers here in Calgary will now refuse and no longer collect wild or feral honey bees for fear of contributing to colony colapse disorder.

[Resolute 14]

The most amazing part of this thread is the fact that my workplace actually has not blocked something awful.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

A nice trip back to 2004 it seems.

This actually is HOW to kill bees.

Yes, the ever elusive 18 months ago fata.
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...ight=BEEMANITY

True, the forum rules say we don't expect you to go back that far looking for a relevant thread. But when using an article from 4 years ago........

[Resolute 14]

FWIW, the thread in question was from Nov/Dec 2006. The date people see first is the OP's registration date.

/nerd score +1

[Dion]

[TheyCallMeBruce]

I remember this. I think this actually gave rise to a lot of copycat threads about their method of killing bees.