JackClark

Out practicing with my Paraglider last night I wondered why the gate to the playing field I use was locked. Duly climbed over the gate and proceded to unpack my rather large kite. Some insects - wasn't sure what they were - kept bugging me and I kept swatting them out of the way. Ten minutes later and there were more of them than I could swat. At this point I did what I should have nine minutes earlier and took a look at one of them. Definately a pissed off Honey Bee. By the time I'd packed up 25sq mtrs of fabric and associated lines they were bloody everywhere! I managed to get back in my truck and bugger off in time to watch a huge swarm of them gathering over the gate.

As someone who's allergic to pretty much anything out of the ordinary I'd say I was pretty lucky.

Be careful out there folks!

ajm

If they had been angry you would have known all about it! They were probably just doing their annual swarm, looking for a home. Bees are generally much more friendly than people give them credit for. If there were hives nearby the beekeeper would usually pick them up and deposit them back in the hive.

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Bloody hell We used to have hives at the end of our garden and on the odd occasion they've swarmed and it's pretty scary - as you found out!

Thank god you got out quickly otherwise it could've been you and not the gate.

JackClark

Friendly or not, it scared the crap out of me. I was a definate target, they were coming straight for me and I could feel them hitting my back. My hand flapping was probably quite comical from a distance.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

If the queen had landed on you - you'd be in trouble as she tends to have a billion suitors trying to cop off with her .

Brendan Hughes

That'll teach you to climb over locked gates

Swarming bees tend to be full of honey/ nectar as they move house, hence about as interested in picking a fight with you as a guy who's just finished a nine-course meal (without alcohol).

If they were spoiling for a fight, I doub't you'd have managed to swat nine without getting stung or at least very seriously dive-bombed.

JackClark

Tell me about it! I carry an adrenalin shot just in case I eat something I shouldn't, no doubt a bee sting would have sent me on the road to Anaphylaxis. And guess what, no epipen in my pack last night! Idiot!!

ajm

I would probably find it hard to remain completely unphased too to be honest... I think we all have an innate fear of things like that, even if you knew the bees were friendly in that instance. Unless you have overcome that inbuilt fear with experience, like beekeepers have, it would be hard not to flap about!

And let's face it, had they been wasps instead of bees, a swarm like that usually means they are pretty pissed off at something!

Edited to add: I was chased off an island in a nature reserve once by a flock of Canada geese .... its pretty funny thinking about it now, but at the time I was cacking it... they were not happy!

little-ginge

hows this for ...


When i was a kid, a friend's mother was warned that if she was stung by a bee there would be a 99.9% (or something like that) risk of her dying...

she didnt have to work as hubby earned lots of money... her hobby??



BEE KEEPING...


barmy..


Always carry your epipen Jack..

Jap2Scrap

Did they swarm in the traditional giant arrow shape or the more contemporary giant boxing glove formation?

JackClark

To keep things Scoobee Related.





Pictures from my office car park in California.

ajm

LOL!

Iwan

I'm a beekeeper, though I don't actually have any hives at the moment. Oddly enough when bees swarm they're probably at their most docile, basically they have a big feed of honey to last them a few days then all go off to look for a new home to live in. They're more placid than usual as they're bloated and full of food, but will still sting if provoked as they're very protective of the queen.

Best thing is to back off slowly and try (though it's hard) not to swat any and risk pissing them off. If one stings you it releases a pheramone which causes the others to get on the defensive, so you usually get stung by a few more.

I've never seen one of my own hives swarm, as a beekeeper it's possble to take steps to prevent it happening (means you get lots more honey). But i've seen other swarms on the move and it's spectacular to watch, i've also collected swarms from sheds, shops, attics etc - but never from an intercooler scoop.

Brendan Hughes

Jack - can you do as badly as this girl?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1516014,00.html

"She becomes quickly and violently ill if she comes into contact with any allergen from an almost endless catalogue that includes: raw fruit, raw vegetables, cooked fruit, fruit juices, some cooked vegetables, ham, cumin, nutmeg, fennel, chick peas, french fries, rye, anything lactose derived (excluding cheese), some beauty products, rubber gloves, condoms, trees, tree pollen, wasps and wasp venom. "

JackClark

Thankfully not. My last epipen reached its use by date and the current one is getting on a bit.

A cheese sandwich caused my last attack, thankfully I was in the BA lounge at Brussells airport where the staff and airport doctor did a great job of looking after and jabbing me. I've just eaten a cheese sandwich for lunch so fingers crossed eh. Against some peoples advice I sample foods I know can trigger an attack, crab for instance, every now and then just to test things out and perhaps build up a tolerance. Seems to work as Shrimp is now firmly back on the menu where a few years ago preparing my food using the same utensils as used for any seafood would've decked me. I don't recommend this by the way, it might kill someone.

Edited to add:
As a lover of adventure sports I often run into people claiming to be Adrenalin Junkies, they change their mind when I offer them a fix

ajm

Desensitisation is a proven technique, but it doesn't always work and obviously it needs to be done under controlled conditions!

In extreme cases people have even successfully self immunised (look up Bill Haast) against venomous snakes by repeatedly exposing themselves against tiny amounts of venom over a long period of time!

JackClark

That's my thinking, but don't tell that to my doctor without expecting a half hour rant. I also use this theory to avoid washing, I am not a minger I'm building up my immune system

Brendan Hughes

They must have thought he was a non-indigenous predator

ajm

LOL!

They'd have been half right!

XRS

Here's a swarm a neighbour had recently



A beekeeper came along and had a ready-made hive

mad_dr

How does a 13 year old know she's allergic to condoms? Kids these days! Tut!

Brendan Hughes

If you read the whole article...


"Newman, 23, who describes herself as "one of the most allergic people in the country", ..."

gso

We've had problems with bees in our backgarden this year...apparently lots of problems says the gardner!!!

LOL at the bees in the scooby

paulwrxboro

my dad and bro had a lad working for them replacing a flat roof
at dinner time they were in the van having a cuppa dad shouts to the lad come down and get a cup of tea
he says im just gettin this last board off he rips it off and he is instantley coverd in a swarm of wasps he runs and jumps strait of the roof and runs over to the van were my dad has promptly locked the doors and they both sit there drinking tea for the next ten mins pi5sin them selves as he runs round like a nutter

Jap2Scrap

Sound a really nice couple of blokes.

paulwrxboro

No they are a pair of ***** esp dad

ajm

Did they sit in the van and laugh as his tongue swelled up blocking his airway, supped their tea as he turned blue and went into anaphylaxis? I expect they were in stitches by the time his skin blistered up?

What a hoot!

paulwrxboro

Yes a short time later he died from his wounds leaving a a wife and 5 kids none over 3 years of age
there house got reposesed this was more than she could handle and you can guess the rest RIP (sp)

He got stung 4 times chill out

ajm

Clearly in your case the acorn didn't fall far from the tree!