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Post by etana on May 2, 2016 7:36:02 GMT
Seeing that many of us appear to have a fondness for bumblebees, why not share our encounters with them, old and new. I'll begin with an old favourite memory. Some years ago I was swimming in a very slowly flowing river. There in the middle of it was, indeed, a bumblebee sitting on a barely floating leaf, all wet and sad looking, unable to get dry and fly away. I put my palm under the leaf and her, lifted them up, and swam to the shore with my hand in the air. When we got to the beach I sat with her till she was dry. She flew a few circles around me before she disappeared towards the nearest trees. Also a couple years ago a really massive Queen came to a 3rd floor apartment. I just said "you've come to the wrong place now" and she did a u-turn and slowly flew right back out. There have been lots of Queens this spring so hopefully there will be a lot of sightings of workers later in the summer. I love to watch them. Now share yours!
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Post by GlitterBug on May 2, 2016 10:02:14 GMT
I was actually terrified of bees when I was younger. I had many run ins with bumble's which resulted in me being stung. It wasn't till I was much older that I realised they were harmless and only stung when they felt badly threatened. I don't run away screaming anymore when they come floating over xD
EDIT: Side note, my partner is wanting to keep bees
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Post by etana on May 2, 2016 11:24:21 GMT
One of my earliest memories is looking at a bumblebee at the wrong side of a window, thinking it's so cute. I'm told the next thing that happened is that I tried to grab the "furball" in my hand and of course got stung. Surprisingly enough I never became afraid of them.
A couple years later, my dad taught me and my siblings that with all insects that can sting, you have to come to a mutual agreement that if everyone is calm and friendly, including myself, nothing bad will happen to anyone. It actually worked very well. We lived in the far countryside, with wasps nesting in between the house's wooden parts and the neighbour was a beekeeper, and then there were the bumblers too of course. In retrospect I'm really glad we were taught how to deal with them at an early age, or else we'd have been stung all over each summer.
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Post by GlitterBug on May 2, 2016 11:34:53 GMT
Ah wasps, I will never like them. Huge flying weapons they can be! a few months ago I went jogging and stopped to see the horses. I stepped on a nest without knowing and had a few wasps come out and chase me, I ran screaming and laughing away from them with my partner and friend, I was stung a few times but it wasn't as bad as I remember (More like a nettle sting) I just keep far away from them as I can.
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Post by etana on May 2, 2016 11:39:31 GMT
Oww, yeah, they're furious if something happens to their nest, and sometimes they make them in a bit hazardous places. I liked to watch them hunt flies though (again, it was countryside, lol). There was the kind of fly that pretends to be a wasp with similar colouring, it fools the birds quite effectively. I once saw a wasp had caught one of those and was spinning it around, looking like he was wondering what the heck is this creature.
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Post by GlitterBug on May 2, 2016 11:44:06 GMT
The hoverfly? I've not stuck around long enough to see them catch flies or other insects.
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Post by etana on May 2, 2016 12:08:13 GMT
Yes, hoverfly. A literal translation from my language (Finnish) would be "flowerfly" lol.
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Post by GlitterBug on May 2, 2016 12:11:43 GMT
Flowerfly sounds so much better
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Post by jolovessnailies on May 6, 2016 21:10:01 GMT
I am glad I am not the only one who loves bumblers and thank you for the lovely stories. I have a few but it is getting late and I will post tomorrow.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by jolovessnailies on May 7, 2016 20:29:48 GMT
What wonderful stories some of you have and I am glad it isn't just me. Waps. Now wasps are A Level Meanies. I do not like them but I would not see them suffer. I was walking past a pub one summer and someone had put a glass over a wasp and the sun was very hot. I tutted and just picked it up, I hope whoever did that has a come uppance!!
One of my bee experiences is when we were visiting our friends who own Porfell Animal land about 20 minutes drive away. It was summer and the window was down and we were just heading for home when I saw that a little bumbler was on the inside of the car door. I put my hand across the open window and he just crawled onto me and stayed there. This to me was wonderful and I think he was asking me for help. I thought well, if he stings me he stings me but he didn't. When we got home I placed him next to a flower and he happily crawled into it. He was one of the little ones who looks as if he has a little nappy or white panties on, he had a little white bottom. This is one of my magic moments.
I am a member of the British Bumblebee Conservation Trust and they are always looking for new members, I am also a member of Buglife who do a lot for bees but also for our other little multi-legged friends.
Jugs Jo xx
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Post by etana on May 8, 2016 16:01:31 GMT
Thanks for sharing Jo. That sounds very special, really something to remember. I just helped a HUGE Queen with that cute white bottom that you mention. She'd accidentally gotten to our balcony and was banging against the glass panels so hard we could hear it in the living room. She got back out unharmed, thankfully. She looked very strong. I hope she'll have success in finding a nest spot.
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Post by jolovessnailies on May 8, 2016 20:37:02 GMT
You are very welcome hunni, I have a couple more but I will save one of them until tomorrow and will spread them out. It was a special experience and I am holding and loving that little bee in my thoughts all the time. I am glad your little lady managed to find her way out, aren't the ones with the little white panties on so cute?
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by etana on May 23, 2016 11:33:16 GMT
They really are, such sweet creatures. I sat to have lunch with some fellow students, and someone else than me started a conversation about how important it is to help exhausted bumblebees by lifting them to flowers. I agreed and was happy I'm not the only one here who thinks so.
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Post by etana on Jun 10, 2016 21:40:55 GMT
Busy little worker
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Post by etana on Sept 6, 2017 6:06:07 GMT
I'm digging up this old thread to remind me to post some photos I took yesterday. On my phone's small screen they look like some of the best photos I have ever taken. Stay tuned!
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