Don't Step on a Bee Day

[Saracen]

I find bees cute, and generally, very unintimidating. Any I find in the house will be gently and carefully assisted to leave.

Wasps, on the other hand, can be vindictive little beggars and I generally give them a few chances to be booted out alive, but out, they are going!

For several years, I had mused over the idea of keeping bees. They fascinate me and so does the notion of a small, regular supply of honey. Apparently, between a third and a half a teaspoon is the average lifetime's work, I.e. about 6 weeks, of a honey bee. Sadly, the garden is, I feel, just not quite big enough.

But I'm a bee fan .... preferably, not in the house, though. One, summer before last, I swear had B52 somewhere in his ancestry. As he flew over, he blocked out the sun. He was e-flippin'- normous.

[Bagnaj97]

Sadly, the garden is, I feel, just not quite big enough.

If you're worrying about their welfare, thankfully they have wings and are adept fliers. Despite your best efforts, hedges and fences will simply not keep them in.
If you're worried about space for the hive(s), it seems you don't need much and I can't imagine urban beekeeping would have had such a rise in popularity if you needed acres of space.

https://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6622 That looks like a helpful place for anyone tempted!

[Saracen]

It's more a case of not wanting a hive of several thousand bees that close to ppen house windows, in summer. Also, to not having potential problems with neighbours.

[Bagnaj97]

It's more a case of not wanting a hive of several thousand bees that close to ppen house windows, in summer. Also, to not having potential problems eith neighbours.

"If you have neighbours then you can encourage your bees to reach their normal flying height quickly by planting a hedge or placing a fence approximately 2m in front of the hive. Bees normally fly above head height at about 5m above the ground." https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/beekeeping/beehaus/

But I decided not to get a hive for similar reasons - neighbours and a toddler.

[Ttaskmaster]

Heartily dislike the way you have capitalised that :/ Ugh

It's the official rank I have given them. Just like Corporal, or Lieutenant... It's how I address them and so is capitalised.

All points about health issue granted, I still take issue with the us-centric view of what gets to live & die.... Where wrong place is just 'inconvenient to me'; there's no wrong place as far as the ant is concerned. If something really has to go it's a matter of me putting myself first, & justifying it, but it's to be regretted.

No different to most other animals - No wrong place so far as they are concerned, but to the animal protecting/enforcing its territory, the target is most definitely "in the wrong place, pal...". The difference with flies and other insects is that growling and peeing around the place doesn't do anything. I don't believe they can even speak English, let alone read it, either...

I take a similar view to the rats and field mice that invade my rural home on occasion and I am NOT about to go all loving Buddhist Liberal on them, otherwise I'll end up dying of Leptospirosis!!

Those wayward wildlife wanderers that I can pick up and relocate (frogs especially), I do. Otherwise, it's a race to see if they can leave before I swat them. If you know a better way of keeping them out, I'm all ears...

[tiggerai]

It's the official rank I have given them. Just like Corporal, or Lieutenant... It's how I address them and so is capitalised.


No different to most other animals - No wrong place so far as they are concerned, but to the animal protecting/enforcing its territory, the target is most definitely "in the wrong place, pal...". The difference with flies and other insects is that growling and peeing around the place doesn't do anything. I don't believe they can even speak English, let alone read it, either...

I take a similar view to the rats and field mice that invade my rural home on occasion and I am NOT about to go all loving Buddhist Liberal on them, otherwise I'll end up dying of Leptospirosis!!

Those wayward wildlife wanderers that I can pick up and relocate (frogs especially), I do. Otherwise, it's a race to see if they can leave before I swat them. If you know a better way of keeping them out, I'm all ears...

Cats.

They deal with most things. Apart from the errant Secret Slug that is currently living in my dining room and comes out at night to eat the cat's leftover biscuits.

Maybe I need a pet hedgehog for the slug situation.

[virtuo]

One, summer before last, I swear had B52 somewhere in his ancestry. As he flew over, he blocked out the sun. He was e-flippin'- normous.

Bee 52

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

there is

it's any day ending with the letters ay

i thought this was beware of the moose century??

lol!!

[Ttaskmaster]

Cats.
They deal with most things.

How do they deal with flies and thripps... without leaping all over the place and knocking stuff over, I mean?

Plus - Which cat breeds are suitable for a wife who is severely allergic to cats and will also be friendly to three medium-sized enthusiastic puppydogs?

[Zak33]

Do you drink proper coffee tigs?

If so ... mulch around the plants you want to protect with the coffee grinds. Ants won't walk on them.

We used to have a real ant problem in one of our old houses, and being very anti-poison were desperate for a non-damaging way yo keep them out. Once we found out where they were coming in and started sticking the coffee grounds down, we didn't see another ant in the house!

you beauty.

this works for slugs too, but I will try it with ants as my garden is plagued by them. I've lost numerous pot plants to them, when they next in the pot and kills the roots.

[tiggerai]

you beauty.

this works for slugs too, but I will try it with ants as my garden is plagued by them. I've lost numerous pot plants to them, when they next in the pot and kills the roots.

I don't - after having my heart condition fixed in 2011 that meant I culd drink caffeine again, I haven't really embraced it. However I do have a couple of coffee shops on the high street who I might be able to ask.

My trees are the ones plagued by ants... my little patio fruit trees.

[GamerGuru7]

Who purposefully steps on a bee? Which monster... I do hate whenever they enter my home and start ramming into everything but I still wouldn't step on them...

[peterb]

you beauty.

this works for slugs too, but I will try it with ants as my garden is plagued by them. I've lost numerous pot plants to them, when they next in the pot and kills the roots.

Technically (under EU rules) it is illegal to use coffee grounds to control slugs (or ants) at it hasn't been licensed for such use and hasn't had an environmental impact assessment for such use. However you can use it as a mulch or soil improver!

http://www.independent.co.uk/propert...s-8081384.html

(and no - it isn't dated 1 April)

[sammyc]

It's the official rank I have given them. Just like Corporal, or Lieutenant... It's how I address them and so is capitalised.

All spiders - NCO & civilian - in & of themselves - shudder. Spiders with rank just adds a whole extra level of argh somehow. Fgs, enough power over me, already.

No different to most other animals - No wrong place so far as they are concerned, but to the animal protecting/enforcing its territory, the target is most definitely "in the wrong place, pal...". The difference with flies and other insects is that growling and peeing around the place doesn't do anything. I don't believe they can even speak English, let alone read it, either...

I take a similar view to the rats and field mice that invade my rural home on occasion and I am NOT about to go all loving Buddhist Liberal on them, otherwise I'll end up dying of Leptospirosis!!

Those wayward wildlife wanderers that I can pick up and relocate (frogs especially), I do. Otherwise, it's a race to see if they can leave before I swat them. If you know a better way of keeping them out, I'm all ears...

I did concede health issues, ie the principle of no wrong place and the practicalities are different; more so in some cases than others. Rats - no wrong place on paper but life threatening; rabbits - no wrong place but pinching your lettuce; moles - no wrong place but 'spoiling' your slide rule lawn, ants; no wrong place and likely not going to even bother you. If something HAS to go then it has to go (again, regrettably) but my idea of 'has to' is well toward the lenient, & inconvenient/unsightly aren't on the list. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in the mole's way, more so than the other way about. Hopefully at some point the Master Rabbit race will evolve and we'll get our turn , until then -

We used to have a real ant problem in one of our old houses, and being very anti-poison were desperate for a non-damaging way yo keep them out. Once we found out where they were coming in and started sticking the coffee grounds down, we didn't see another ant in the house!

THIS (bold underline emphasis exclamation mark) - if death is avoidable, avoid it! Like, why wouldn't you?

Technically (under EU rules) it is illegal to use coffee grounds to control slugs (or ants) at it hasn't been licensed for such use and hasn't had an environmental impact assessment for such use. However you can use it as a mulch or soil improver!

http://www.independent.co.uk/propert...s-8081384.html

you can imagine how much I warmed to Dr Slug Pellet.

[snedger]

I had to once - needed to get up higher to reach to change the lightbulb in a bathroom

[sammyc]

No bidet jokes please I've seen 'em all.

I had to once - needed to get up higher to reach to change the lightbulb in a bathroom

What part of 'no..'