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know anything about bees?

Mel

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Mar 17, 2007
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I think we have a swarm of bees living in our garage. There are always three or four going in under the door and disappearing into a gap between the wall on the floor. I'm not frightened of them on the grounds that if I leave them alone they'll leave me alone. (I have explained this to the bees as my grandmother used to say you should talk to bees, but quite possibly she was barking). Anyway, does anyone know anything about bees, should I leave them to their own beesness or should I phone the bee man from the council?

Mel
 
Sep 13, 2006
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I believe that you can get bees collected for free by a beekeeper or their collective association if you can find out what it is.

I have had to pay to have wasps nests removed.

I also destroyed a wasps nests in the early stages once - a case of spray it, leg it and check that the queen was dead and remove the nest later, I would not try this with a bigger nest.
 
Jan 19, 2008
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Last year we had a bees nest in the garage, this year under the eaves of the bungalow. Both lots didn't stay long before moving on. I was even repairing my carport with them buzzing in my face as they went into the entrance hole :O) I didn't feel threatened at all but I was careful where I put my hands because they were resting all over the place. I would have preferred postponing repairing the carport than kill them.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Here is some useless information (The wife says I am full of it), Bees and Wasps have different stings (amazing what you learn on parents night at the kids school) one is acid and the other is alkali and each needs to be neutralised by the opposite (ie acid for alkali and alkali for acid). The trouble is (yes, you guessed it) I cant remember which is which.

We have had lots of wasps nests (thats probably what it is) and we have never had any trouble and have never been stung. Unlike Bees, Wasps have a bad image but they are benificial insects and, unless you allergic to the stings, I wouldnt worry about them. Jim.
 
Jan 19, 2008
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Here is some more useless information ..... wasps can continue stinging whereas bees can only sting once then they die. A bees sting is left in the skin with the poison sac still attached which continues pumping.

Wasps only become a nuisance in the autumn. Until then they are beneficial in catching lots of insects and taking the back to their nests to feed the queen and larvae. This summer I saw a wasp catch a blue bottle fly in mid flight, they then fell to the ground where the wasp continued to sting it. In exchange for being fed by the worker wasps the larvae exude through their skins a honeydew which feed the workers. It is after the larvae have changed to next years queens etc. and fled the nest that the workers go looking for any sweet substance like rotting fruit. This is the time that they normally come into contact with us and people are stung. The first frosts kill them off but the queens hibernate in any dry, protected crevice.
 
Aug 6, 2005
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Leave them be if they are no problem for you and your family. A A beekeeper will come and collect them if he is able to get them out of where they are. If they are within walls of roof and cannot be easily removed the only option would be to get the council in who would kill the nest which would seem a shame. You may have them for several years though as the nests do not die off each year (apart from queens) as wasps do. Bees usually swarm between May and July with the best and most productive swarms being in June. I used to live next door to a beekeeper and his bees. Every year we used to get swarms into our garden which he would come and collect (very carefully!)

Gill
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Here is some more useless information ..... wasps can continue stinging whereas bees can only sting once then they die. A bees sting is left in the skin with the poison sac still attached which continues pumping.

Wasps only become a nuisance in the autumn. Until then they are beneficial in catching lots of insects and taking the back to their nests to feed the queen and larvae. This summer I saw a wasp catch a blue bottle fly in mid flight, they then fell to the ground where the wasp continued to sting it. In exchange for being fed by the worker wasps the larvae exude through their skins a honeydew which feed the workers. It is after the larvae have changed to next years queens etc. and fled the nest that the workers go looking for any sweet substance like rotting fruit. This is the time that they normally come into contact with us and people are stung. The first frosts kill them off but the queens hibernate in any dry, protected crevice.
Thanks for correcting my spelling! Sadly I have very little need to write "benefit"! I never seem to get any. Jim.
 
Sep 13, 2006
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B(ee) for Bicarbonate of soda

V(inegar) for Wasp

Some people cast doubt if it can do much as the sting is under the skin and will not really be reached by anything rubbed onto the skins surface.

It does seem to have helped me in the past.

Funny thing is I do not have bad reactions to Bee and wasp stings but suffer horrendous reactions/infections from Mosquito, Horsefly bites etc.

Citronella seems to keep these away.

One thing I can vouch for 100% is that if applied fairly soon after sunburn vinegar massively reduces the burning - worth it, even if you smell like a fish shop until you have a cool shower a few minutes later
 
Jul 15, 2005
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Hi Mel,

If they don't worry you, why not leave them where they are?

We actively encourge bees into our garden, with nests for "solitary" bees - the ones that don't live in hives (like the red and blue mason bees that polinate our fruit trees), nests for bumble bees to overwinter in, and honey bees too.

The apple and fruit crop is always good and you do get to talk to them too - we often have afternoon tea amongst some plantings of cotoneaster - and just last month these were alive with bee buzz

And if they become an issue, just speak with a beekeeper...

Robert
 
Jan 19, 2008
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Here is some more useless information ..... wasps can continue stinging whereas bees can only sting once then they die. A bees sting is left in the skin with the poison sac still attached which continues pumping.

Wasps only become a nuisance in the autumn. Until then they are beneficial in catching lots of insects and taking the back to their nests to feed the queen and larvae. This summer I saw a wasp catch a blue bottle fly in mid flight, they then fell to the ground where the wasp continued to sting it. In exchange for being fed by the worker wasps the larvae exude through their skins a honeydew which feed the workers. It is after the larvae have changed to next years queens etc. and fled the nest that the workers go looking for any sweet substance like rotting fruit. This is the time that they normally come into contact with us and people are stung. The first frosts kill them off but the queens hibernate in any dry, protected crevice.
Sorry Jim, I didn't realise I had corrected your spelling mistake. It took me ages to understand your post and finally find the word :O( You'll get me as bad as Robert and start complaining of wasting my time ;O)
 

Mel

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Mar 17, 2007
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Thanks for the help everyone. I will leave them alone. I don't think a beekeeper could get to them easily as they seem to be under the floor and I don't want the council man to kill them. I will inform the bees of the plan, I am sure they will co-operate.

Mel
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Hi Mel, We had a bees nest a couple of years ago, I rang the council who gave me the number of a couple of bee keepers and advised me that beed were protected and so they couldn't kill them. I called one of the numbers they gave me and a very nice man came and removed the nest.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Sorry Jim, I didn't realise I had corrected your spelling mistake. It took me ages to understand your post and finally find the word :O( You'll get me as bad as Robert and start complaining of wasting my time ;O)
No, Lord B you didnt correct my mistake, I did it myself when I saw your correct spelling. Its annoying when you read something after you have sent it and see that you have made a stupid mistake. A couple of days ago I sent an email to a relative in America and when I read it back after I had sent it I realised I had said "High Ron, how are you", what the hell, he already knows what I am! Jim.
 

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