#beekeeping

[redd956]

Beekeeping Myths & Facts

I'm just tired of seeing the myths being spread about beekeeping. I'll probs include some bonus facts for wasps and hornets too.

1. Myth: Bee smoke calms the bees.

This simply isn't how it works. The bee smoke causes bees to think there is a fire near the hive. Bees go to fill up on as much as honey as they can, and prepare to leave for a new home. They become too busy to mess with you doing this and resume normal life when the smoking stops.

2. Fact: It helps a hive to remove some honey.

Without the removal of some comb or honey, the bees will simply run out of room, especially for their larva. When a hive runs out of storage space, bees will abandon it and risk the dangers of swarming somewhere else. Taking some comb out stops this process.

3. Myth: Taking honey upsets the bees.

This is not true whatsoever. The interesting thing about beekeeping is that if a swarm doesn't like a beekeeper they'll simply leave. This doesn't mean bees won't sting or get defensive. It's important to know bees have a variety of temperaments.

4. Fact: Bees die after stinging.

Yes, it's true. Most bees perish after a hard sting. Their stingers are barbed. When they sting you the stinger stays put. In the meantime, the bee loses some of their innards and dies.

5. Myth: There's male and female bees.

This is a yes and a no. Bees do not have a human concept of gender. In fact, the gender roles we project onto bees aren't fully perfect either by our own standards too. Bees have three genders; queen, worker, and drone. It's all a little complex. Workers can't lay or produce eggs however the same larva that becomes a worker or drone can alzo become a queen.

6. Fact: Bees, wasps, and hornets know where your face is.

I know this one sounds weird. When bees, wasps, and hornets get defensive or are aggressive, they go for your face and neck. They will try to hit you where it hurts, that includes the eyelids. That's why we cover our faces just enough to see a little when attacked by killer bees.

7. Myth: Africanized Bees are like normal bees.

If you didn't know this, you do now. Africanized Bees is the formal name for our buddy ol' pal killer bees. They look pretty normal though. Why the name? Killer Bees were made in a Brazilian lab by crossbreeding honey bees from Europe and Africa. This was supposed to create bees with better honey yields. Instead, we created bees with a sadistic liking for deadly attacking.

8. Fact: Bees are what's known as a superorganism.

Superorganisms are what you get when a whole gathering of organisms acts as one or in the faith and safety of a whole organism. Think like the cells in your body. Except instead of cells, they're bees. Bees aren't the only superorganism. There's termites, wasps, hornets, and also ants.

Bonus Facts

The two second most powerful stings are dedicated to a wasp and a hornet.

There's the powerful and paralyzing Tarantula Hawk sting, and the sudden and strong Giant Asian Hornet sting. Number one of the Schmidt pain index scale for worst stings goes to an Ant though, the bullet Ant.

Wasps and hornets can also produce honey and pollinate. They don't pollinate as well as bees though, and their honey is never as sweet.

The gene tied to allergic reactions for bees, is also loosely tied to the allergies for hornets and wasps, too. If someone who is allergic to bees have children, their kids can be allergic to wasps but not bees and vice versa. Someone can also inheret all three too. I've never been stung by a hornet, so I guess I'm safe 2/3 so far

[reniadeb]

🐝🐝🍯

[brandyschillace]

AUTHORS DOING OTHER STUFF

Like putting together a bee hive. Badly. With the aid of Cheezits.

I’m not the only author who keeps bees by the way. I know @neil-gaiman used to keep them in Wisconsin. And Sherlock Holmes gave it a go, too, so it’s not a bad gig for a historian-turned-mystery-writer, either.

Yes. I might be procrastinating.

[kbeescraft]

after work hangout 🌙

[headspace-hotel]

Another cool fact about the Americas and food.

It is common to say that the Americas don't have any native honeybees, but Central and South America very, very much do!

They belong to a different group, stingless bees or meliponines, and various indigenous groups have practiced beekeeping and have had honey since long before the Colombian exchange

Unfortunately they are becoming endangered because introduced bees are more profitable and we all are forced to survive under capitalism :(

[lisalosingstreak]

Eugene: Wednesday, are you sure this will help me get a hot werewolf girlfriend in time for the Rave’n?

Wednesday: Of course Bee-Boy, they go wild for it for some reason. I mean, what’s not to love about it?

Eugene: I’m not sure, Enid said it looked silly.

Wednesday: All I know is that she rips it off me whenever I wear mine.

Eugene: ………..

Wednesday: Just give me your infernal phone Eugene I haven’t got all day.

Credit to @caitlynskitten who is inspiring these unhinged beekeeping thoughts.

[darksilvania]

Fakemon Challenge #9 - BEEKREEPER (Ghost) The Honeyman pokemon

This pokemon is based on the "Mellified Man", also known as the "Human Mummy Confection", a supposed medicinal honey made from a human corpse that was said to cure any illness or wound, and also medieval Beekeepers

This pokemon creates honey by consuming the meat of other pokemons, this give the honey on its body weird and powerful properties, however it needs to be processed and purified before it can be used on humans. However this honey in its natural form is said to attract a very specific type of pokemon.

[captainjonnitkessler]

It is February my bees do NOT need to be as aggressive and active as they are being right now

[mismeandart]

Happy Birthday to the world's greatest detective~! 🎊🎈

[courtingwonder]

Guide To Beekeeping ---

Source: "The Book"

[helavent]

Wednesday wanted to go beekeeping with Enid:

Enid trying not to offend Wednesday's "stingy" hobby:

[animentality]

What an asshole.

[gentle-isnt-kind]

I see so much pro honey complete misinformation being spread on this hellsite about how bees produce too much honey so the lovely beekeepers are doing them a favour by stealing their honey and selling it and how the oh so kind beekeepers care so much for their bees (and totally not about the money they're making them...) that I fell down a rabbit hole about why honey is so bad and now I'm angry.

Also bees have been around for like 130 million years, do you not think they've got survival down??? Like they know how much food to make to survive, stop stealing their life's work to put in your tea/on your food.

[cpericardium]

I'm very scared of bees irl and have no room for a hive anywhere but I've been looking into getting into beekeeping. I like the idea of bees. I romanticise bees. manic pixie dream bees

[honeycomb-butch]

"[T]his mouse was mummified by insects. Mice often enter honey bee hives in winter in search of a warm home. Honey bees would not tolerate such an invasion during the summer, but during the winter, they are clustered around the brood in the center of the hive and the corners of the hive interior go undefended, especially during colder weather. Sometimes the invading mice die a natural death, or perhaps the bees attack and kill them on a warm day in early spring (Should have left earlier!). In either case, the honey bees now have a dilemma because a mouse corpse is too big for them to carry out of the hive as they do with the bodies of dead bees and other debris. Their solution is to cover the cadaver with propolis, which effectively seals the dead mouse off from the rest of the hive. Notice they did remove the hair first.

Honey bees make propolis by gathering sap and other exudates from trees and mixing it with beeswax and saliva. The result is a glue-like substance that they use to seal small cracks, glue things in place, and help maintain sanitary conditions. Propolis is sticky and pliable at normal summer temperatures but becomes hard and brittle when cold. Propolis has antifungal and antibacterial properties." (source)

[lisalosingstreak]

Sorry @caitlynskitten I’ve had this in my head all day and it’s so stupid but I have to let it out.

Wednesday and Enid have their only argument in their whole relationship when Wednesday wants to wear her beekeeping suit to get married in. Enid won’t allow it and that makes Wednesday upset and she lashes out at Enid verbally.

She is immediately apologetic to Enid and begs her forgiveness. Enid sees how passionate she is about wearing it and says she can wear it after the wedding until the evenings dancing.

Which is why most of their wedding photos show a tall beautiful blond wolf, wearing a long pink wedding dress with intricate lace details,, standing arm in arm with a blank faced Latina seer wearing an immaculately tailored beekeeping suit.