stressed bees

born toulouse · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:38 pm

Just saw a piece about the current collapse in the world bee population on the BBC. It all seemed pretty reasonable, a worry but not too bad yet, and they even had an American bee farmer who just said that this happens every now and again but nobody knows why.

Then, to round it off the journo adds, "So have bees reached the tipping point? Are they too stressed by their way of life and living conditions?".What is he suggesting stresses bees? Have they got noisy neighbours? Working long hours without proper meal breaks? Has the credit crunch (compulsory BBC angle) ruined the equity they had in their hives? Are young bees involved in an upward spiral of knife crime?

If the poor little fockers are stressed what should they do? More exercise, get to the pub or soft drugs? A weekend away? Sex might help but the queen would be knackered pretty quickly.

What can we do to help?

ChunkyMonkey · **Joined:** Mon Sep 04, 2006 12:59 pm **Posts:** 569

Kill all the wasps instead. Horrible little fookers! :evil:

Cornelius Atweasle · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:42 pm

A one... two-- A one... two... three... four...
Half a bee, philosophically,
Must, ipso facto, half not be.
But half the bee has got to be
Vis a vis, its entity. D'you see?

But can a bee be said to be
Or not to be an entire bee
When half the bee is not a bee
Due to some ancient injury?

Singing...

La dee dee, one two three,
Eric the half a bee.
A B C D E F G,
Eric the half a bee.

Is this wretched demi-bee,
Half-asleep upon my knee,
Some freak from a menagerie?
No! It's Eric the half a bee!

Fiddle de dum, Fiddle de dee,
Eric the half a bee.
Ho ho ho, tee hee hee,
Eric the half a bee.

I love this hive, employee-ee,
Bisected accidentally,
One summer afternoon by me,
I love him carnally.

He loves him carnally,
Semi-carnally.
The end.

Cyril Connelly?
No; semi-carnally!
Oh.

Cyril Connelly.
[whistling]

Matty_Robson's_Chin · **Joined:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:57 pm **Posts:** 2155

Well according to a friend who is a bee keeper in Charlbury, Oxfordshire he says his bee's are doing fine. Several hundred hives around Oxfordshire all doing him good. maybe its just the americans

Obafemi Obsession · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:11 pm

chip fireball wrote:

the bees natural defence system when attacked by a predator is to threaten to sting them. however said stinging will cause the death of the bee.

theres an obvious flaw in their thinking for starters.

I don't think it involves a thought process chip. :roll:

Matty_Robson's_Chin · **Joined:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:57 pm **Posts:** 2155

Do worker bee's like he is talking about have a sting???

Bumble Bee's have stings..... i shall find out!

TforTurner · **Joined:** Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:37 pm **Posts:** 689

"There are many bees in this group, native to all continents except for Europe and Antarctica, that have workers which do not have stingers. These bees are not defenseless, however, as they can bite with their mandibles, occasionally releasing caustic secretions at the same time, similar to the defenses of some ants." Wikipedia :wink:

How bored am I :laugh:

Spender · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2009 6:01 pm

Bees???

Fook 'em..... :roll:

parmopooly · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2009 6:36 pm

Brentford v Barnet

Warwick Hunt · **Posted:** Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:35 pm

Wasn't there an episode of The Simpsons recently about this?

stressed bees

Gadgies online