The honeybees are swarming at our school. Right near the parking lot. They are in transition, getting ready to find a permanent home. They have been in this tree for about 4 days. Some unenlightened people complained. The principal called the school district and asked them to take care of it. Naturally, they sent a guy out who was just going to blast them with chemicals and kill them all. They're honeybees! The principal of our school sent the chemical dude packing ( I love that guy!). He called all around and found a beekeeper who is coming out and taking them away to a nice new home. Get this -he uses a special low-suction vacuum device to suck them up so they won't be hurt. I snapped some shots of the swarm because it looks so awesome. It is huge. In the middle photo it is in the upper left side of the tree. Every chance I get I lecture the kids at school about the importance of bees to our ecosystem, so another teacher and I are going to put together a little book about our special swarm just for our school. Can you guess the title?
16 comments:
"The Importance of Being Bees?" "The Day the Bees Came to Visit?" "The Swarm?" "The Principal Who Saved the Bees?" - Ok - that's the best I can do at 7:12 AM
The Birds and the Bees?
The beekeeper's device sounds just like the BVC6000 (or whatever the name of it is) from Wallace and Grommit's Curse of the Were Rabbit. Nary a rabbit was hurt.
That is some picture - very interesting.
Do these complainers have no idea of how serious a problem bees are facing right now...and how intimately the world's food production is tied into the presence of bees, the numbers of which are dramatically diminishing?
*whoops, just slipped off my soapbox there*
Jocelyn is right; there have been all kinds of news reports about the dwindling bees!!! So glad you have an enlightened principal!
Good for your principal. People just don't realise that without bees there'll be no food.
well bees in trees brought Winnie the Pooh to mind... bless him
a wise headteacher you have there
lotsa luv ann xxxx
Nice principal - I would've gotten a flame thrower and burned 'em out!!!
Don't Worry, Bee Happy?
My kids love bees. My son traps them so he can look at them. I can't remember either of them having been stung. But then, I'm a pretty inattentive father.
Now wasps on the other hand.... Grr....
K+ -considering all your troubles right now, it is amazing that you can still type!
g- I took one picture early in the morning when the bees were 'sleeping'. I think that turned out the best.
jocelyn- Oh no! That's MY soapbox, jeez!
jojo- Yes and I'm happy to report the bee suctioning went well and the bees are safe!
val- You are right and these are wild bees. Their numbers have been declining because of a mite infestation and possibly a fungal infection.
Ann- These wild bees are a treasure and deserved to be saved. If they had been left alone they would have eventually moved on b/c they were too exposed on that tree and bees don't like that. They swarm to protect their queen.
snay- When you say stuff like that it makes me feel like breaking up with you, *sniff*. Then I assume the best: that you are yanking my chain and I ought to lay the smack down on you for that!
Diesel- wasps=bad Honeybees=good
BUT really All creatures (except possible mosquitoes) have an important function in our ecosystem. What will farmers do when there are no bees to pollinate their crops? I guess we'll all eat a lot of corn (wind pollinated).
aww, i'm so glad he saved them! i just the other day heard about our bee issues. although, it doesn't seem like their numbers are dwindling in my yard....probly a different kind of bee tho..
That is so cool!! I can't believe they were going to kill the bees! Haven't they heard we're having a bee shortage?
Your principal is a cool dude! :)
Learning Bees instead of spelling bee... I'm in class (I teach) and so I don't have a lot of time for wit and creativity. I really wish I did.
Awesome post-The world needs more people who appreciate and save nature!!!!!!!!!!!
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Come by my blog and visit sometime!
No, wasps are just evil, like mosquitos.
I started reading your book, btw. Looks good so far. :)
Claire, don't forget to tell us the title of the book.
It's good to know there are people out there who care enough to save the bees!!
Oh my GAWSH! I wish I could find a swarm. My last hive took a dive (a winter storm blew it over). The others died from disease. It is so hard to stay up with the medication and new strains of mites and foul brood. My friend tells me that 90% of all wild stocks are gone due to mites and foul brood. There would be a staggering impact on food production without Apis mellifera.
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