Dogs. Dawgs. Other critters. Life as Oliver Wendell Douglas. Live heirlooms, both flora and fauna. Self-sufficiency. Suffering not a fool to live. Land stewardship. Turnip trucks, and those who have not fallen therefrom. Training things. Growing things. Search and rescue. What is this bug and what is it doing under my desk light?
Embracing the reality that Nature Bats Last.
She... Same as any other "bee." The He's are totally useless... ;) Her patterning goes from small on the outside to a "peak" toward center. You are looking at the eastern yellowjacket, V. maculifrons.
Alas, I have to have Perfesser Chaos exterminate yellowjackets when we find their nests.
I am deathly allergic to stinging insects -- used to be just honeybees, but now I have the distinguished status of "cross-reactor." I can live and let live with all manner of bees, solitary wasps, and even most species of hornets, most of the time.
The yellowjackets, however, become extremely pissy and aggressive and attracted to our food in late summer and fall. They are just too dangerous to have around.
Because of the notable biodiversity here, the predatory wasps seem to keep the yellowjacket numbers down.
Unfortunately, my last ambulance ride was precipitated by one such, a normally peaceful white-faced hornet whose nest had been blown down and fragmented, putting her into a very nasty mood. I showed up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
As good at that picture is, it still gives me the shivers...I think I'm allergic based on a few experiences back in my younger days, but a healthy(?) phobia of bees keeps me pretty much away from them, or gets me away from them pretty darn quickly.
Except for honeybees. For some reason, I have this fascination with them...the ones in our yard are very docile and I've been trying to convince my parents for a year now that we need to start our own hives.
And I thought hornets were darker, by the by...it does look like a Yellow Jacket anyway. Either way, I'd be far away from it.
I've pretty much accepted that possibility, and it's highly unlikely that we'll ever get an apiary going anytime soon. It's just an ongoing fascination that I'd like to do, but will probably leave to those who are already doing a good job of keeping hives. I like to support them by buying their honey anyway...it doesn't take much to keep a hive, but a little return on their investments and some good word-of-mouth really means a lot to them.
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She... Same as any other "bee." The He's are totally useless... ;) Her patterning goes from small on the outside to a "peak" toward center. You are looking at the eastern yellowjacket, V. maculifrons.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I have to have Perfesser Chaos exterminate yellowjackets when we find their nests.
ReplyDeleteI am deathly allergic to stinging insects -- used to be just honeybees, but now I have the distinguished status of "cross-reactor." I can live and let live with all manner of bees, solitary wasps, and even most species of hornets, most of the time.
The yellowjackets, however, become extremely pissy and aggressive and attracted to our food in late summer and fall. They are just too dangerous to have around.
Because of the notable biodiversity here, the predatory wasps seem to keep the yellowjacket numbers down.
Unfortunately, my last ambulance ride was precipitated by one such, a normally peaceful white-faced hornet whose nest had been blown down and fragmented, putting her into a very nasty mood. I showed up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
As good at that picture is, it still gives me the shivers...I think I'm allergic based on a few experiences back in my younger days, but a healthy(?) phobia of bees keeps me pretty much away from them, or gets me away from them pretty darn quickly.
ReplyDeleteExcept for honeybees. For some reason, I have this fascination with them...the ones in our yard are very docile and I've been trying to convince my parents for a year now that we need to start our own hives.
And I thought hornets were darker, by the by...it does look like a Yellow Jacket anyway. Either way, I'd be far away from it.
If you are allergic to stinging insects, beekeeper is simply off the table as career or hobby.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could do it, but it's just not an option.
Honey bees are, I believe, the most common species to cause anaphylaxis. They were my starter allergy.
I've pretty much accepted that possibility, and it's highly unlikely that we'll ever get an apiary going anytime soon. It's just an ongoing fascination that I'd like to do, but will probably leave to those who are already doing a good job of keeping hives. I like to support them by buying their honey anyway...it doesn't take much to keep a hive, but a little return on their investments and some good word-of-mouth really means a lot to them.
ReplyDelete