Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

There's about 200 wasps outside my house going bonkers

131 replies

Cocolapew · 16/07/2020 14:15

Send help.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
15
Cocolapew · 16/07/2020 21:52

I took the best slow motion video of them flying into the swarm, it's amazing.
You'll have to take my word for it Grin.

OP posts:
byvirtue · 16/07/2020 22:39

Ahh you’ve bee-n bitten by the bug!! They are fascinating creatures so much to learn about them.

If you want a good bee book recommendation “The Bees” by laline paull is a brilliant piece of fiction.

Everyone is a beekeeper nowadays, David Beckham, James Middleton & Jools Oliver have all posted their beehives on Instagram in the past few weeks.

Pieceofpurplesky · 16/07/2020 22:40

Nothing to say but 🐝🐝

SoPanny · 16/07/2020 22:44

This is the best thread I’ve seen on MN in many a time.

Gingaaarghpussy · 16/07/2020 22:53

I lived near beekeeper when I was a kid, it's the only time I've been stung by a wasp. I found out I was allergic to them then.

UnaCorda · 16/07/2020 22:57

I wonder if the OP has survived the last hour an a half? Has something agitated them?

Yes - c.200 wasps. (Or bees.)

Cocolapew · 16/07/2020 23:26

Mr Beekeeper was called to a woman's house by her son who was in checking because she was on holiday. A swarm had come down the chimney and she had white walls, white sofa, white carpet..
It was a massive swarm and he said there was soot everywhere. He had gone with the BK. who has been phoned originally because he's had a few drinks and couldn't drive.
There's was so many of them they resorted to hoovering them up. He took the hoover bag home and emptied it and they had all survived.
I actually remember it begin in the local paper Grin
The woman had to redecorate.

OP posts:
BitOfFun · 16/07/2020 23:37

OMG, that's amazing!

Yaottie · 16/07/2020 23:42

I would have left the bees to it personally. Having read a bit about the impact too many honeybees can have on other pollinators, and the impact on the bees themselves of being "looked after" by beekeepers I'd be praying they found themselves a nice tree to build a hive in

TimeWastingButFun · 16/07/2020 23:54

Oh wow! So exciting! I love bees, I have been so tempted for ages to get some for my garden but I wouldn't know where to start.

AquarianSquirrel · 17/07/2020 03:55

Very pleased to see the pollinators out in force, was worrying because there seem to be less bees and wasps about this year (well..didn't worry too much about the wasps haha).

Still, disconcerting to see them in your bush!

Cocolapew · 17/07/2020 09:19

A few more photos, they aren't the best because I was taking them through the window Smile
He put the small piece of copper pipe under the box to lift it up. The bees were queuing up and hopping onto it to get in Grin it was like a cartoon.
The bees have a white gland at the back and they shook their bums (maybe not a technical term) as they went in and this releases a smell to tell the other bees where to go.

There's about 200 wasps outside my house going bonkers
There's about 200 wasps outside my house going bonkers
There's about 200 wasps outside my house going bonkers
OP posts:
SoPanny · 17/07/2020 09:27

Still, disconcerting to see them in your bush!

Is it just me who shifted uncomfortably on reading this?

Somethingkindaoooo · 17/07/2020 09:31

Yeah, best thread in ages

Cocolapew · 17/07/2020 09:39

Thanks for all the bee love, stories and photos 😊🐝.
Glad you enjoyed my bees as much as I did 😁

OP posts:
SarahTancredi · 17/07/2020 09:40

What a lovely thread.

Enjoy your new home bees 🐝

(Yes I know the emoji is a bit wasp-y) its the only one I have

weathervane1 · 17/07/2020 09:45

An interesting experiment we did at Uni back in 1987 with bees: as many have said on this thread, bees fly back to the hive and do a waggle dance. The speed, pattern and overall direction of the dance provides the hive with information about the surrounding flora e.g. the bee might communicate that there are some lovely roses 200 metres to the South.... and off they'll fly for a look. As with humans, bee language is quite region / country specific. So, after introducing some Honeybees from France (I think - it was a while back) who proceeded to French waggle, we monitored the hive's bees who promptly flew off to inspect an empty field.

forrestgreen · 17/07/2020 09:49

Could anyone explain about the bees exploding?

Cocolapew · 17/07/2020 09:50

@UnaOfStormhold

Itsgettingweird bees have an internal penis that explodes out of their bodies when they ejaculate, killing them. Might not actually be that appealing...

Our local beekeeping association is mostly male but there is a good assortment of women around.

Forestgreen
OP posts:
Cocolapew · 17/07/2020 09:51

That's amazing whethervane1 Shock

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 17/07/2020 10:00

We had a swarm in the tree outside our house a few years ago. I was gutted that we missed the beekeeper who came to collect them!

tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz · 17/07/2020 10:14

Can I just say this thread has been (boom!Grin) such a lovely read OP. I'm also quite jealous.

TwentyViginti · 17/07/2020 10:33

@UnaOfStormhold

Itsgettingweird bees have an internal penis that explodes out of their bodies when they ejaculate, killing them. Might not actually be that appealing...

Our local beekeeping association is mostly male but there is a good assortment of women around.

There's mind-blowing sex, but this is another level! Shock
Deathraystare · 17/07/2020 13:31

stung to death by murder hornets.

Do not even mention them by name (shudder).

longtompot · 17/07/2020 14:57

I once saw a little blue van waiting at the lights on a roundabout we were driving on, with the driver and the passenger in full bee keepers garb with bees all over the place! I guess they had just collected a swarm or were transporting a hive. It's an image that's never left me.