Active discussions

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

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be appalled by the ignorance of my colleague?

142 replies

Moulesfrites · 03/07/2011 20:10

My work colleague was telling me today that she had found a bees' nest in her garden - instead of calling the council etc, she and her fiance decided to pour water on it with a hosepipe, knock it down and stamp on it to break it up and kill the bees Sad

AIBU to be absolutely horrified by this?? I was trying to explain to her how important bees are but she really didn't understand that she had done anything wrong - she claimed that she was protecting herself and her neighbours from being stung Hmm

is it even worth trying to convince someone so stupid of the errors of her ways??

OP posts:
GoggleEyed · 03/07/2011 21:17

(I mean slagging people off in regards to lack of knowledge)

CQrrrneee · 03/07/2011 21:19

if they had been swarming she'd have been inside with all the windows shut. So the poor bees were clearly just going about their bee business.
Cat in the hat - who are the thickos?

ggirl · 03/07/2011 21:22

YANBU
that is so sad

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay · 03/07/2011 21:24

Awwwww Goggle - you're not fun to play with. Does that mean I can no longer gratuitously poke fun at the colleague who I think is a cunt?

YES!!! AND YET AGAIN I manage a totally unnecessary poke at the colleague of OP who is a bee-murdering cunt.

^^ did you see what I did there? BitchSLAP and high five myself. (I have to do it to myself, because nobody else will talk to me now because of my potty mouth.) (And my bee-mad ways)

Mind you. I DO think not knowing daisies is pushing it a BIT far?

(thinks to self... move AWAY from the bottle of red. You will be in charge of a room of 30 15yr olds tomorrow... enough is enough....)

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay · 03/07/2011 21:25

actually. With my teacher hat on, I should have written...

"... whoM I think is a cunt".

Sorry about that. Anybody would think I write for the Observer. Tsk.

fastweb · 03/07/2011 21:26

I am not having a pop at bees, and by no mean condone killing them, I like them and planted to attract them into the garden, but about pollination...is it only them that pollinates ? I thought all the insects I have sticking their noses in my flowers were pollinating as they went ?

Or are bees just so much better at it than the rest that their loss would mean such a huge upset Eco system wise that the plant world wouldn't be able to recover ?

joric · 03/07/2011 21:26

Calories bit in observer/ guardian honey = 82.21g sugars ... ??
:o

Fecklessdizzy · 03/07/2011 21:27

Stupid Mumsnet thing just ate my message Angry

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay · 03/07/2011 21:28

Fastweb. In order.....
No. Yes. Yes.

AllieZ · 03/07/2011 21:28

don't think you need this ecosystem or have any responsibility for it,
??? I do need this ecosystem because as I was brought into existence, I need to eat. So I won't stop eating and I don't remember saying I don't need this ecosystem. As for responsibility, I am sure there are a million types of taxes that I pay that include the maintenance of bees, too.

Those tiny white flowers...They're called daisies, love...
Uhum. How many foreign languages do you speak fluently, in which you know what they are called? Just 'cause English is not my mother tongue. I happened to know what they are called in German and Spanish (neither of which are my mother tongue either), but not in English, sorry. I apologise. But I am sure you speak more foreign languages than I do and you know the word "daisy" in all of them, love...

catinthehat2 · 03/07/2011 21:30

do you really want me to point them out to you?

I think the person who said "Um... AllieZ. Those tiny white flowers...

They're called daisies, love..." spotted one

THhe person who said "i was stung by a beed today. If I found a nest in my garden, I would probably destroy it." is another

WillieWaggledagger · 03/07/2011 21:31

the calories bit is about them pollinating and creating food for us, I think, so we would lose those calories through bees not pollinating

we had soooo many bumblebees this year, was lovely. they do love my cotoneaster

MissBeehiving · 03/07/2011 21:33

Others have already said that swarms don't sting but they can be intimidating when they arrive. I've hived 3 this year and they were all docile.

Pretty ignorant to destroy something which isn't a direct threat to you though. Sad

fastweb · 03/07/2011 21:34

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay

Can I snaffle in another bee question. We live in rural northern Italy. In the garden we get these big, totally black insects that look EXACTLY like an over grown bee, but all black. They have no sense of direction, or really poor smelling abilities so often end up chasing human around the garden in an attempt to pollinate them. I'm concerned I may bear a passing resemblance to a triffid given their persistence. They don't seem to be hell bent on stinging anybody.

Are they a type of bee or another insect ? They can't be hornets, cos they are the wrong shape, even though size wise they are similar.

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay · 03/07/2011 21:36

eh?? Cat? If not daisies, then which flowers do YOU mean? Because AllieZ might need you to tell her. She doesn't like me.

catinthehat2 · 03/07/2011 21:38

ah OK, have gone back
in my book people who ask questions like

can someone on here explain the importance of bees
Is it true that bumblebees don't sting?

are just taking advantage of the large number of beeologists advancing on the thread with their net hats in order to ask questions, which seems pretty normal behaviour to me

DoingTheBestICan · 03/07/2011 21:39

The little bees that come in our garden have been quiet for a couple of weeks now but they are so cute,they look very small & are fluffy.

catinthehat2 · 03/07/2011 21:40

My question:
do bees like certain colours to land on (like some flies are attracted to yellows)

catinthehat2 · 03/07/2011 21:42

(LOst - I said I SPOTTED one, the same one as you apparently)

gotolder · 03/07/2011 21:45

YANBU

I take every opportunity to educate the local children about the importance of bees (only those in my garden, I'm not a beekeeper) because they are now a species under threat and people like those who killed the swarm don't help.Angry

My DD has just got her first hiveGrin.

BadPoet · 03/07/2011 21:47

We had a swarm in our garden when I was a teenager. It was quite scary, they went round and round the house for ages and I remember rather dramatically screaming at our dog in (who was a bit dumb and seemed to see no reason to move).

I'm fairly sure it was someone from the council who came out (or sent by the council anyway) who explained that it was a breakaway faction from an existing hive who had left with a new queen and were settling in our hedge as an interim home before finding a better new hive. He took them all away safely, 20,000 or so he said.

YANBU.

NeedaCostume · 03/07/2011 21:50

YANBU. Terrible behaviour by a stupid person.

lovecorrie · 03/07/2011 21:51

We've got a load of bees set up shop as it were in our birdbox ! I'm not sure what type they are but they seem to potter around quite happily. dd loves watching them and knows to be very careful and respectful.

MissBeehiving · 03/07/2011 21:53

Cat - they see colours in a different spectrum to us but do go for brighter colours - oranges reds and yellows. You can do an experiment with sugar water and paper flowers.

Bad Poet - that's a cast swarm.

BornSicky · 03/07/2011 21:55

badpoet that's pretty much what happens, except it's the old queen, not the new one that leaves with her loyal worker bees. they aren't always very successful at setting up new hives, and because they are a species at risk, there are lots of people very happy to help remove swarms and help them colonise new hives.

Swipe left for the next trending thread