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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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

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

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

OP posts:

BuntyPenfold · 04/07/2011 09:22

We have miner bees too :)

I found a swarm, rang the local beekeepers thinking someone would come to collect them,but they weren't interested and said to just leave them

LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay · 04/07/2011 09:49

GreenEggs - I did it. Just like the poster, I am also fluent in three languages, head of MFL at my school, but didn't feel the need to show off my linguistic abilities. (unlike my beekeeping knowldege, natch, blah.... I know, I know...)

And I'd pissed her off, so didn't bother trying to rile her any more.

There. Hope that's all clear now. (And it was funny. IMHO anyway )

Ripeberry · 04/07/2011 09:54

A couple of years ago I was waiting outside the school with some other mums when a large swarm flew just over our heads, we actually dived onto the floor as it was so scary, they thankfully did not stop anywhere near the school but imagine that coming into land in your garden

GwendolineMaryLacey · 04/07/2011 10:19

All of you ignorant people going on about how scary they are...you are fools!

Oh riiiiight, because them being protected makes them less scary? FFS.

fastweb · 04/07/2011 10:48

All of you ignorant people going on about how scary they are...you are fools!

Never has it been more fitting.

If you want to create different attitude and for people to come around to your perspective, remember...honey, not vinegar.

GreenEyesandHam · 04/07/2011 10:57

LMIATW (not typing all that out)

I posted it because tbh, I thought her post made a you (and others) look like a bit of a tit. Still do.

And being completely honest, I was rather glad it wasn't me- as it usually is

Still love the bees though!

ViolaTricolor · 04/07/2011 10:59

That is terrible. Bees are amazing animals.

wannabesybil · 04/07/2011 11:18

I have honey bees in my chimney - again. We usually get them for a few years, then a lull, then they come back, the chimney must be a good site.

The council and Rentokil won't touch honey bees as they are protected, but if you go to the Bee Keepers Association, they will usually find someone local to come and get them. Our chimney is too high for anyone to want to bother.

I suppose that on and off we have had bees in the chimney for about ten years and there has been one sting (me) that I know of. That includes the person who has a velux window on the roof next to the chimney. The bees have been fine. I just let them get on with it, and rely on them for pollination of my tomatoes.

YANBU

TheBigJessie · 04/07/2011 11:42

She's a moron. And she wasn't in a "panic". There are insects that I'm scared of, which make me panic. And when panicking about said creatures, I don't go up and attack them.

It would've taken a couple of seconds to google and find a helpful phone-number, and get someone who kept bees to deal with them. But she didn't. She and her equally moronic fiance took it upon themselves to kill the lot.

SpringchickenGoldBrass · 04/07/2011 11:52

It just seems such a dim thing to do - attack a lot of insects that are going to attack back.

BuntyPenfold · 04/07/2011 11:53

I could not get local bee keepers to collect a swarm of honey bees - they were not interested and said to just leave them.
I am not afraid of them, but that would be very unhelpful to anyone who was.

TheBigJessie · 04/07/2011 11:58

Definitely- and honeybees generally die if they sting. So, they generally only sting to protect the nest or the queen!

And what were Mr and Ms Moron choosing to do? If any of those poor, panicked, agitated bees had stung anyone, such as Mr and Ms Moron, or an unlucky passer-by, I know who would have been morally responsible!

thumbwitch · 04/07/2011 11:59

FFS - scary or not, does the stupid bint not read the papers? Does she not know that bees are seriously under threat and something like 70% of the bee population in the UK is dead or diseased? Does she not have a fucking CLUE about the importance of bees to the ecology and life in general??

I hate mosquitoes with a passion. They bite me all the fucking time, day or night, all year round because I live in Australia and the bastards don't even die in winter. I could buy mosquito coils to help kill the fuckers - but I don't, because they all ALSO kill bees. Currently the Aussie bees are not affected by the plague that seems to be upon the UK and USA and probably European bees - I don't intend to add to the eco-pressure by killing a few extra.

There should be some kind of public body that comes to deal with bees in people's gardens; ridiculous if there isn't.
They'll come and take those useless fuckers, hornets, away and relocate them to the woods or somewhere because they're a threatened species - SO ARE BEES.

SusanneLinder · 04/07/2011 13:12

We have a beehive in our garden, in our compost bin actually. :) Bees idea-not ours! DH wanted a bee friendly garden so planted bee friendly stuff,but I don't think he meant them to take up house :)

Like Bunty, we phoned the Beekeepers Association and they said to leave it till October, so we have.

Luckily it's at our back fence so not annoying us-just trying to keep the daft dog away from it.

Your work colleague is a moron,we need bees!

Bombus · 04/07/2011 13:26

Fastweb - the insect you describe sounds like a carpenter bee. They look scary but are pretty docile.

Bees are fab - colleague is an absolute idiot!

fastweb · 04/07/2011 13:32

carpenter bee

I googled, that's them !!!

Enormous, but easily confused as to what is a flower and what is a human in a flowery dress. And sometimes they fly straight into your head because they do not seem to have a great sense of direction or very good brakes.

Never tried to sting though, just bumbling about being inept.

Lunabelly · 04/07/2011 13:50

YANBU. Bees are wonderful, and what she did was just bloody stupid and ignorant.

I've had two bumble bees set up nests in my garden over the years, and I was honoured that they felt my garden safe enough for them. Bees in general are so important to the ecosystem and a joy to watch, their little fluffy bums covered in pollen. I'll always save a bee and have never been stung by one - t'was a bastard wasp who was after my Pimms cup who gave me my only sting...

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