# GOT BEES?



## patrickfraser (Aug 20, 2012)

I'm at work and was warned of a swarm of bees approaching and to close my office doors. I guess the queen must have settled on a big spool for marine ropes and the hive has started to progress. We will be having someone out to remove them and move them to a better location. Very cool to see. I wish it was better, but just have my phone.


----------



## hibiscusmile (Aug 20, 2012)

Are you giving them to a bee club? the clubs take the bees and give to people who are interested in raising them for honey....


----------



## angelofdeathzz (Aug 20, 2012)

Well at least there's only a couple or so, could be worse?  :lol:


----------



## fleurdejoo (Aug 20, 2012)

Awesome! So cool.


----------



## agent A (Aug 20, 2012)

good eats for your mantises :chef:


----------



## sueb4653 (Aug 20, 2012)

woah lot of bees


----------



## patrickfraser (Aug 20, 2012)

Yeah, this guy comes and just vacuums them up and will move them to a more "bee friendly" area. Unlike where they decided to stop and colonize.






I like this one of them just hanging off the edge. The wind would blow and you would see them sort of swing. I threatened my boss I was gonna give it a good kick if he got too close. :devil: 






and me being daring


----------



## Rick (Aug 21, 2012)

Not really daring. A swarm of honeybees is not defensive since they have no hive to protect. I doubt that swarm planned on staying there. I posted a thread about my bees and nobody seemed interested. And Alex, stop feeding honeybees to your mantids.....seriously.


----------



## fleurdejoo (Aug 21, 2012)

Well now people are afraid of things that sting so he's being pretty brave there.

I saw a swarm at my doctors the other day they had stopped in this guys wheel well.

But were gone when I came out.

I love the bees and the wasps.

We have a lot of cicada killers in our back yard.

I'll have to search for your thread Rick.

Why should he stop feeding them honey bees?


----------



## agent A (Aug 21, 2012)

Rick said:


> And Alex, stop feeding honeybees to your mantids.....seriously.


don't worry i use bumblebees  

i ran out of honeybees earlier this spring


----------



## SilentDeviL (Aug 21, 2012)

agent A said:


> don't worry i use bumblebees
> 
> i ran out of honeybees earlier this spring


lol Alex ... don't they stain your mantis ??? mantis can died from it right ??


----------



## sinensispsyched (Aug 21, 2012)

Can popas eat carpenter bees?


----------



## agent A (Aug 21, 2012)

sinensispsyched said:


> Can popas eat carpenter bees?


yes


----------



## Rick (Aug 21, 2012)

fleurdejoo said:


> Well now people are afraid of things that sting so he's being pretty brave there.
> 
> I saw a swarm at my doctors the other day they had stopped in this guys wheel well.
> 
> ...


Because honeybees are our major pollinators and their populations are in decline right now for various reasons. But you can't explain that to certain people here. They figure since they see plenty the honeybees are doing fine. They fail to see the big picture. But I bet if I started using wild mantids as food for something else this place would be in an uproar, even if whatever I used was a common species not in decline. It's just ignorance I suppose.


----------



## fleurdejoo (Aug 21, 2012)

Ouch!

Well I think that they feel that the amount they are removing is insignificant in relation to the problem.

But...I hear and obey brother.


----------



## Rick (Aug 21, 2012)

fleurdejoo said:


> Ouch!
> 
> Well I think that they feel that the amount they are removing is insignificant in relation to the problem.
> 
> But...I hear and obey brother.


Perhaps, but why add to the problem? Just selfishness.


----------



## sueb4653 (Aug 21, 2012)

So how do they know honey bees from the killer bees dont they swarm also


----------



## sinensispsyched (Aug 21, 2012)

Yeah! Popas eat carpenter bees! These things have been making me mad! Now, I will gather up all my females (ghosts, budwings, popas (in the future), and Chinese mantises to fight against these dopey flyers.

BTW, how do you catch them? I'm afraid to stick my hands in and catch them with a deli cup. Anyone have any pictorial homemade setups I could see and use?


----------



## agent A (Aug 21, 2012)

sinensispsyched said:


> Yeah! Popas eat carpenter bees! These things have been making me mad! Now, I will gather up all my females (ghosts, budwings, popas (in the future), and Chinese mantises to fight against these dopey flyers.
> 
> BTW, how do you catch them? I'm afraid to stick my hands in and catch them with a deli cup. Anyone have any pictorial homemade setups I could see and use?


right before they enter their hole, sweep a net across the hole and u will easily catch them


----------



## sinensispsyched (Aug 21, 2012)

Several problems with that idea, agent A.

For one thing, their holes are more than 13 feet up in my house's external rafters. If I got up on a ladder, I'd lose my necessary mobility. My one lead on these guys is that there's a meadow nearby where they feed. I get all set to get them by closing a deli cup around them, when I chicken out.


----------



## agent A (Aug 21, 2012)

sinensispsyched said:


> Several problems with that idea, agent A.
> 
> For one thing, their holes are more than 13 feet up in my house's external rafters. If I got up on a ladder, I'd lose my necessary mobility. My one lead on these guys is that there's a meadow nearby where they feed. I get all set to get them by closing a deli cup around them, when I chicken out.


then use the lid to whack them into the cup so u can close it before they get out and sting u


----------



## ShieldMantid1997 (Aug 22, 2012)

Rick said:


> Not really daring. A swarm of honeybees is not defensive since they have no hive to protect. I doubt that swarm planned on staying there. I posted a thread about my bees and nobody seemed interested. And Alex, stop feeding honeybees to your mantids.....seriously.


i never saw that post, i want to go look for it now


----------



## patrickfraser (Aug 22, 2012)

There seem to be some "stragglers" just hanging around and seem lost, like they've lost their hive or something. :lol: They are probably doomed to die anyway without the hive, so I am going to bring them home to feed the mantids tonight. :chef:


----------



## ShieldMantid1997 (Aug 22, 2012)

patrickfraser said:


> There seem to be some "stragglers" just hanging around and seem lost, like they've lost their hive or something. :lol: They are probably doomed to die anyway without the hive, so I am going to bring them home to feed the mantids tonight. :chef:


Lucky mantids!

got some natural pollen and such on them too


----------

