Mortar Bees

[Deleted User]

Yes ironic really isn't it that on the Greenfingered Forum we have a thread about discouraging the very creatures we depend upon to polinate our plants? Good old humans, eh?

pollyskettle

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I think, contrary to someone else on another thread, that much of the population of the UK has come so far from the understanding of the way nature works, that it's a "them against us" type of thing.
That's what I object to, not the killing of a few bees

This part, in particular, I agree with, LE. Society has become very distant from the nature surrounding us. This will only change with education. By educating me about these flipping bees (the discussion of which is becoming the bane of my life :rotfl:), this is then being passed on - to my children as I tell them that their mothers fear is thoroughly irrational (doesn't make it any less present though ) and I explain about them to my neighbours who have noticed them too and initiated discussion.

The first three sentences of the original post clearly show that I had no real idea what they were. By post twelve, I had two options - I could either stand on a chair and empty a can of wasp killer or similar into the vent holes, ignore any further replies to this thread and hope for the best (which I didn't do and I'm not advocating), or I could fight my corner, throw all my toys out the pram and try to learn how we could resolve this (obviously the option I chose!). Because I chose that option, other people have now learnt about them too. I've never had need for this information before, so I've never asked and consequently I've never known. There are plenty of subjects I know in depth - this isn't one of them . I'm certain I'm not alone in that.

Back to the plan , I'm going to stick with it as it is now and see how it goes. I'll try to encourage them further up the house next year - maybe I'll come back to this thread then and let you know how that goes - hopefully both the bees and I will be happy.

~jules~_3

pollyskettle wrote: »

The first three sentences of the original post clearly show that I had no real idea what they were. By post twelve, I had two options - I could either stand on a chair and empty a can of wasp killer or similar into the vent holes, ignore any further replies to this thread and hope for the best (which I didn't do and I'm not advocating), or I could fight my corner, throw all my toys out the pram and try to learn how we could resolve this (obviously the option I chose!). Because I chose that option, other people have now learnt about them too. I've never had need for this information before, so I've never asked and consequently I've never known. There are plenty of subjects I know in depth - this isn't one of them . I'm certain I'm not alone in that.

Back to the plan , I'm going to stick with it as it is now and see how it goes. I'll try to encourage them further up the house next year - maybe I'll come back to this thread then and let you know how that goes - hopefully both the bees and I will be happy.

Lol, the Jeyes fluid on the vents was not to kill the bees but to discourage them from nesting the following year, which was why they were told not to use it till after summer when most bees have died off.

pollyskettle

~jules~ wrote: »

Lol, the Jeyes fluid on the vents was not to kill the bees but to discourage them from nesting the following year, which was why they were told not to use it till after summer when most bees have died off.

Lol, I realised that, but in this particular post I really did mean wasp killer - I keep about 5 cans of it in the house as I REALLY hate them! I have absolutely no qualms in saying that a wasp that comes in my house has a life expectancy of approximately 15 seconds :rotfl: You should have seen the house last year (we live relatively near a chicken farm :rolleyes:), I had fly netting stuff across the door, all my windows had been 'fly-penned', I had those sunflower sticker things in the kitchen window and cans of wasp killer at the ready (only to use on actual wasps, I might add ).

As an aside, I can honestly say I have never bought/used jeyes fluid - what's in it/what is it? I understand you can use it for a multitude of purposes, but I couldn't name any of them!

ETA - This thread must have affected me - I actually felt a twinge of sadness when I saw dead 'mutant' bee on the way to collect the children yesterday