Chicagoist: The Buzz on Chicago’s Bees

Pinko

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:58:55 -0600

As it were, I would actually jump at the opportunity to help you. I have a jar of homemade honey at home given to me by a co-worker who raises bees at his house in Iowa... True story: In college (years ago), bees had set up a hive within the walls of my fraternity house. As the autumn weather was getting chillier, roughly a half dozen bees or more crawled through the heating vent to my bedroom and decided to make camp under my warmth-giving pillow. As I unwittingly (and drunkenly) came home later that night and crawled into bed fast asleep, I had bad dreams about my hand being on fire. After a while, the pain became so intense that I woke up, only then discovering the now-dying bees still under my pillow. By morning, my hand had swelled to twice its normal size... So yeah, after that, I'd handle your bees bare-handed. I don't hold the incident against them, and I am serious about helping you. I crave educational experiences, especially when nature and/or food are involved...

arcto02

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:37:44 -0600

Wrong answer, Pinko. Unless you step into there flight path from the bottom board, or crush one as you are manipulating the frames they go care less about you. Why don't you come over and help me sometime? I will give you a veil ... but you can handle them bare handed. If you are man enough. ;-) Just kidding. ;-) About the "man enough". Come on down!

Pinko

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:43:57 -0600

Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If that bee ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about.

arcto02

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:05:15 -0600

I need to check in on "bee stings". In short, they're NOT. I am the "Ed" mentioned at the very end of the article. I handle my bees bare handed ... no gloves. They are extremely docile. About the only circumstance in which you have been stung "by a bee" is if you are walking bare foot in grass where there is clover. Maybe you have stepped on one. Otherwise, it wasn't a bee. They are not aggressive. A "bumble bee," yellow jacket, or any number of other stinging instects .. perhaps. But not a honey bee. Honey bees are VERY very careful about stinging. It is death for them. The barbed stinger stays in the victim. The poor honey bee looses not only its stinger, but its guts too. So they only get one sting. Honey bees get a bad wrap. They take the blame for every stinging insect under the sun. The short of it: If you've been stung the overwhelming odds are that it was not a honey bee.

Chicago D

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:03:01 -0600

I like Honey. Pooh

smussy

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:27:09 -0600

perhaps. i have a pretty strong urge to educate on this subject, for while there are people who are terribly and obviously, fatally, allergic to bee stings, bees and honey bees in particular are in no hurry to sting anyone, as it means death for them. most people don't realize that. not to mention our blood-thirsty, sensationalist media got going on all that 'africanized' killer bee shit for so long.

Spav1

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:52:49 -0600

It looked to small to be a yellow jacket. Maybe is was a baby? :)

celerysalt

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:39:33 -0600

spav - thanks. you know firsthand how scary it can be, i'm sure. she had no idea that she was allergic, so it was just one of those tragic things.

smussy

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:29:05 -0600

however, spav .... your mom *couldn't* have been stung by a regular bee 'several' times. a bee's stinger is so created that it can go IN a human, but is barbed and cannot come -out.- the lower half of the bee gets ripped off when they pull away from the stinger, leaving it in the victim. wasps and hornets and yellow jackets have thin, long, tapered stingers, which allows them to sting over and over and over again. true enough.

Spav1

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:27:35 -0600

I am so sorry about your aunt. I am like, psychotic about making sure people with severe allergies have epi-pens AT ALL TIMES. If you ever have a weird reaction to a food, bee stung or whatever, GO TO THE DOCTOR. Do not just take a Benadryl because it could be like building up and the next time will kill you.

celerysalt

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:06:36 -0600

Regular bee, unfortunately. I'm all for raising them - I'm simply asking people to take a few precautions on behalf of people who have to deal with scary allergies. Aunt Deb died too young.

The Meteorologist

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:03:23 -0600

I like bees too. Thanks, Amy.

mepps

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:01:01 -0600

Great Post!!!! Educational and informative.

Spav1

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:51:34 -0600

My mom got stung by a regular bee. It accidentally flew into her shirt and then freaked out and stung her several times. Freak accident. She has an epi-pen that I promptly jabbed into her thigh. I am with smussy on this one. I hate it whne people swat at bees. It is like, they probably ARENT going to sting you and so what if they do? It stings for like a second.

Amy Mikel

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:41:53 -0600

spav and celery, do you happen to know if the bee stings in those situations were from wasps/hornets/yellow jackets? i would be interested to know if honey bees were the culprit. just one beesting can be lethal to someone who is allergic but honey bees are generally pretty docile; the other types of bees are not kept by beekeepers.

Pinko

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:40:06 -0600

I tried raising killer bees once. My neighbors were total douchebags about it...

celerysalt

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:34:01 -0600

Bees killed my aunt because of her (unknown at the time) allergy. And yet insuring that the bee population is kept healthy and normal is very important and I applaud those who are trying to help. I just hope that if anyone is interested in taking up the hobby, they speak with their neighbors to identify anyone who is allergic, and then in that case, think twice about moving ahead. It's a very serious matter; my understanding is that various fatal allergies (like bees and nuts) are becoming more and more prevalent.

Spav1

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:09:22 -0600

Bees,like turtles, also tried to kill my Mom. She is super allergic.

smussy

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:47:31 -0600

i LOVE bees!