Bee Attack!

Today's Saturday, the day to clean and do chores and run errands and get everything done that doesn't get done during the week.  And Springtime is here, the bugs and the bees have arrived.  I suddenly have watery eyes, I assume it's an allergy to pollen or flowers or something, even though my allergist tells me I have NO ALLERGIES whatsoever.  Whatever, I've been taking Zytec and my eyes are not crying uncontrollably all the time. 

Stinkbug

This morning while brushing my teeth in the bathroom, with my eyes closed, I heard a buzzing.  I assumed it was an annoying little stinkbug.  We've been plagued by stinkbugs for the past few years, I'm always vacuuming them up off the floors.  They're not scary, just annoying.  I really hate it when they fly into my face.  They Stink!  They make me grumble and curse the old house.  I have no idea how they get into the old house, but they are everywhere.  First this morning Randy saw Bob, the cat, eating a stinkbug.  Bob's not too smart. 

camel cricket

Anyway, back to the story...I was in the bathroom, leaning over the sink, toothbrush in mouth, I open my eyes, and inches away from my face is the largest bumblebee I've ever seen.  I semi-scream, choke on toothpaste, and run out of the bathroom.  Ok, ok, it was probably a carpenter bee, they don't sting, but it doesn't matter.  There was a monster, fat, black creature walking inches from my face.  It was as big as my fingers are long.  Bees are my weakness.  I don't mind snakes, lizards, crickets, even camel crickets.  I've gotten used to spiders and mice, but bees - no.  I hate them.  I hate that they fly.  I hate that they sting.  They scare me because I can't do either of those things.

Carpenter bees

I hightailed it out of the bee room, closing the door behind me, finished brushing my teeth in another bathroom, and then braved a return.  Sadly, I left my iPod playing an audiobook in the bee-room, and my mouthwash bottle was in there, too.  So, I armed myself with a towel, and opened the door.  The monster bee was flying all around the room.  Goodness, maybe there was more than one?  I quickly closed the door again.  I wasn't ready for flying monster bees, I expected them to be stationary.  I gathered my strength, readied the towel in front of me, and opened the door again.  Silence.  No bees.  I entered the room.  Nothing, no bees, no wings buzzing, only the iPod playing the audiobook.  It was like the scary part of a horror movie before the monster attacks the person.  I grabbed the iPod, turned it off, shoved it in my pocket, and looked around.  Nothing.  I couldn't find a bee anywhere.  Hmmm.  I know it's in there.  I grabbed the mouthwash bottle and left the room, closing the door and turning out the light behind me.

I planned on cleaning that bathroom this morning.  Maybe I'll save that chore till last today...  

Honey and other bees

Carpenter Bee

One thing we noticed since moving out into the middle of the woods a few years ago is that we don't have many honey bees.  We have lots of other bees, mostly carpenter bees and mud dauber wasps, and definitely swarms of those wicked little yellow jackets that make homes in holes in the ground. but honey bees are few and far between.  That's one of the reasons I've been wanting to get some honey bee hives.

Mud dauber organ pipe nest

Randy's not too sure about my desire for bees, as he knows about my deadly fear of bees.  I think honey bees are good bees, and possibly I will get over my fear of them.  I mean, I used to be afraid of chickens. I thought they would peck me.  I got over that fear.  So, we'll see...

Yellow jacket

This week something has changed.  I've noticed many honey bees outside hanging around my house.  I've also noticed the pain-in-the neck carpenter bees making holes in the house right by the front door. They're so big and clumsy, they bump into humans who happen to walk nearby.  And if a big loud carpenter bee bumps into me, I run away screaming.  But the sweet little honey bees were just buzzing around, not being obnoxious at all.  And we've caught and released THREE honey bees from inside our house.  What's up with the honey bees getting inside our house?

Here's a photo of a honey bee which was inside our house. All the honey bees I've seen this week are very calm, they almost act sleepy.  I especially liked to look at his little feet. I thought it was odd that he didn't have any yellow on him.  This is a honey bee, isn't it?  Randy joked with me and told me that maybe a colony of honey bees moved into the walls of our house over the winter and now they are waking up.  Horrific images of a swarm of bees inside my house fill my head, but I attempted to get over my fear and told him we better have our honey bee homes built and ready to go then!

One of our honey bees