Saying Farewell to a House-Trapped Bee
No bees were harmed in the making of this post.
On Wednesday a bee flew into the house.
On Wednesday a bee died in the house.
It (- she? @drwatson, certainly you can help me out with this bee gender confirmation) flew to one of the higher-up windows, far out of my reach, and frantically tried to escape through the pane of sunlit glass.
Thursday morning found the bee on a window sill closest to the floor, still firmly clutching a bundle of fuzzy fibers. I felt a sprinkle of sadness for the bee that was unable to find its way back out into the world. I sent a mental message of respect and farewell while taking some photos to record this little event.
You're so small, bee!
Current resting place of January's bee.
We'll see you buzzing around again soon come spring. Perhaps your cousins will pollinate the strawberry plants that will come from these seeds.
What kind of things do you enjoy collecting?
Which is worse in terms of pain: wasp or bee sting?
Thanks for stopping by!
☺
I'd rank the stings as Baldfaced hornet, ground hornet, wasp, bee. But they all hurt like mad. So who's really keeping score?
Loved the post. It is so hard to see them die, they are having such a hard go of it now. Who knows WHAT will all collapse in the system, if they all disappear. Hopefully that won't happen. Supposedly the Neonicotinoids sprayed on plants may be a big problem. I think Europe has outlawed them or will be soon.
What are and where did you get those tiny jars? Those are so cool. And something I would collect, as well as just about everything else that makes up the planet. Baubles, things, trade-ables, stuff and junk. It's ALL treasures. (Didn't you do posts early on from a house of a relative that you cleaned out, and showed all sorts of really cool things?)
Sounds like you've had your fair share of stinger run-ins. Thankfully I've had only one, it was from a red velvet 'ant', extra painful! Time will tell if the bees will be able to come back in numbers.
The jars were acquired from Hobby Lobby, in a package of 6 or 9, maybe $3.00 or something close to that. They are perfect for storing tiny things (not airtight). Collecting things can be very enjoyable, or a bumpy path to madness, depending on what's being collected!
In fact I did make a string of posts about cleaning a relative's house. Funny you ask because while I was there earlier today I took a few pictures for an upcoming post. Here's a little taste of what's to come:
What a shame, bees are life and can help our planet to survive in this shitty see of plastic. They are also very beautiful and intelligent animals, when they don't pick you ;)
I am sharing your sadness and mourning with you.
Bless to the bee, RIP.
Thanks for having a look and leaving your condolences
Aww, poor little thing. It’s been so long since I’ve been stung by either but I’m going to say that bee stings hurt a bit more for me.
Stings are never pleasant! Thankfully I haven't experienced a bee sting, I'll take your word that it's painful. Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your comment ☺
Yeah, she's a lady T_T poor bee. Most bees are female, except for the drones which have big goofy eyes/bodies.
I lost a lot of bees this winter because of the freak cold snaps we had.
I'm sure the other bees will be happy to pollinate your strawberry seeds though :)
Thanks for confirming my assumption. How do bees usually stay warm during winter in cold climates? Do they migrate or hibernate?
The weather here doesn't stay cold for any length of time in winter, it's easy to understand how bees can survive Texas winter.
They form a cluster around the queen and constantly beat their wings to generate heat, and they work their way from bottom to the top of the hive eating all of their honey and pollen reserves.
I'm not sure about bees in warmer climates, maybe they don't need to do that
I think the bees in warmer climates do the opposite thing in the summer, venting excess heat. They're a full fledged biological HVAC system!
Bees are amazing, inspiring, weirdly cute... I've had a better relationship with my bees than I've had with some pets haha