With 3 of the kids in the car...they are not kids they are great big adults who seem to persuade me all too easily to drive them all over the place... I set off to collect the bumble bees at almost 9pm. I liked the woman who was frightened of the bumbles. She works in the charity shop with my niece, and my niece had given her my number, and she thinks St Christopher's is brilliant and so do I, and she had given me a box of chocolates and some wine when I said I would remove the bees, even though they weren't honey bees.
I had given her the line about bumble bees being gentle and fantastic pollinators and told her that some species are endangered and that they would leave the nest/bird box in September, but she was quite scared of them.
I, on the other hand, was confident. I didn't bring a veil or smoker. Plan was just to block the entrance and unscrew the bird box from the fence and take it away. First problem was the home owner had taken apart a fine wire colander and stuck it over the entrance, inadvertently trapping a few bees outside the box. The bees were very different sizes - big ones of 2.5cm and small ones of about 1.2cm. They looked like different species. She didn't want any to die, so I took off the wire mesh and the bees started buzzing around my ears. I pulled my hat down.
Short story is that I got a light sting on the wrist as I held back the entrance for them to get in and then a big sting on the eye. They were about 10 times more aggressive than my bees, which would not sting me if I banged the box and then waved my hand in front of the entrance.
Before I had tangled with them, I was going to attach them to the shed near our kitchen window so we could watch them as we did the washing up, but after their nastiness, I have put them on the ground near the compost bin far away from anyone.
The home owner gave me a potted plant as I left, which I tried to refuse, but she explained that she was very, very, grateful. Too right.
I had given her the line about bumble bees being gentle and fantastic pollinators and told her that some species are endangered and that they would leave the nest/bird box in September, but she was quite scared of them.
I, on the other hand, was confident. I didn't bring a veil or smoker. Plan was just to block the entrance and unscrew the bird box from the fence and take it away. First problem was the home owner had taken apart a fine wire colander and stuck it over the entrance, inadvertently trapping a few bees outside the box. The bees were very different sizes - big ones of 2.5cm and small ones of about 1.2cm. They looked like different species. She didn't want any to die, so I took off the wire mesh and the bees started buzzing around my ears. I pulled my hat down.
Short story is that I got a light sting on the wrist as I held back the entrance for them to get in and then a big sting on the eye. They were about 10 times more aggressive than my bees, which would not sting me if I banged the box and then waved my hand in front of the entrance.
Before I had tangled with them, I was going to attach them to the shed near our kitchen window so we could watch them as we did the washing up, but after their nastiness, I have put them on the ground near the compost bin far away from anyone.
The home owner gave me a potted plant as I left, which I tried to refuse, but she explained that she was very, very, grateful. Too right.
