nematode
House Bee
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2010
- Messages
- 108
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Ballymena, Northern Ireland
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 2
What?
Source - The Irish Times 22 June 2011
Source - The Irish Times 22 June 2011
And so it begins. The backlash.
Jesus! how horrible.
Has anyone got any serious insights as to what might have triggered it? I assume africanized bees haven't reached Ireland?
Whoever you blame for it, it is a horrible thing to have happened, and it certainly won't do anything to improve the relationship between beekeepers and their non-beekeeping neighbours.
I'm sure there's more to it than simply "nasty bees attack and kill dog". I wonder what made so many attack? But I suppose that's really not the point here. If we're not careful we'll end up with the situation that we won't be able to keep bees in built up areas or close to neighbours property (or on allotments as these bees were), which would be a real shame because 99.99% of the time the bees will not cause a problem. We as beekeepers really don't want our hobby to be perceived as a danger to children, small animals and the general public!
The only solution is education. If you see a beehive, DO NOT APPROACH IT, unless you are suitable trained and wearing the right gear!
Would warning signs help?
But I think the point has been made that if you put a warning sign up then you are admitting that your bees may be a danger to others.
A dog that has to be tied up to prevent it going after ducks is not under control i.e. it chases and bites things and is unlikely to behave quietly if a quantity of bees is on the move. The dog attacks one of the bees and like picking a fight with a soldier in a bar in Aldershot or Caterick, the inevitable happens.
The dog is dead because of poor training. IMHO Its the dog owners fault.
A wee terrier came across to say hello when I and a friend were doing a quick inspection on Monday night. Strangely it didn't hang around for long, in fact it didn't get to within a metre of the hive before it was greeted by a few bees... I reckon it ran off almost as quickly as a scalded cat!!
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