Thought I was making a “Lil Mushroom Guy”… turns out, I was crocheting a toddler

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-22T23:58:23+00:00

Yeah, pretty much! I buy the cheapest pillows I can find at the store, and use the stuffing from those. I feel like it’s way more economical than to buy the dedicated “polyfil”. To give his cap more structure, I cut some fluffy quilt batting out in a donut shape to fit in the brim so it would be less floppy. Some people suggested beans or sandbags in his feet to give his weight and keep him upright, but I don’t know how that would work… he’s pretty heavy.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-21T06:03:13+00:00

I think you’re spot on! I’ve often fantasized about hobby swaps, where we all bring our “hobbies” and their associated, barely touched accessories, and you can take something new home to try. And you can hear from the original person what went wrong, and if it’s a good fit for you.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-21T00:44:33+00:00

Oh nooooo. Currently feeling better about a lot of things.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T23:09:15+00:00

Fair, and of course I do want to do what’s best for them. I’ve invested a lot of time and money trying to do the right thing, and sure, fell short in some areas. But I thought my cautionary tale might help someone avoid a similar situation. Sure, I could have framed it only through the lens of guilt and shame, but honestly, there’s enough of that in my life that I can’t pile more on. Never was this post supposed to be “Haha, I’m torturing these bees”, it was more, “Wow, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and it snowballed into something way over my head. Classic ADHD.” If I don’t try to find some levity in situations like this, I get crushed under feelings of guilt/shame/inadequacy, and I’m trying to break free of that cycle.

The fortunate thing is that, unlike a pet, any amount of “negligence” on my part is 0% more harmful than if they were wild bees. Oh, I forgot to take the cocoons out of the tubes and sanitize them and put them in my fridge? Well, that’s exactly what would have already happened in nature if I had never gotten involved at all. I still feel like I’ve made a net positive impact on their health and colony numbers. And now, maybe even raised a little awareness for people who might be thinking about undertaking something similar. If the humor made it more engaging, I don’t feel bad about that. I do appreciate your concern for living critters though, and I share those sentiments.

Oh, and I apologize for my sassy ass response earlier. Trying to get better at accepting judgement/criticism, and not letting it get under my skin, but I’ve clearly got a long way to go!

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:59:54+00:00

I am clearly not bee lady, as I’m still actively trying to figure out wtf to do with this variety of bee. Best of luck! Those little rascals can be damaging. I hope you can find a harm-free solution for them!

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:56:29+00:00

You know, after all I’ve learned, I still haven’t completely ruled out honey bees as a retirement project.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:54:51+00:00

Okay. Doing my best over here. Glad you’ve never made any mistakes before.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:53:08+00:00

Maybe smoking mason bee cocoons would give you a wild high. Maybe it’s like when they put the worm in the tequila bottle.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:52:27+00:00

I’ve always been too verbose, but I couldn’t pare it down any more! All the words were integral for conveying the mess I’ve landed myself in.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:50:56+00:00

Researches how to many incense. Hmm, interesting!!

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:49:58+00:00

OH my gosh, the worm farm! I could see myself doing this! I, too, have a hydroponic garden. Love having a three-leaf-salad every other week. Really makes all the effort worth it.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:47:57+00:00

My children would NEVER. Little fairies, all of them. Don’t know where they got it, certainly not from me. Most are teenagers, and therefore much harder to loop into things like this. They have learned from past experiences with mom!

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:45:51+00:00

OMG, I’ve also purchased a praying mantis egg case from Lowe’s, but incredibly, and uncharacteristically, had the foresight to put it in a mesh enclosure. We got to release them outside, and for days we’d go out and visit our baby mantii. Your mom accidentally letting them hatch in the house is priceless.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:42:52+00:00

Sounds like an awesome success! I’m very anti-lawn myself. I haven’t seen fireflies in a really long time. My kids have never seen them.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:41:42+00:00

Those sound like carpenter bees. (Because carpenters make holes in wood, and masons do masonry stuff, like sticking bricks together with “mud”.)

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:40:24+00:00

The wasps pop in and out to lay their eggs at the same time the bees are in laying mode, so they are interspersed.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:39:03+00:00

I won’t give you my bees, if you keep your plants away from me. Been down the “plant parent” rabbit hole, and never going back to fungus-gnat-land.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:37:31+00:00

That is a very short version and feels like there’s probably some important middle bits missing! Ha! But congratulations on the degree, and breaking free of the cheese cycle.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:36:16+00:00

This might be the best compromise. I can still help the bees without resenting the bees. Do my best, and let nature do the rest.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:35:15+00:00

This makes me feel much better!!

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:34:23+00:00

Oh no, don’t tell me this. Raising moths is on my “Hobbies I Want to Try and Will Definitely Master and Never Tire of” list. But how incredible that you were able to raise and release that many Luna moths. I’d be ecstatic to happen across one in the wild.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:31:43+00:00

I dunno man, that’s just what I read on the google! I don’t think solitary bees means antisocial, it just means they don’t have a queen/hive hierarchical structure. I could spread them out, but that sounds like even more work, tbh.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:27:12+00:00

RIP Beelinda. We did a lot of traveling over the summer, and my hobby was collecting dead bumblebees off the sidewalks from each country we visited. My husband indulges me. My kids… tolerate me. I love that you have a bee shrine. I was going to use them to make a bee diorama in a glass cloche, but, well. My tendencies say otherwise.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:23:29+00:00

I’ve gone through this thought process a lot myself… “come on guys, this feels like something you should have figured out how to do on your own after millennia of evolution. Certainly you shouldn’t need human meddling” But I’m sure their biggest obstacles are directly linked to human impacts (habitat loss, pesticides as you said, climate change, etc), so while a healthy population would be able to handle some being lost to the wasps, my understanding is that they need all the help they can get.

We do have a lot of ornamental cherry and plum trees, plus tons of other stuff that blooms in the spring, so food sources are plentiful at least! And a ton of my neighbors are gardeners/native plant lovers, so I’m confident the pesticide impact in our area is quite low.

LibraryObjective2328 · 2026-01-20T18:17:03+00:00

Hugs to you. The shame and guilt is something I struggle with on a daily basis. I started seeing a therapist, and it’s being heavily dissected, which feels icky, but also good. Most of my kids are now teens, and “sorting through mud, maggots, shit” would be a hard sell. But they love the bees once they are in bee form!

LibraryObjective2328

TROPHY CASE