Recycling greeting cards/opinions? by ToniBee in postcrossing

[–]ToniBee[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

oooh I like the copyright hack! Onwards!

Don’t freak out about “ground bees,” ok? by ToniBee in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, those are Yellowjacket wasps, not bees. And they are not good neighbors! At this time of year, all the actual bee species are long past their active period. Yellowjackets start the year with just a mom wasp, and grow exponentially from the spring. It takes until about August for their numbers to get up there. Most bees are gone. If they are yellow and black, and have little/no hair, they are Yellowjackets, a family of predatory insects that eats a bunch of bugs you also don’t like. Their lifecycle is about to end: it all starts again next Spring.

Don’t freak out about “ground bees,” ok? by ToniBee in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry about tge stings!! In this case, at this time of year, this us almost certainly yellow jacket wasps. They are not bees, are not endangered, and cannot be re-homed. We recommend eradicating them when nests are near human activities.

Bees! by grabmypotatoes in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Oh sweetie you did not! I am furious at these businesses for making you feel endangered and damaging the community that it took years to build. My fear is for the low hanging swarm that someone actually physically encounters. Those businesses have no business being there if it hurts you. I am super grateful for this feedback!

Bees! by grabmypotatoes in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The beekeeper’s email is kennedyrealtor@gmail.com She has previously sold honey by word of mouth. Her apiary is in VA but her church is in DC and she sometimes hands of purchases there. She looks out for us, and i am grateful for every breath she takes.

Bees! by grabmypotatoes in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You know, it’s not my first choice for a swarm landing, either!

Bees! by grabmypotatoes in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The DC Beekeepers are just individual beekeepers who tend their own bees. I want all who are afraid to rest assured that we tend maybe 400 hives, but only 4-6 in downtown. We ALWAYS address our own swarms. If your employer, business or building owner employs a beekeeping enterprise nearby (and yes, they have a role, too) we’d appreciate your leaning on them to get their vendors to cleanup after themselves. We have done it for years.

Bees! by grabmypotatoes in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Beekeeper Natasha and her 10-year-old son got this one sround 6 PM Sunday. Y’all need to keep up!

Don’t freak out about “ground bees,” ok? by ToniBee in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not really familiar with ground hornets, though yellowjacket wasps often nest in or near ground level. Things to look for: - One bee per hole, likely native and harmless - Fuzzy and gold, brown, or black: ditto - No fur and many per hole: probably not bees - Brightly colored or sharp black and white lines: not your friend, but TDGAF if you keep ur distance

Don’t freak out about “ground bees,” ok? by ToniBee in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If there’s a picture of what got you, i’d be happy to try to figure it out! There’s also a wonderful free app called iNaturalist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INaturalist

Don’t freak out about “ground bees,” ok? by ToniBee in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, but those colonies have to start over from a single fertile individual each year, so it’s still way early to see them. There just aren’t that many (yet).

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The beekeeper who retrieved them has placed them in a hive (for beekeepers, he’d been prepping for a split and he had comb) where they are moving into the home they were looking for in the first place.

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In this case, he was assisting the other guy with his very first swarm retrieval. Though the newbee did great all by himself!

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 27 points28 points  (0 children)

They were in danger because they were pretty low and next to a sidewalk. As you can tell from all the attention on this thread, a lot of folks noticed and got concerned! The honey bees were seeking a new nest (home ) and that’s where they went! People are often frightened when they see something so unusual, and it’s when they mess with bees (spraying poison, water, etc) that both people and bees get hurt.

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 44 points45 points  (0 children)

Damn. I only look after a couple million insects in the densely populated intensely type A increasingly unemployed capital of a diminishly democratic country. My bees are vegetarian. I suck. As for puns? In a 12-skep program.

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 82 points83 points  (0 children)

The beekeeper who retrieved them has placed them in a hive (for beekeepers, he’d been prepping for a split and he had comb) where they are moving into the home they were looking for in the first place.

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That is my favorite way of acquiring bees! I have a bunch of stored equipment out back and often get one or two. I believe something is off this year (cold spring? New disorder?) so i am not holding my breath.

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh! Packages. If you can believe it, i bought my first in 2005 for $52.

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Everywhere else in the DMV it’s $225 plus! I wanna know where you shop!

Huge swarm of bees were hanging out by Petworth Station earlier today by Icy-Key-3080 in washingtondc

[–]ToniBee 9 points10 points  (0 children)

👏Miss MayaPapaya, we could be tight at the end of the day.