Regarding my last post (see, Bees!), Minnie called and said she had a bee's nest in one of her bushes. Remembering the traditional wasp/hornet's nests that are commonly found, and easily eradicated, I went to the hardware store and bought a can of insecticide. When I arrived at Minnie's, I won't say that I actually considered that I'd wandered into some sort of cartoon, but I think I may have wandered into some sort of cartoon. You know the type, some goofy looking fella (i.e., Goofy) spies a bee hive and decides he wants some honey, then promptly has his entire face covered by living, moving bees. He tries to run away and the bees form a question mark in the air, then an arrow pointing to where Goofy went, then a rocket that jabs Goofy in the butt. In any case, what I found when I neared Minnie's bush was a basketball-sized mass, composed entirely of bees! No wax. No gunk. All bees. I quickly realized that these were not wasps or hornets, they were bees. Here in Orange County, we have three types of the little critter, one of which (the so-called Killer Bee, which is actually an africanized variant of the Eurpean Honey Bee) likes to try and kill people who approach their nest. Since I was near the nest and not dead, I assumed these bees were of a type that could kill me but wouldn't (i.e., not killer bees). Turns out, I was correct. Not really knowing what to do about the bees, I decided to do what any homeowner might consider when unwanted creatures (e.g., neighborhood kids) invade the front yard: I turned the hose on them. While I was spraying their mass, the bees seemed agitated (but not at me, just the water) and left. Fortunately, they decided to relocate. Unfortuantely, (especially for the neighbor), their new home was a tree in the middle of the yard next door. The neighbors called an exterminator and the bees were gone by the next day. And by gone, I mean dead. So, it was a happy ending for all. The picture below, shows (some of) the bees who were in the process of relocation; keep in mind, all bees, no gunk.



On tap for tomorrow: Fire!