Dead Bees, More Flies... Why?
Okay, so by now I'm sure you're all aware -through various stories in the media- that honey bees are apparently dying mysteriously all across the country. Well, not knowing a damn thing about bees, I sort of assumed it was mainly the kinds of bees that are employed by beekeepers. You know, that breed of bees. That "sect" or "flock" or "gaggle" as it were that put on their hard hats and go to work making honey from 9-5 then retire to their combs at night. Now, however, I think I'm witnessing firsthand that the hard working bees of the honey industry and the lazy bastard bees that just chill out around my yard and suck off my flowers may be suffering the same inexplicable demise.
This past year, we have seen an inordinate amount of dead bees just lying around on the ground everywhere. Literally, Amanda fears for my life when I take out the trash in my socks or bare feet, worried that l may step on one of these deceased guys and get the last gift they can give, even after they're departed... a rousing stinger to the toe. At any rate, are we in fact witnessing "the end of days" as Amanda keeps telling me? Is anyone else seeing this phenomenon in their neck of the woods? I honestly can't recall every seeing this many dead bees just... dead. It's weird. Today, for instance, I went out to clean out the lint trap for our dryer vent and found five of them lying in proximity, prone on their backs, in what looked like a weird bee suicide pact. It's creepy, and I want someone to just tell me that it's normal and that it's always been this way and that M. Knight Shamalamalamalan stuff isn't "happening." It's just that I've never noticed it before, right? Because like when you buy a certain type of car, you suddenly start thinking there a ton of those cars around, right? That theory is the one I want to believe, but I can't because I just bought a Prius, and there really ARE a ton of them that have popped onto the streets in the last six months due to the gas price hike.
Now, the other insect phenomenon that's going on this summer is flies. Flies. Everywhere FLIES! I told Amanda that this summer is out of control with the fly population compared to summers past, but she refused to heed my warning. Then, the other day, I was at a friend's house when the topic arose without my prompting, and everyone practically screamed in unison, "Yes! The FLIES!!!?!!! What the fuck is going on with the flies this summer???" And you can't just limit it to the house. Oh no. The library.. check. The WGA lounge... check. Any and every restaurant in a 20 mile radius (which just covers the general area we migrate around in)... check.
So, what's going on people? Are we about to see a Hitchcockian nightmare play out in front of our very eyes? Are bees dying while flies are multiplying? Where do the ants stand in all of this? We actually had great success ridding our house of them through an organic pest control company.
Help me... please heeeeeelp me....
posted by Chris at
7:26 PM
19 Comments:
we have a ton of yellow jackets this summer, we just had a big nest taken away. yellow jackets are carnivores. they go after the dog food and chase the dogs into the house. is it possible honey bees are in decline but yellow jackets aren't? no flies in topanga!
The flies fill me with such a deep rage that sometimes I scare myself. - Amanda
And when you scare yourself, I get scared just via pure proximity.
Don't know what's going on with your bees, but it's probably different than the beekeepers bees. They aren't finding dead bees all over - their bees just disappear, the entire colony at once.
Are you sure they are not yellow jackets? No disrespect here, just checking.
I was at a country club for brunch not too long ago, and there were 3 wasps flying up in the chandeliers. It was the perfect opportunity for me to say, "My God there are a lot of WASPs in here!"
--That's all I have on that.
Amy, nice. Was Obama standing arrogantly against the wall with a beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette and making snide comments about everyone who passed by?
Bernie, they could be yellow jackets. Like I said, I know nothing about bees. But the fact remains, I've never seen this many dead bees just lying around on the ground. And I've never seen this many flies everywhere.
Bernie, they are not yellowjackets, they are bees. I'm disgusted that my husband doesn't know the difference.
Chris. First of all, thanks for clearing the thing up about the doors. Maybe we measured them diagonally in europe.
Second of all, the club where I was did not have and probably will never have Barack Obama as a guest. In fact, I wish he would have been there because then someone else's name would have ended in a vowel.
And bees in Ohio are thriving, btw. In fact, I just got stung recently.
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What is the bee tree?
thebeetree(dot)org
pack your bags, bernie. we're moving to ohio.
John, might I suggest southeast Ohio as your destination. It's where Amy and I went to college, and as she can attest it's beautiful. Actual seasons where leaves change colors. Lush rolling hills densely packed with trees. And most importantly... the finest kind bud in the entire midwest. I'll come visit on Homecoming Weekends.
southeast as in athens, ohio, where my nemesis maya lin is from? my brother went to school in yellow springs, which i really liked.
Yep. Athens. I forgot that Maya Lin is from there. I don't associate Maya Lin with OU and kind bud.
Well, Maya may have been from there, but she's been eclipsed by Jorma Kaukonen of the original Jefferson Airplane rock group. He has called Athens home for many years, and he even runs a renowned guitar camp on his southeast Ohio ranch.
I love when a post start with one thing, like bees, and ends up on something random like Jorma Kaukonen. That's progressive thread writing.
I refuse to live in Ohio.
I hear ya Bernie.
This is why you shouldn't feel bad when your posting doesn't get any comments. Most comments are unrelated to the original posting.
Bernie,
What's your price? What amount of money would get you comfortable with the idea of living in Ohio? This is sort of like the Rick Warren question to John McCain during the "Forum On Faith" on CNN. Warren asked what "rich" was. McCain said 5 million dollars a year and tried to act like he was joking right afterwards.
Don't pull a McCain, Bernie. I want honest numbers.
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