Chased by Bees
#1
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Chased by Bees
Out practicing with my Paraglider last night I wondered why the gate to the playing field I use was locked. Duly climbed over the gate and proceded to unpack my rather large kite. Some insects - wasn't sure what they were - kept bugging me and I kept swatting them out of the way. Ten minutes later and there were more of them than I could swat. At this point I did what I should have nine minutes earlier and took a look at one of them. Definately a pissed off Honey Bee. By the time I'd packed up 25sq mtrs of fabric and associated lines they were bloody everywhere! I managed to get back in my truck and bugger off in time to watch a huge swarm of them gathering over the gate.
As someone who's allergic to pretty much anything out of the ordinary I'd say I was pretty lucky.
Be careful out there folks!
As someone who's allergic to pretty much anything out of the ordinary I'd say I was pretty lucky.
Be careful out there folks!
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If they had been angry you would have known all about it! They were probably just doing their annual swarm, looking for a home. Bees are generally much more friendly than people give them credit for. If there were hives nearby the beekeeper would usually pick them up and deposit them back in the hive.
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Bloody hell We used to have hives at the end of our garden and on the odd occasion they've swarmed and it's pretty scary - as you found out!
Thank god you got out quickly otherwise it could've been you and not the gate.
Thank god you got out quickly otherwise it could've been you and not the gate.
#4
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Friendly or not, it scared the crap out of me. I was a definate target, they were coming straight for me and I could feel them hitting my back. My hand flapping was probably quite comical from a distance.
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That'll teach you to climb over locked gates
Swarming bees tend to be full of honey/ nectar as they move house, hence about as interested in picking a fight with you as a guy who's just finished a nine-course meal (without alcohol).
If they were spoiling for a fight, I doub't you'd have managed to swat nine without getting stung or at least very seriously dive-bombed.
Swarming bees tend to be full of honey/ nectar as they move house, hence about as interested in picking a fight with you as a guy who's just finished a nine-course meal (without alcohol).
If they were spoiling for a fight, I doub't you'd have managed to swat nine without getting stung or at least very seriously dive-bombed.
#7
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Originally Posted by scoobychick
Thank god you got out quickly otherwise it could've been you and not the gate.
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Originally Posted by JackClark
Friendly or not, it scared the crap out of me. I was a definate target, they were coming straight for me and I could feel them hitting my back. My hand flapping was probably quite comical from a distance.
And let's face it, had they been wasps instead of bees, a swarm like that usually means they are pretty pissed off at something!
Edited to add: I was chased off an island in a nature reserve once by a flock of Canada geese .... its pretty funny thinking about it now, but at the time I was cacking it... they were not happy!
Last edited by ajm; 28 June 2005 at 11:25 AM.
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hows this for ...
When i was a kid, a friend's mother was warned that if she was stung by a bee there would be a 99.9% (or something like that) risk of her dying...
she didnt have to work as hubby earned lots of money... her hobby??
BEE KEEPING...
barmy..
Always carry your epipen Jack..
When i was a kid, a friend's mother was warned that if she was stung by a bee there would be a 99.9% (or something like that) risk of her dying...
she didnt have to work as hubby earned lots of money... her hobby??
BEE KEEPING...
barmy..
Always carry your epipen Jack..
#13
I'm a beekeeper, though I don't actually have any hives at the moment. Oddly enough when bees swarm they're probably at their most docile, basically they have a big feed of honey to last them a few days then all go off to look for a new home to live in. They're more placid than usual as they're bloated and full of food, but will still sting if provoked as they're very protective of the queen.
Best thing is to back off slowly and try (though it's hard) not to swat any and risk pissing them off. If one stings you it releases a pheramone which causes the others to get on the defensive, so you usually get stung by a few more.
I've never seen one of my own hives swarm, as a beekeeper it's possble to take steps to prevent it happening (means you get lots more honey). But i've seen other swarms on the move and it's spectacular to watch, i've also collected swarms from sheds, shops, attics etc - but never from an intercooler scoop.
Best thing is to back off slowly and try (though it's hard) not to swat any and risk pissing them off. If one stings you it releases a pheramone which causes the others to get on the defensive, so you usually get stung by a few more.
I've never seen one of my own hives swarm, as a beekeeper it's possble to take steps to prevent it happening (means you get lots more honey). But i've seen other swarms on the move and it's spectacular to watch, i've also collected swarms from sheds, shops, attics etc - but never from an intercooler scoop.
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Jack - can you do as badly as this girl?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1516014,00.html
"She becomes quickly and violently ill if she comes into contact with any allergen from an almost endless catalogue that includes: raw fruit, raw vegetables, cooked fruit, fruit juices, some cooked vegetables, ham, cumin, nutmeg, fennel, chick peas, french fries, rye, anything lactose derived (excluding cheese), some beauty products, rubber gloves, condoms, trees, tree pollen, wasps and wasp venom. "
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1516014,00.html
"She becomes quickly and violently ill if she comes into contact with any allergen from an almost endless catalogue that includes: raw fruit, raw vegetables, cooked fruit, fruit juices, some cooked vegetables, ham, cumin, nutmeg, fennel, chick peas, french fries, rye, anything lactose derived (excluding cheese), some beauty products, rubber gloves, condoms, trees, tree pollen, wasps and wasp venom. "
#15
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Thankfully not. My last epipen reached its use by date and the current one is getting on a bit.
A cheese sandwich caused my last attack, thankfully I was in the BA lounge at Brussells airport where the staff and airport doctor did a great job of looking after and jabbing me. I've just eaten a cheese sandwich for lunch so fingers crossed eh. Against some peoples advice I sample foods I know can trigger an attack, crab for instance, every now and then just to test things out and perhaps build up a tolerance. Seems to work as Shrimp is now firmly back on the menu where a few years ago preparing my food using the same utensils as used for any seafood would've decked me. I don't recommend this by the way, it might kill someone.
Edited to add:
As a lover of adventure sports I often run into people claiming to be Adrenalin Junkies, they change their mind when I offer them a fix
A cheese sandwich caused my last attack, thankfully I was in the BA lounge at Brussells airport where the staff and airport doctor did a great job of looking after and jabbing me. I've just eaten a cheese sandwich for lunch so fingers crossed eh. Against some peoples advice I sample foods I know can trigger an attack, crab for instance, every now and then just to test things out and perhaps build up a tolerance. Seems to work as Shrimp is now firmly back on the menu where a few years ago preparing my food using the same utensils as used for any seafood would've decked me. I don't recommend this by the way, it might kill someone.
Edited to add:
As a lover of adventure sports I often run into people claiming to be Adrenalin Junkies, they change their mind when I offer them a fix
Last edited by JackClark; 29 June 2005 at 12:20 PM.
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Originally Posted by JackClark
Thankfully not. My last epipen reached its use by date and the current one is getting on a bit.
A cheese sandwich caused my last attack, thankfully I was in the BA lounge at Brussells airport where the staff and airport doctor did a great job of looking after and jabbing me. I've just eaten a cheese sandwich for lunch so fingers crossed eh. Against some peoples advice I sample foods I know can trigger an attack, crab for instance, every now and then just to test things out and perhaps build up a tolerance. Seems to work as Shrimp is now firmly back on the menu where a few years ago preparing my food using the same utensils as used for any seafood would've decked me. I don't recommend this by the way, it might kill someone.
A cheese sandwich caused my last attack, thankfully I was in the BA lounge at Brussells airport where the staff and airport doctor did a great job of looking after and jabbing me. I've just eaten a cheese sandwich for lunch so fingers crossed eh. Against some peoples advice I sample foods I know can trigger an attack, crab for instance, every now and then just to test things out and perhaps build up a tolerance. Seems to work as Shrimp is now firmly back on the menu where a few years ago preparing my food using the same utensils as used for any seafood would've decked me. I don't recommend this by the way, it might kill someone.
In extreme cases people have even successfully self immunised (look up Bill Haast) against venomous snakes by repeatedly exposing themselves against tiny amounts of venom over a long period of time!
#17
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That's my thinking, but don't tell that to my doctor without expecting a half hour rant. I also use this theory to avoid washing, I am not a minger I'm building up my immune system
#22
Originally Posted by Brendan Hughes
Jack - can you do as badly as this girl?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1516014,00.html
"She becomes quickly and violently ill if she comes into contact with any allergen from an almost endless catalogue that includes: raw fruit, raw vegetables, cooked fruit, fruit juices, some cooked vegetables, ham, cumin, nutmeg, fennel, chick peas, french fries, rye, anything lactose derived (excluding cheese), some beauty products, rubber gloves, condoms, trees, tree pollen, wasps and wasp venom. "
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1516014,00.html
"She becomes quickly and violently ill if she comes into contact with any allergen from an almost endless catalogue that includes: raw fruit, raw vegetables, cooked fruit, fruit juices, some cooked vegetables, ham, cumin, nutmeg, fennel, chick peas, french fries, rye, anything lactose derived (excluding cheese), some beauty products, rubber gloves, condoms, trees, tree pollen, wasps and wasp venom. "
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my dad and bro had a lad working for them replacing a flat roof
at dinner time they were in the van having a cuppa dad shouts to the lad come down and get a cup of tea
he says im just gettin this last board off he rips it off and he is instantley coverd in a swarm of wasps he runs and jumps strait of the roof and runs over to the van were my dad has promptly locked the doors and they both sit there drinking tea for the next ten mins pi5sin them selves as he runs round like a nutter
at dinner time they were in the van having a cuppa dad shouts to the lad come down and get a cup of tea
he says im just gettin this last board off he rips it off and he is instantley coverd in a swarm of wasps he runs and jumps strait of the roof and runs over to the van were my dad has promptly locked the doors and they both sit there drinking tea for the next ten mins pi5sin them selves as he runs round like a nutter
#26
Originally Posted by paulwrxboro
my dad and bro had a lad working for them replacing a flat roof
at dinner time they were in the van having a cuppa dad shouts to the lad come down and get a cup of tea
he says im just gettin this last board off he rips it off and he is instantley coverd in a swarm of wasps he runs and jumps strait of the roof and runs over to the van were my dad has promptly locked the doors and they both sit there drinking tea for the next ten mins pi5sin them selves as he runs round like a nutter
at dinner time they were in the van having a cuppa dad shouts to the lad come down and get a cup of tea
he says im just gettin this last board off he rips it off and he is instantley coverd in a swarm of wasps he runs and jumps strait of the roof and runs over to the van were my dad has promptly locked the doors and they both sit there drinking tea for the next ten mins pi5sin them selves as he runs round like a nutter
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Did they sit in the van and laugh as his tongue swelled up blocking his airway, supped their tea as he turned blue and went into anaphylaxis? I expect they were in stitches by the time his skin blistered up?
What a hoot!
What a hoot!
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Originally Posted by ajm
Did they sit in the van and laugh as his tongue swelled up blocking his airway, supped their tea as he turned blue and went into anaphylaxis? I expect they were in stitches by the time his skin blistered up?
!
!
there house got reposesed this was more than she could handle and you can guess the rest RIP (sp)
He got stung 4 times chill out
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Originally Posted by paulwrxboro
Yes a short time later he died from his wounds leaving a a wife and 5 kids none over 3 years of age
there house got reposesed this was more than she could handle and you can guess the rest RIP (sp)
He got stung 4 times chill out
there house got reposesed this was more than she could handle and you can guess the rest RIP (sp)
He got stung 4 times chill out
No they are a pair of ***** esp dad