Swarm of Bees!

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Thanks for your message Cate, Southwark council contacted me straight away by phone ( is this a record?! One hour from email to phone call!) and they are coming tomorrow morning at 8am onwards to inspect all the wasps hanging outside the lounge window. I have never seen swarms of wasps before but for some reason or other, we do have a swarm of them outside the window!

[bigbadwolf]

How are they going to inspect all the Wasps outside you window? Further more, how do you know they aren't Bees in disguise?

[Mikecg]

BBW Wrote:

How are they going to inspect all the Wasps outside you window?

snip<

I've never heard anybody call another person a window before, oh well theres a first time for everything.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I've never been called a window before either, I must be transparent! Is it that obvious?

Well if they are bees, they are longer and hairless! Not the lovely fat furry type.

As for asking how they will inspect the wasps, I am guessing they will open up the lounge window, see all the wasps having a field time in their numbers hovering around, and then go and get a ladder and inspect it from outside, but maybe that is too obvious?

[bigbadwolf]

I'll get my coat.

[louisiana]

HeidiHi Wrote:

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> Thanks for your message Cate, Southwark council

> contacted me straight away by phone ( is this a

> record?! One hour from email to phone call!) and

> they are coming tomorrow morning at 8am onwards to

> inspect all the wasps hanging outside the lounge

> window. I have never seen swarms of wasps before

> but for some reason or other, we do have a swarm

> of them outside the window!

You may have a wasp nest e.g. in the eaves of your house. It's a common location for them. Wasp nests are kind of papery structures.

Or, you may be confusing honey bees (Apis mellifera) and bumble bees (e.g. Bombus terrestris). Bumble bees are much larger and hairy. They build small nests and don't swarm.

So you *may* have a swarm of honey bees.

Or...

[bigbadwolf]

........they're Wasps in disguise.

[louisiana]

Do you think Jacqui S will make that a new offence? Impersonating a wasp? :) Or even impersonating a wasp whilst under the influence... Or conspiracy to impersonate...

Perhaps some new CCTV could be installed outside Lloyds Bank - and chez HeidiHi - to keep an eye on potential impersonators.

[bigbadwolf]

I doubt it Lou.

[Administrator]

Stay on topic

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Don't bumble bees and honey bees have hairs and wasps don't? I am sure the pest control man will let me know what kind I have tomorrow. I prefer no kind.

[cate]

Wasps are skinnier, bumble bees are fat and bees are.......uh bees. Can't think how to describe them. I sat on a wasp once and he or she stung me and it was very painful.

[ponderwoman]

Hi, HeidiHi, I'm the Lucky person who got the swarm off the traffic lights-sounds to me like you've also got a swarm of bees- only bumble bees are furry! I could come round now to check if you wanted, will pm you. Incidentally folks, wasps are much more sensible than bees and spend all summer eating tons of flies and rarely can be bothered to sting anyone. More of a nuisance in the autumn when they die off (except for queens).

[louisiana]

Yeah, she's got enough on her plate right now. Didn't she look glum yesterday, making her statement about Bob Not-so-nimble?

Anyway, back to the topic... Nice to hear today more funds announced for bee health research.

And LBKA is looking at the initial Southwark response on the swarm in East Dulwich.

[ponderwoman]

Collecting bees off a traffic light camera was a first for me and I've prised them out of some awkward places. No, I didn't have any equipment so got stung a few times on my hands(does make your eyes smart, but only for a couple of minutes) cos I was poking them into a box. Unpoked they wouldn't have stung anyone and would have left when their scout bees found somewhere to live. Has anyone got a photo? I will post one of swarms I have found. I would really appreciate it if anyone contacted me if they see a swarm of bees. Thanks to Plough Homecraft for their loan of the amazing traffic light high stepladder, mine wouldn't have been high enough. Bees are now enjoying new frames and wax in an improvised temporary hive. I also phoned Southwark council to ask what their policy was on swarms but they failed to return my call. The bee equipment suppliers in Blackheath also said it was illegal to destroy them.

[louisiana]

Well done ponderwoman. They do find the strangest places to swarm, don't they?

London Beekeepers Association is speaking to Southwark Council. Southwark, and the police, should have called the swarm co-ordinator for London 07922147379 (who can call on quite a few LBKA bee-keepers experienced in dealing with swarms).

From what I know about bees and the law, bees have no special protection. They are not listed at protected in any of the wildlife legislation (unlike bats, tawny owls etc.). So they probably have the same degree of protection as, say, an ordinary wild flower. Generally, people have some kind of duty of care under the law but no more.

[louisiana]

For anyone in doubt about honey bees, bumble bees, wasps (differences, what to do etc.) a member of Kent Beekeepers Association has put together this useful page.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Can somebody keep an eye on the South London Press or Southwark News? This is BOUND to be covered,

[PeckhamRose]

"From what I know about bees and the law, bees have no special protection"

Yet the Southwark Council Pest Control officer I spoke with yesterday said Southwark Council's policy is absolutely not to kill them because they are a protected species.

Talk about left hand right hand!

I have PMd relevant people with the officer's name I spoke to so people can sort this out. Which I hope they will.

[louisiana]

PeckhamRose

Bees have no "special protection" and no "specific protection" as a species (unlike bats, owls etc.).

Here attached is a list of protected species under the WACA. Bees do not appear on it.

They are in general terms covered under UK wildlife law, in the same way as an ordinary wild flower is. No more. So that means a general duty of care and so on.

They are also included in agricultural/foodstuffs legislation/regulation as food-producing animals (like cows and pigs!), meaning that you must only administer government-approved vet medicines to them and so on.

[Brendan]

If they are classed as food producing animals how does a bee become property?

[louisiana]

Brendan, any food producing animal can be property. It's just property with four, six, eight legs... B)

corrected for spelling

[Brendan]

Yeah I know but there are legal ways of defining who a cow belongs to and where it may graze etc. So what happens when bees swarm? Do they belong to the keeper from whose hive they originated?

Also what am I going to do about the freeloading bees on my petunias? A mate of mine who lives in the countryside charges the local farmer for letting his cows graze on his field. Surely I should charge the bee keeper for letting his bees graze in my garden?

[bigbadwolf]

Petunias eh Brendan. Why not go the full mile and have middle class tatoo'd on your forehead, then have c@nt branded into your chin.

[Domitianus]

intexasatthe moment Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I saw the swarm ( and the unnecessary hysteria

> from several members of the public ) and luckily

> was able to contact my friend who was visiting

> from Cornwall. She has years of bee keeping

> experience and she rescued said swarm with the aid

> of a net curtain and gardening gloves for

> protection and the loan of a fantastic ladder from

> the public spirited DIY shop

>

> (tu)PLOUGH

> HOMECRAFT (tu)

> To whom a

> HUGE thankyou.

>

> But and this is a big but - she was only just in

> time . The police had called Southwark Pest

> Control and they had arrived ready to destroy them

> .

> How terrible when bees are dying at an alarming

> rate. Couldn't there be some sort of system where

> there was a rota of local beekeepers on call to

> rescue any swarms and the police/ Southwark had

> their numbers ?

They are lucky Richard Widmark didn't get there first!

'The Swarm' - very possibly the worst film in movie history. See below for a few lowlights: