Bumblebees

 I heard that bumblebees are an endangered species. True or not, I can assure you they are not endangered here in my tiny slice of paradise. They seem to be everywhere, but especially in the dog yard. They hover over my plants, too. I am happy to share my home with them.

Well, I was. They have been here since the first hint of Spring. I noticed a few bumblebees in the kampground, of course, but they are all over the place here. Usually buzzing around with two or three friends in tow. I have just let them be and gone on about my business. I don't swat at them or run from them. They will usually just go on about their business and we have cohabitated in peace.

Yesterday, I was mindlessly raking pulled weeds and dead leaves clinging to the side of the embankment. My mind was busy with thoughts of our upcoming trip, so I was not paying attention to anything, having determined there were no snakes around. Out of nowhere came a mad bumblebee and he stung me!

On the face right below my right eye. I was alone, of course. HeWho was getting the RX I forgot on the last trip to Walmart. I have been stung before, but this was in a truly tender spot. I immediately lost the rake and headed inside to the freezer and plopped a chunk of ice on it.

The ice helped and the pain was not unbearable. I took some Benadryl and went back out later and mowed the grass. Today my eye is quite swollen, and the itching is driving me nuts. It is too close to my eye to use a topical remedy, so I am relying on Benadryl again to help. It is also very sore and hot to the touch. I will live to tell another tale.

I asked aloud if bumblebees have hives. HeWho assured me they did not. The Benadryl has not affected me that much, I wasn't asking him, just wondering aloud. 

Google is quite knowledgeable about bees, you know. I noticed that someone else had inquired about bumblebees stinging (I can answer that one!). They do live socially in hives like honeybees. They will usually be underground in an abandoned home of a mouse or other similar animal. I must have disturbed the hive. They can and do sting, but only when threatened. The stinger is smooth with no barbs and can be used over and over again and doesn't mean death if it does fall off. I knew none of this!

Now I do. I was begrudging the water dish I made for them with pebbles for them to stand on. I feel better knowing the humble bumble only stung because he thought I was attacking his home and his queen. She does need to know that I am the ultimate Queen Bee here, though!!

Comments

  1. Joanne NoragonMay 29, 2022 at 5:52 PM

    A lot of bees live underground. My cousin and I stepped through a nest when I was three and were pretty badly attacked. Now I am allergic to bee stings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy's KlotheslineMay 30, 2022 at 6:44 AM

      I stepped in a ground hornets' nest weeding a garden, they went up my shorts leg and into my shirt. I was stripping as I ran for the house. Left a trail of clothes in my wake and cared not that all the campers could see me!!

      Delete
  2. RiverMay 29, 2022 at 9:50 PM

    Have you located the hive to be able to avoid it? I didn't know that bumblebees sting.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kathy's KlotheslineMay 30, 2022 at 6:42 AM

    It had to be where I was raking, so, yes, I am avoiding that area!! My eye is still swollen and itches.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ellen abbottMay 30, 2022 at 7:24 AM

    Yes, bumble bees live underground. Bees and most wasps won't sting unless the feel threatened. Becak when I was doing the river guide thing one of our campgrounds always had a lot of big red wasps attracted by the syrup I guess when we had pancakes. We had to tell our clients to just ignore them, not to freak out and start swatting at them because then they would sting. Even if they landed on you which they would do on occasion. When that happened you just blew at them gently and they would lift off and fly away. Lots of nervous people at times but no one ever got stung.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy's KlotheslineMay 31, 2022 at 5:08 PM

      They usually just fly around me when I am in the gardens. But I am pretty sure I raked too close and they felt threatened. My face is still swollen and itching, I learned my lesson!!

      Delete
  5. ValMay 30, 2022 at 8:10 PM

    We have carpenter bees eating away our porch supports. They look just like bumble bees. They hover and buzz, but don't seem likely to sting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kathy's KlotheslineMay 31, 2022 at 5:06 PM

    These are bumblebees pollinating and now that I know where they live, you can bet I will not be getting close again! They hover over the dog yard and stay just high enough to really annoy Toni Louise, but they don't bother her, just toy with her.

    ReplyDelete

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