One of those days...

[ostarella]

Today was supposed to be a productive day working outside.

That's about as far as it got.

Started out with a few things to get taken care of online first. Which would have been okay if I hadn't overslept.  Once I got that stuff done, I went out to start the chores by filling the bird feeders - only to discover I was totally out of sunflower seeds. So that meant a trip to town, and picking up a few other things that I needed - after taking time to make sure I had a list of all those "few things" that I needed. Got back, filled the feeders, then remembered I had to make a couple phone calls regarding our tiller - and then wait for people to call me back.

In the meantime, it was getting hotter than hell. Relative to the season and recent weather, anyway. So by the time I went out to start raking and cleaning out the gardens, my still thick winter blood just didn't want to deal with the heat. Plus still being a bit out of shape from the months of little or not activity. So came back in, decided to clean up the house until it cooled off a little outside.

Merrily bustling around the kitchen when this loud - as in, VERY LOUD - buzz raced past my ear. Looked around - HUGE bumble bee bopping around the kitchen. Huge as in good inch and a half.  And not happy. Now, bumble bees are not known for their benevolent attitude anyway - being trapped in a room does nothing to improve that. And he definitely considered me the cause of all his problems.

I have a pathological fear of spiders - my fear of bees is more practical. I've been stung twice in my life and the resulting swelling, pain, stiffness and overall "I'm going to puke my guts out" feeling is not one I wish to relive. So I let him chase me into the bathroom, where I locked him in long enough to get the bug spray. (Yes, chemical-free life nothwithstanding, there's a matter of pure survival instinct - so I do have bug spray. Potent bug spray.) And I spent the next 15 minutes alternating between chasing and being chased.

But I won. :D

So, now my heart is doing it's wonderful little I'm-stressed-out-you-idiot! thumping  and I'm sitting here thinking, I don't give a damn if the gardens ever get cleaned out.

But since we're due for thunderstorms for the next few days, I guess I'll have to get off my ass and work this evening.

But all in all - I'd rather deal with heat and bumblebees than snow and cold. Any day.

Comments

[beckyblack]

I can still remember an encounter with a huge-ass bumblebee nearly 20 years ago! That thing was huge. More like a bloody hummingbird than a bee.

It was a life and death struggle, but I defeated the beast.

[mossy62.livejournal.com]

Aw, the poor thing! Going by the size it was a queen, looking for a place for her nest. You killed a whole population of bumble bees in their beginning! And bumble bees don't sting unless they absolutely have to, they aren't agressive like wasps. But okay, let's put it down to a bad day. LOL. Just out of curiosity: is it really necessary to still feed the birds? We stop feeding as soon as the snow is gone and it gets a tiny bit warmer.

Anyway, hope your days will improve and won't have so many unexpected things to deal with. It's good to hear that spring has finally arrived at your place, too.

[billy-shriner.livejournal.com]

:-O You killed a bee!!!! Can you not get a glass, and a bit of paper and put him outside?

Bee's are okay - I've never come across an angry one... though he did sound pretty big :-O

[tracyb144.livejournal.com]

As one who has a huge fear of bees, I'd be hauling out the super duper bug spray myself and showing no mercy :P
And I don't care what kind. Wasps, hornets, cute little bumblebees. A bees' a bee. They sting. They hurt. And they're only cute in cartoons and Disney Pixar movies :D

[theteej2.livejournal.com]

Hah! Weighing in at last!

The biggest difference between bees and hornets/wasps is the stinging... duh!

Pollen gatherers like bees and bumblers can only sting one and die afterwards, like JFM said.

Hornets and Wasps however seek protien, and they are the repeat stingers, they only stop when you kill them.

Having had my encounters with both, give me bees and bumblers. Just hand me that flame-thrower when the Yellowjackets start hanging around. (I accidently ripped open a nest of Yellowjackets when landscaping. ASk me about repeat stingers and the two that got inside my shirt...)

Bumblers are great fun to just watch. Little Beeeee 52's.

*ok you can all stop groaning!*