Has anyone else noticed an explosion of bees lately?
I might as well ask this since I got stung or bit by a bee yesterday during America day.
Last year, when taking strolls, it was rare enough for a bee to swarm around me that I could go whole strolls without it happening sometimes.
This year, they swarm around me everywhere. Everywhere. It's like fighting your way through putty patrollers. They respawn instantly, there's absolutely no lag. Shoo one away and one comes back five seconds later. Sometimes for three hour strolls encompassing six miles.
They cut down on using pesticides which are harmful to bees in my area, so there's tons of honeybees and bumble bees buzzing about... Maybe they cut down on using those pesticides in yours? It makes me happy to see all the bees because without them, three quarters of crops which produce food for us wouldn't be viable! Respect the bees. 🐝
Do you wear a lot of purple, violet and blue? Bees are naturally drawn to those hues because to bees, those are the most rewarding flower colors, and they probably see you as a giant flower!
I haven't noticed, and was about to reply with a story about the declining bee population. But a quick Google search says that yes, the bees are back in town
A part of the problem is importing bees people think are "more efficient". The old reasoning was that American bees were clunky and not as rapidly efficient as European bees, so the latter were brought over, but not only did this cause the American ones to be threatened by competition but also that vegetation swayed in favor of what European bees preferred while things only American bees would've pollinated waned. It's those European bees who are hording after me while I'm outside.
A decade ago I barely saw any. Two decades ago, there would be nights where you could see by the amount of light the absolute insane number of them would put out. Now, I'm seeing a decent amount, nothing like 20 years ago, but way better than it used to be.
If you're getting them flying into your face or stinging you when you're not messing with their nest, it's very possible you're dealing with Africanized Honey Bees (AFBs). They're basically impossible to tell apart just by looking at them. Aside from genetic testing, you have to do it by behavior. Lots of little differences, but two more obvious ones are:
They'll pretty much make a nest in any kind of a hole, including in the ground, while European bees like larger cavities in walls or hollow trees.
They defend their nests much more aggressively and at a greater distance. They'll fly up to your face, and tend to sting much more liberally (European bees rarely sting unless you try to squash them or actively threaten their nest).
The ones I deal with only ever stung/bit me twice despite dealing with them all year by the minute. Do the stings/bites have any difference? My thumb feels felt like it got a flu shot jab, but it didn't hurt after five minutes except for a very mild flu shot kind of soreness. No stinger in the skin either, at least none I can see.
I don't believe there's a venom difference. They got called "killer bees" because they tend to swarm people much more often than European, not because an individual sting is worse.
With that reaction, and no stinger, are you sure it was a honey bee? They pretty much always leave a stinger.
I wonder if this is related to the fact that I've seen quite a bit more native bees in my neighbourhood. (I'm in South America mind you.) And people freaking out because they look like wasps.
I believe that most of the native species here don't even sting, and if you annoy them they'll flock around you and... that's it, like a bunch of kids calling you meanie. Or at least the ones that look like wasps, like this:
Bees specifically? Or do you mean wasps and hornets? I haven't seen a bee in literal years, maybe since I was a kid. Wasps and other fuckers are annoyingly common enough. I have some in the back of my place. I can't even leave the window open for fresh air because they are somehow able to sneak in through the screen (I can't discern visible holes in the screen).
Yes, European bees to be specific (though not actually in Europe, European bees are just an invasive species here because people thought they'd be more productive than local bees if brought over, with the American bumblebee being endangered). If I was dealing with wasps, I'd probably be in much bigger trouble being stung/bitten, though fortunately the ones I deal with are more like flu shots when they strike, and I'm not allergic.
I drive the same way on holiday every year. I noticed that, for the first time in recent years, there's a massive uptick in insects on the windscreen this year. Might be because it's cooler and insects living in a lower air layer.
Ironically haven't seen an increase in wasps. Or at least that I know of, they always look just like European bees. None look like how I'd expect wasps to look.
Because of the heat, I at one point wondered if maybe they were attracted to my sweat.