November 12, 2008: Beez

[Bonifacio]

Originally Posted by Griff

What an unbelievably stupid act.

I agree.

Clearly the poster has not paid attention to the news that has been available in the past year or more that bees are dying off at alarming rates. The loss of a hive is a serious loss. Even if he/she wasn't sure what was under that cover, it would have been a good idea to call the local county exension office and get some advice on how to safely check it out. They'll even come move a hive of bees if reported.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I don't think they have county extension agents... I don't know if they even have counties in Australia.

Welcome to the Cellar, Bonifacio, Tawnyscrawnylions@ya & JLrep.

I think this is the act of an average, suburban living person, that knows bees (of any stripe) are insects, sting, and are a threat to happy BBQs. I doubt he/she knows much about the bee's, or any insect's, role in nature, only that they are a potential threat to his/her comfort.
I don't approve, but I understand.

A friend of mine got tired of being attacked by Yellow Jackets every time he mowed the lawn. He poured water down their hidey hole, but they kept buzzing. So he poured gasoline down their hidey hole, but they kept buzzing. So he lit it... yup, a 5 foot deep crater in the lawn. His wife yelled at him for that, but he didn't hear her... or much else, for a week.

If for some reason I decided to ambush a hidden nest, and subsequently discovered those combs, I'd sure as hell take pictures.

[Aliantha]

Nope, no counties in Australia. I suppose you could say our federal electorates would be the equivalent (sort of) but there's no separate jurisdiction for law enforcement etc. Just state or federal. We have regional areas that'd probably maybe fit the description of a county I suppose, but even then I think not really.

[ZenGum]

Our local councils are similar in size to your counties, but are responsible for a great deal less.

On the negative side, this was very mid-twentieth century behaviour ... scary bad nature, kill it with clean pure chemicals! on the positive side, they used duct tape! and it worked!
And for those saying "unbelievably stupid act", I think you merely lack imagination. Unbelievably stupid is where some half-drunk fool gets a stick and whacks the BBQ cover a few times to see what happens, then lifts up the cover to see what all the buzzing is. At least this person went inside when they realised there were lots of angry bees. Not the wisest person in the world, but there are many who are much dumber.

[chrisinhouston]

These wasps are called “Tarantula Hawks” because they kill tarantulas and bury them for their young to feed on. They are arguably the largest wasps. This is a pretty big one with a 6.75 inch legspan.

[Shawnee123]

Jebus H...

[Sundae]

At least now I know I'm right not to get hysterical over English wasps.
On the flip side - I'm probably not coming to America after all.

[Shawnee123]

That there's a Texas wasp...everything's bigger in Texas!

[classicman]

from here

Body lengths measures up to two inches
Range
Pepsis is a New World genus, with species occurring from Argentina northward to Logan, Utah. Over 250 species are found in South America. Fifteen occur in the United States, with at least nine occurring in the deserts. Tarantula hawks occur wherever tarantulas are found.

A female wasp finds a tarantula by smell. Generally, she scampers across the ground to locate a burrow. She will enter the burrow and expel the spider, then attack it. She may also encounter a male tarantula during his search for a mate. In an attack, the wasp uses her antennae to probe the spider, which may raise its front legs and bare its fangs. (A tarantula does not always counterattack.) She then attempts to sting the spider. She might seize the spider by a leg, flip it over on its back and sting it, or she may approach from the side to deliver a sting. Once stung, the tarantula becomes paralyzed within seconds. The condition will last for the remainder of its life. The wasp may drink the body fluids oozing from the spider’s wounds or from its mouth to replenish nutrients and water she used during the attack.

If the wasp expelled her victim, she will drag it back into its own burrow, now a burial vault, lay a single egg on the spider’s abdomen, then seal the chamber. If the wasp succeeds in stinging a male tarantula on a mating hunt, she will excavate a burrow, drag the paralyzed spider inside, lay her single egg, and seal the chamber.
Once the egg hatches, the tiny grub, initially connected to the spider by the tip of its tail, bends over, attaches its head and begins to suck. It continues sucking until its final moult. It then rips open the spider's abdomen, thrusts its head and part of the thorax inside, and "feeds ravenously," as one entomologist described it. As one might hope, even for a spider, the tarantula at this point is finally dead.

Male tarantula wasps also lead an intriguing life. They engage in a behavior called "hill-topping," where they perch on taller vegetation or high points. They are strongly territorial at these sites because of the good view of the surroundings and in particular, of newly emerged virgin females, which may be receptive to mating. Once again we see that males of another species act quite like males of our own species; think of males posted up at a bar keeping an eye on the door.

[Shawnee123]

I don't believe that for a second.

[busterb]

! How often does he use his pit??? Bees don't do that overnite. I'd be afraid of eating the honey. Yellowjackets mostly build in ground.

[Pie]

Originally Posted by classicman

from here

Lovely stuff, classic. Sweet dreams!

[Cloud]

it's a shame, really. but, hindsight, ya know?

[monster]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

If for some reason I decided to ambush a hidden nest, and subsequently discovered those combs, I'd sure as hell take pictures.

yebbut, they have pics "before" discovery (allegedly)

[xoxoxoBruce]

So you go back and take pictures to show the events leading up to the discovery of the combs, to tell the whole story.