SFist: Swarm of Bees Attacks the Mission

katio

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:50:51 -0800

I was witness to the swarm moving down the street on the alleged day. Yes it made me nervous and yes it was cool looking. Thanks mother nature!

sharilynstalling

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:23:48 -0800

These are benign European honey bees. Like other bees they swarm when the queen decides to create a new hive. They swarm around her to protect her. They rarely sting when swarming. You have to actively threaten the queen. However it is scary to see a bee swarm especially if you have been influenced by Hollywood horror movies and thus believe that these bees are out for blood. Now the Africanized bees that are in Texas and a few southern states are a different story. They are truly capable of full on assault with hundreds of them aggressively chasing you 300 yards. However even they do not generally sting you when they are swarming.

zippy_monster

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:25:17 -0800

Arnaud: honey bees have been hybridized for a long time now. Some species are only around because of beekeeper types, so yes indeed "commercial" vs "wild" is a valid distinction.

Brock Keeling

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:25:50 -0800

i don't know about commercial, but the bees could do both print and runway.

Arnaud H

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:23:31 -0800

"Commercial" bees vs. "wild" bees? What the hell are you guys talking about? There is no such thing. All bees are wild. Some are kept, some are not. They're all been victims of the colony collapse disorder. I can't believe the SFPD didn't know they could call a beekeeper to collect the swarm. I suspect the fire department guys would have known though.

turtle_276

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:12:16 -0800

That is indeed a beautiful photograph. Magnificent creatures.

Incandenza

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:19:34 -0800

Brock- didn't you do a story a few months back about a bee-keeper who lived in the mission? Can he be reached for comment? Was there a bee mutiny in his garden?

sfmike

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:47:02 -0800

Oddly enough, I got stung by a bee last Friday at the corner of Fourth and Market waiting for a bus. I felt an insect land behind my ear, whisked it off with my right hand, and the frigging thing dug its stinger down as hard as it could into my second finger. Then I watched it die on the sidewalk and I was glad. I have a sister who went from non-allergenic to total encephalitic shock in her teens from bee stings, so I waited to see if I was going to puff up and die, but no. The immune system is still balanced. And that ws my happy story for the day.

Akit

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:24:17 -0800

A roving mass going after the queen? Looks like these bees are just a little too horny.

Aventinus

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:25:54 -0800

Only commercial bees. Wild bees are doing just fine. Heh. Sort of the reverse of Pilgrims giving syphilis to the Native Americans.

travin

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:08:36 -0800

@antfaber wrote: ...I thought bees were dying everywhere... Only commercial bees. Wild bees are doing just fine.

doublegin

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:26:05 -0800

Ha, I love the phrase "itinerant horde of bees"! What a bunch of hoodlums.

T.E. Lawrence

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:57:42 -0800

Yes!!! I hope they stay and pester the fixies :D

periqueblend

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:26:52 -0800

we don't need the bees to attack fixees, we have cars for that.

antfaber

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:19:43 -0800

I thought bees were dying everywhere. Will we have to move all bee pollinated agriculture to the Mission? Maybe they. like all of us, just love burritos.

mpantone

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:01:52 -0800

Please post any photos of these bees attacking fixies. Thanks!

zippy_monster

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:41:13 -0800

Nature is fucking awesome.

Brock Keeling

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:59:42 -0800

ack!!!@%$~$%TRhb ew HE ndWE$W$^

withak

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:56:28 -0800

If you have never been stung by a bee then you don't really know if you are allergic. In which case you getting stung could kill you.

RobInSF

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:51:26 -0800

Imagine walking out the door to go to work and you see THAT on your car. Talk about harshing the morning mellow.

Aventinus

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:32:39 -0800

Best thing to do in case of a sting is to ice it (indirectly, putting ice directly on skin for a long period can actually do damage, so wrap a bag of ice in a towel) and apply hydrocortisone to stop the itching. Taking an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen or a antihistamine can also help a lot. So can getting drunk. Unless you're allergic, in which case you might die without an EpiPen.

Rah

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:22:07 -0800

Whoa, that's pretty cool. As far as getting stung by bees, t's like getting poked with a needle, and then you get a little itchy/sore bump. Not too bad. They only sting you if they think you're trying to kill them, anyways.