and speaking of bumble bees.......

Donald Lehman · Sep 29, 2015

Picked another batch of razzleberries yesterday. I have a late variety that is bearing fruit right now. The vines are also still blossoming. Since nothing else is blossoming, the bumble bees are literally thick as molasses all over the vines. They don't seem to be aggressive at all while I am picking berries. They can be on a blossom right next to a berry I am picking and they don't seem to mind. They walk across my hands and buzz around my head and just go on about their business of gathering what may be the last available nector of the year. I would guess the cooler weather is making them less aggressive, too.

NoNewParts · Sep 29, 2015

ya, most stingers don't mess with you at all away from their nest.
just shoo them away.

creepy story.
trimming a big screen tree that was covered with some kind of aphid...noticed because it was dripping wet from damage.
Tree was absolutely covered also with bald-faced hornets hunting,
eating the aphids.
Usually one of the most fearsome of hornets around their nest.
(no nest, they were just hunting)
trimming the tree with my pole saw and dragging the limbs away,
I was covered with aphids.
The hornets never bothered me at all.

jeffcat · Sep 29, 2015

From what I have read, true bumble bees, the real big suckers are mostly very calm as where European honey bees will nail you. African bees forget it cause you are in all kinds of trouble.

Dick2 · Sep 29, 2015

Those bumble bees will sting you all over on a hot day when you try to straighten combine cylinder bars on an anvil with a maul near their nest. Nailed my uncle and me really good when we started pounding on those cylinder bars; we didn't even know they had a nest in the shop until we got stung.

gusbratz · Sep 29, 2015

they live in underground nests of a few dozen, they will sting you if you weed wack the vetch over top of the nest on a hot day. I heard on npr they are not doing good, too hot in the south and too cold in the north now days and the band they live in is getting thinner.

Deutz Lover · Sep 29, 2015

I have never had a bumble bee sting me, but two years ago we mowed near one and they did buzz us. One did try to get us and she/it followed us at least a hundred feet. I finally swatted it down and stepped on it. Whew.

The ones I hate are German wasps/yellow jackets. They will sting your just for the #ell of it and it feels like liquid fire.

gwstang · Sep 30, 2015

(quoted from post at 14:14:07 09/29/15) they live in underground nests of a few dozen, they will sting you if you weed wack the vetch over top of the nest on a hot day. I heard on npr they are not doing good, too hot in the south and too cold in the north now days and the band they live in is getting thinner.

A few years ago I was moving a wood pile in the back of the house. It had been there a year or so. I got down to the last pieces of wood on the bottom and there was this cotton candy looking nest at the very bottom of the wood rack. I was like, "what is that"? Then I notice these black things moving around inside of it and one of them exited. It was a bumble bee nest. Fortunately it was cool in the late fall and they were not moving much. That would have ended badly if it were warm weather. :?

RC Brooks · Sep 30, 2015

Lots around here. I usually haven't had a problem, but I've had problems recently with screen printing on shirts. They seem attracted to the screen printing and sting when they land on it.

GVSII · Sep 30, 2015

I'm 74 Y O and have gotten stung only once by a bumble bee.I don't know what I did to get her P O'd but she sat down HARD behind my right ear.I was about 10 Y O and it put me on my knees.Many times I've had them land on me and put a finger on their back or head and they didn't seem to mind it.No aggression whatsoever. Honey bees aren't too aggressive either unless you disturb the nest/hive.Yellow jackets,an altogether different story and they don't lose their stinger like bees do.Why do yellow jackets sting? Cause they can!

Married2Allis · Sep 30, 2015

I love to see Bumble bees and they do take a bit to get riled up. When I'm mowing I'll look for them and honey bees and try not to hit them (adds a little more mowing time). Was going down the road one summer day with the window down and no shirt on and got stung when one flew in between my bare back the seat - ouch!!

and speaking of bumble bees.......

Donald Lehman

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NoNewParts

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jeffcat

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Dick2

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gusbratz

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Deutz Lover

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gwstang

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RC Brooks

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GVSII

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Married2Allis

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