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What is it about bees that scare us? They aren’t so terrible to look at, in fact, if you try hard enough, I bet you can think of many instances where you can remember seeing a cute puffy black and white bee smiling out at you from some advertisement. Bees don’t make any intimidating sounds such as a lion’s roar, and they only try to hurt us if they themselves feel threatened. So why is it that the mere sight of a bee flying too close for comfort can send us into a frenzy of unrecognizable movements? Maybe if we knew a little bit more about the bee we wouldn’t be so afraid.
FACTS:
1. While there are many insects that are involved in the pollination act, the bee is the single most important. This is most likely so because the bee is dependent on the pollen and the flower to survive. The bee receives its protein from the pollen and it’s energy from the flower.
2. You can run into a bee in just about any place in the world. Only very cold polar climates and a few of the ocean properties are not habitats for bees. And guess how many different varieties of bees there are – 20,000!
3. We all know the black and yellow bee, but did you know there are bees that come in the colors of red, green, gray, and even blue?
4. Bees communicate with each other by touch, sound, and chemicals. You have probably seen those funny little dances that insects do to talk to one another; the honeybee does just this sort of a dance. And some varieties of bees send out a chemical announcement to family and friends that you have just been stung which sends out the troops.
5. Of the Earth's entire population, only four percent are allergic to bee stings. For this small group a sting can become fatal, but for most folks, they will just feel discomfort if stung.
6. The venom from a bee is transferred through a stinger that the bee leaves behind after stinging you. This stinger will automatically continue to pump the venom into your system for as long as twenty minutes after the initial sting. It is important to remove this stinger/sac as soon as possible after being stung to stop the venom from continuing to enter your system.
7. There is much controversy on the two ways to remove a stinger – the "fast as you can" method and the "take your time and carefully scrape the stinger out while trying to not push the venom sac." The majority thru further testing has proved the later method inadequate.
8. The action of flinging your arms around the air or swatting at the flying bee is interpreted by the bee as being aggressive. And aggressive behavior is cause for a sting. The best approach is to remain calm and the bee will move on within a few minutes.
9. Most folks know that a bee dies after it stings you, but don’t know why. It’s because part of the bee's nervous system is now in your body instead of the bees!
10. Once the stinger is removed it’s time to try to ease the pain a bit. There are a hundred and one home remedies but the most common is ice. Beyond ice, the more popular helpers are baking soda, meat tenderizer, mud, and toothpaste.
Next time a bee flies your way, stay calm, breath deeply, and hold still. By doing these three things you have a great chance of not getting stung!
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