No, I’m not drunk. I just read this and am amazed. An experiment was done on bumblebees to see if they like to play with toys like humans, mammals, and birds do. The result? They do! The experiment involved the placement of wooden balls that had no function other than a source of play. Not a source of food, not a mate-like attraction, nothing useful, etc. The following link to the study/experiment includes an amazing video and gives me another reason to try to avoid killing bugs as much as is feasible:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347222002366?via%3Dihub
Thanks for the great topic and fascinating discussion, Larry!
who would have thunk it?
Bumble bees are more peaceful than honey bees and way less aggressive than wasps and ground hornets/yellow jackets.
carpenter bees that look like bumble bees can act aggressive, flying at you and even bumping into you but they have no stinger and are harmless.
when I was filling our bird feeders a week ago, there were a couple of bumble bees feeding on the nectar of the blooming azaleas around me. 1 of them was on a bush less than 6 inches from me at times but I never felt threatened. And neither did the bumble bee.
Awesome creatures.
Agree strongly about preserving most insects.
Which reminded me to start our cockatoo on her flea and tick meds.
Those insects, as well as mosquitoes, chiggers, termites and ants that invade our homes are pests that will never get the welcome sign for most people.
Let’s use this thread to discuss bees more.
Been meaning to add to the bird thread too. Several types of birds like to snack on bees!
LOL I SLOWED YOUR VIDEO DOWN WATCHED IT AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES... IT LOOKS LIKE SHE GAVE THAT MEAN OLD BALL A LEFTY HOOK, BEFORE SHE WALKED AWAY. HAHHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA THANKS FOR THE LOL
THE ONLY BEE FAMILY MEMBER I'M VERY CAUTIOUS OF IS THE BALD-FACED HORNET!! THEY ARE WICKED!!~ DON'T GET IN BETWEEN THEM & THEIR "NEST". LOL
FOR SURE, YA DON'T WANNA SWAT AT 'EM, 'CAUSE... IF YA MISS, THEY'LL LET YA KNOW! THEY MUST SIGNAL FOR THE ENTIRE CLAN TO LEAVE THE NEST. COME WINTER, 'LL CUT THEIR NEST DOWN, PUT IT IN A PLASTIC BAG & "JUST IN CASE", TIE IT SHUT. LOL
I GIVE 'EM AWAY, BUT...EBAY SELLS QUITE A FEW. UNLESS THEY'RE IN PERFECT CONDITION, THEY AREN'T AS COSTLY AS THEY USED TO BE. LOL DOES THAT MEAN THERE'S MORE IN THE MARKET?
TAKE A LOOK INSIDE THIS BEAUTY
Great stuff, Larry and Jean!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee
A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera (e.g., Calyptapis) are known from fossils. They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America, where a few lowland tropical species have been identified. European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals.
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https://wiki.bugwood.org/HPIPM:Baldfaced_Hornet
Bald Faced Hornet
Aerial Yellowjacket