Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: neilep on 22/04/2004 21:01:27
-
I've heard that it's theoretically impossible for Bees to fly...but I remember last summer seeing a Bee...and I'm sure it flew !!..so..tell me why it can fly when it's not supposed to bee able too [?]
Incidentally... I love stroking Bees.....you grab a dandelion or other type bee loving flower,
hold it next to a beesy pollen collecting Bee and when Bee lands on it, it's so beesy collecting
pollen, that you can stroke it's furry back !!!...my kids love me doing this....try it...
but don't blame me if it stings you !!..I mean, they have to Bee really peeved to do
that anyway eh ?...oh, and don't try putting a leash on it either..they hate that !![:o)]
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'
-
I think it has to do with the wing pattern being an 8 rather than flapping up and down. Or maybe I'm thinking of hummingbirds, the only birds that can hover. Weren't helicopters designed after studying bees?
Neil, while you are petting the bees, for goodness sake don't tell them that they can't fly.
-
Are bees aggressive? If not I would like to try to stroke one. I've got stung once in primary school, but I think it was a wasp.
As for the flying thing.. no idea. Is the weight of the bees too heavy for they wings?
Tom
-
Tom, go for it !!..They are NOT aggressive at all...they will only sting when you really
really really pi...err..annoy them, cos after all...it's a death sentance for em...
unlike wasps which are sadists !!..and can quite happilly sting you till the cows come
home......I've been stroking bees for years and have never been stung....they're so
cute !!!...espesh the big fluffy ones !!!!....just do what I said above...it's quite an
invigorating experience !!!...and then we can start a 'bee strokers' club !!!
DISCLAIMER: I can not be held responsible for the behaviour of pyscho bees !!!
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'
-
Tom, if a bee stings you it leaves it's insides at the puncture site pumping in the venom because of the barbed sting they have(and the they die soon after).......if you did not see that when you were stung in school then it was probably a wasp, who have smooth stings......!!
In fact that just begs the question...Why do bees have barbed stings and wasps not ?...answers pleezzzzzzzzzzz !! ??
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'
-
Wasps and bees are quite similar in most respects so i would think it's just some kind of evolutionary thing that means bees are barbed but wasps are not.
As to why there not supposed to be able to fly, dunno. Maybe tom's got it right with the weight being wrong.
I Love Caesium!!!
-
Bees are neat and usually not aggressive. However, be aware that some species are quite agressive (african bees) and will sting with little provocation. I've never stroked bees, but it sounds interesting. My father-in-law used to keep bees and really likes handling them.
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
I think I'll try it since the weather is much better now. I more and more bees are coming out.
What is meant by barbed sting, and how should it be neutralise if you are to be stung by one?
Tom
-
...A barbed sting is a sting with like hooks on it , so that when the sting goes in,
it will not come out without using force. Imagine a rose stem with the thorns, if that
was to enter a body with the thorns pointing up, then they would grasp the flesh and
be difficult to pull out.....errr....I hope you understand what I mean......Bee stings
are acid (wasps stings are alkaline), best remedies can be found in your store cupboard.
Remove the bee stings ASAP then soothe it with a solution of bicarbonate of soda
and water to counteract the acidity. Wasp stings, use vinegar. DO NOT CONFUSE THE TWO,
it'll hurt big time !!!..enjiy your petting and making friends with happy bees !!!
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'
-
We always used meat tenderizer.
-
...was that so you could have a BBQ afterwards ? (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilies.jeeptalk.org%2Fotn%2Fsleepy%2Fcowsleep.gif&hash=01d348113defcbc187fe3247ee68c7c1)
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.de%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Flove%2F2015.gif&hash=901cd12278f46c3480e43bc40519e7fb)
-
That would be a Bar-Bee-Q, right?
-
The aggressiveness of both bee's and wasps varies by season too... they get way more aggressive in fall when they sense winter coming. I never realized the difference in alkalinity between the two... I was always told to use baking soda... good ting I never used it on a bee sting just wasps.
First aid tip... if you get stung and still see the stinger in, use a credit card to "flick" it away.
We don't want the loonies taking over!
-
quote:
Originally posted by Donnah
That would be a Bar-Bee-Q, right?
YEP that's right, a bar-Bee-Q ...can I come...I love BBQs (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmindscraps.com%2Fs%2Fups%2Fbudaz%2Fcanadaf.gif&hash=aee610af6652747369df61c280f01cb0)
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.de%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Flove%2F2015.gif&hash=901cd12278f46c3480e43bc40519e7fb)
-
I don't know how many remedies I've tried for wasp stings. I don't think any of them really work - it still hurts. Somehow wasps know how to find the most sensitive place that is not covered.
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
Wouldn't wanna be around some wasps on a nudist beach eh ? *smirk*
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.de%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Flove%2F2015.gif&hash=901cd12278f46c3480e43bc40519e7fb)
-
I can hardly even imagine!
The worst one I ever got was on the neck. Right where it feels so good to get kissed.
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
I got a sting somewhere worse than that..ALSO in a place I like to be kissed *hee hee*...Oh god !!! Thats what happens to me at 4am !!!....I'm gonna hit the sack and seek out some ZZZZZZds.....nighty night !!
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.de%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Flove%2F2015.gif&hash=901cd12278f46c3480e43bc40519e7fb)
-
I got stung on my face once and it swole right up... my lips looked like suit case handles!!! LOL
Resident Tour Operator (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmilies.jeeptalk.org%2Fcontrib%2Fedoom%2FHydrogen.gif&hash=107fd0da64d553cad6679ead0e6afcd2) The Naked Scientists
-
Justin, baking soda is for bee stings. Vinegar is for wasp stings.
John, sounds like you missed a good opportunity. Didn't you elicit your wife's sympathy and ask her to kiss it better?
Richard, do you have any pictures of that? I love to be entertained!
Neil, I didn't need a nudist beach. At age 13 I was riding on a bus (with a choir) and a wasp flew in my shirt and stung me 13 times. Lucky me huh? I'm not sure whether it was more difficult to get the wasp out while it was stinging me, or to beat off the plethora of 13 year old boys offering to reach in and get the wasp out of my shirt.
-
Justy...think of 'B'= Bee Baking Soda and 'V'..which is half a 'W' for Wasp Vinegar.
Yes Richard...you should have thought while you writhed away in agony that it would make a picture for us to laugh at !!!...You're so selfish !!!! (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.de%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Fsonstige%2F2200.gif&hash=94ca3e5bc807b485213197751fe497e7)
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.de%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Flove%2F2015.gif&hash=901cd12278f46c3480e43bc40519e7fb)
-
quote:
Originally posted by Donnah
John, sounds like you missed a good opportunity. Didn't you elicit your wife's sympathy and ask her to kiss it better?
Actually, I was only about 15 at the time. I'd never been kissed there. (Not for lack of wishing though).
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
It's never too late John. Tell her your story and see if she'll go for it. Of course you may do better with your story if it is accompanied by a rose (to represent the one the wasp sat on just before he attacked you).
-
quote:
Originally posted by Donnah
It's never too late John. Tell her your story and see if she'll go for it. Of course you may do better with your story if it is accompanied by a rose (to represent the one the wasp sat on just before he attacked you).
Not a chance in the world. [:(]
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
Oh boy, you are a pessimist.
-
Absolutely!
And with good reason I might add.
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
John....get your neck over here I'll kiss it for ya !!!....I'm also a pessimist so at least we can both be optimistic that we'll both hate it. I promise no tongues ok ?
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !' (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Finstagiber.net%2Fsmiliesdotcom%2Fcwm%2F3dlil%2Fsleep.gif&hash=fe99e79560e224eed0697eef2c4c7c1c)
-
Neil, I don't think I like the idea even with the "no tongues" clause. Now, if it were Nancy or Donnah or some other feminine type.....[}:)]
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
quote:
Originally posted by tweener
Neil, I don't think I like the idea even with the "no tongues" clause. Now, if it were Nancy or Donnah or some other feminine type.....[}:)]
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
....well..there are a few piccys I could post but NO WAY !!!!..the ensuing ridicule would just not be worth it !!!!
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !' (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Finstagiber.net%2Fsmiliesdotcom%2Fcwm%2F3dlil%2Fsleep.gif&hash=fe99e79560e224eed0697eef2c4c7c1c)
-
I don't even want to know......
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
......well..they do not compare to the beauty that are your piccys John.....stick em on the site will ya ?...they're beautiful.
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !' (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Finstagiber.net%2Fsmiliesdotcom%2Fcwm%2F3dlil%2Fsleep.gif&hash=fe99e79560e224eed0697eef2c4c7c1c)
-
Thanks for the compliment Neil. I don't want to clutter this scientific site with stuff like that. Maybe someday I'll get around to getting them posted on a photo site and everyone can look there.
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
...yeah...you're right...they are pretty crap really !![:D][:)][:D][;)]
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !' (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Finstagiber.net%2Fsmiliesdotcom%2Fcwm%2F3dlil%2Fsleep.gif&hash=fe99e79560e224eed0697eef2c4c7c1c)
-
Whatever.
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
John...just joking mate !!! !!!!! (don't do this to me....you did know I was joking yes ?).....I think you should stick em on the photoshopwars forum.....go on......especially the two I really like best....the foggy morning stream and creek weed....
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !' (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Finstagiber.net%2Fsmiliesdotcom%2Fcwm%2F3dlil%2Fsleep.gif&hash=fe99e79560e224eed0697eef2c4c7c1c)
-
Hornets are cool to.
wOw the world spins?
-
Hornets are horrible nasty things who bully bees !!!
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !' (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.de%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Flove%2F00000981.gif&hash=16c63eb61c9731a58f2e4fd8b0666156)
-
Hornets bully everything! (Including me!)
Once my son found a big hornet's nest (during the winter) and took it into his room. Fortunately, he didn't sleep there that night and did close the door because by the next morning there were probably 50 or 60 hornets buzzing around in there. Apparently they'd hatched when they got warm.
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
LOL !!..Sorry John..I know it could have been quite a nasty experience if your son had slept there that night.....it's just that it made me giggle a little !!...To find a Hornets Nest and then take it and put it in your bedroom !!..There's a sketch in there somewhere.. (sorry...silly Brit humour!(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmindscraps.com%2Fs%2Fcontrib%2Fxerx%2FMODhappythemike.gif&hash=db7aca61eac5bb6d9f4b1f10b51a053a))
...obviously it was assumed it was a 'dead' nest eh ?....
How did you get rid of all the Hornets ?...I supposed you had no choice but to spray the blighters !!...hope no one got stung !!
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !' (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.de%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Flove%2F00000981.gif&hash=16c63eb61c9731a58f2e4fd8b0666156)
-
We did think it was a dead nest - WRONG!
It took about 30 minutes with a fly swatter to get them all. They weren't really agressive because they didn't have their own nest to defend. Apparently they hadn't "claimed" the one they hatched from (yet).
And I'm sure a good Monty Python type sketch could come from that.
I once took a very large wasp nest to school and they started hatching out in the classroom. Then we put the nest outside the window so everyone could watch. By the end of the day, they had a nest built right above over the window. Pretty cool to watch.
----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.
-
quote:
I've heard that it's theoretically impossible for Bees to fly...but I remember last summer seeing a Bee...and I'm sure it flew !!..so..tell me why it can fly when it's not supposed to bee able too
Regarding whether bees can fly, here's the story (from http://www.penpages.psu.edu/penpages_reference/10198/101982139.html):
quote:
Bumble bees can't fly
Of course, bumble bees can fly. But if you are like most people,
you have heard (and maybe believed) the legend about an engineer
that proved it was aerodynamically impossible for a bumble bee to
fly. Bah, humbug!
There are several versions regarding the origin of this myth. The
generally accepted version has it that the calculations were
speculations overheard by a member of the media during a
reception. Once the story was printed, it slipped into our
collective memory banks. Unfortunately, less attention has been
given to the retraction that was issued almost immediately. The
retraction didn't make it into the papers, the damage was done and
an urban legend was born.
-
Somebody forgot to tell the reporter to mind his/her own bee's wax instead of stiring up a hornet's nest.[:D]
-
It's virtually that time of year again when it's time to stroke a Bee....go for it...stroke a Bee and make it a happy Bee....I fascinated my children friends today by stroking a Bee.....Bee strokers unite !!![:D]
Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.world-of-smilies.com%2Fhtml%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Fmini%2Fmini018.gif&hash=43d4f680fb1e52aecb14b539cb9eba2c)
-
It's that Bee stroking time of year again !!...stroke a bee and enjoy !
Men are the same as women, just inside out !
-
I nearly fell on the floor laughing when I started reading this topic...
sheesh
what is with Neil and stroking bees!
hahahah
this reminded me of when Neil had instructed to put a bee in your freezer, then tie a string on it's leg so that you can have a pet bee...
that not all
he also mentioned that the bee will try so hard to get away that it will tear it's own leg off.
To know all of this, I would have to guess that Neil has had some experience.
well, for the record I am not at all trying to condescend bee strokers. I for one would love to joing the Bee strokers club.
I was just thinking of the many t-shirts and bumper stickers and buttons you could make out of your replies Neil..
"its that bee stroking time of year again"
or
"stroke a bee and enjoy"
or
"stroke a bee and make it a happy bee"
or
"bee strokers unite"
hahah i have still not stopped laughing
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa196%2Fbariel%2Ffsm.jpg&hash=27b1c6663feeeee1f95650d42cca0927) ariel
-
Thanks Ariel,
Beelieve in Bees !
Men are the same as women, just inside out !
-
Hey Neil, I could not resist!
When I was about 15, My sister and I would harvest about 1/4 of an acre of berries, Rasberries, logan berries, boysen berries, black berries. We would pick every other day. We made about 200.00 to 300.00 dollars every other day. My mom had customers who would come from other states and park at our house for a few days and can berries, then they would leave. You could not transport them fresh berries across the state lines, so they canned them first then went home. It was good summer money for us kids and it was fun.
Anyhoo, It was early one morning about 5:15 AM. Barely light enough to see, and foggy as pea soup! We slammed the alarm off on the old clock and hit the patch ready to start the day. We picked for about 6 hours. At around 11:15AM or so we stopped for lunch and a break. It was nice and hot by this time and the fog had long since burned off as it does here. My sister and I went to the house and made ourselves a couple peanut butter and jam sandwiches and took a soda out to the patch with us where we sat down on a old stump we frequented every other day as we took a break. My little sister was eating her sandwich and was talking to me while all the while she was poking this stick into the old rotten stump. I finished my sandwitch and stood up and was brushing off my shirt that I had made a mess of with the bread crumbs. I looked up to see her kicking at this stump on the really soft rotten side. All of a sudden her foot went through the exterior portion of the old stump and her foot got stuck. I kicked at the stump to break it some more so she could get her foot out. She finally gave a big pull and out popped her foot and a bunch of rotten wood, followed by a million bumble bees. We ran! The bees were all over her, they went up her shirt down her pants, and even around her ankles where her tennis shoes were. They were stinging her everywhere! I tried to get them off her, by waving a towel we had at them, but they were not budging, She was screaming and stripping her clothes off trying to get away from them. My mother was gone making deliveries, and my Neighbor was home who rented a spot on our property. She was this tall round little old lady from Arkansaw who chewed tobacco like crazy! She came running out to see what the fuss was about and I ran to get her to call for help, my sister was getting sick already from the stings, there were hundreds of them. She was swollen up so bad I could barely see her eyes. This old lady grabbed two big 2Lb coffeee cans full of snuff spit and ran like I never could have imagined. She started slapping this stuff onto my sisters face and throat while I got the hose to spray the bees. After the bees left she made me help her to continue to spread this tobacco spit onto every inch of my sisters body. She carried my sister up to the car and rushed her to the hospital. I was so darned scared and somehow I knew this old women was a definite keeper if you know what I mean. The doctors said, she saved my sisters life that day and that the tobacco acted like a drawing sauve and was pulling the venom from the wounds. If she had not acted so quickly I would have lost my sister. I will never forget that. I have a healthy respect for bees and give them their space, although I don't swat at them or antagonize them. I am not scared of them either. I think we broke into their nest and disturbed them, not to mention she had that sweet jam sandwhich in her hand also. But you talk about old world remedies, I know that one works, nasty but effective none the less. Still doesn't make me want to take up chewing though! YUCK!
I did not know you could stroke bees, and I know those beggars can fly. We must be on a role with the flying things ehhh Neil? I think thats why you can't sleep. You have a subconscience need to learn to fly. Maybe you should take up flying and have a few lessons. What you think? I bet you would be a great pilot! You don't get air sick do you?
Anyway happy bee stroking, take a picture and post it, sounds amazing to me! Cool beans Neil!.....Karen
-
Sorry I was so long winded guys!
-
anyway.....
using the most basic of models torepresent the bee it is not possible for the bee to fly but once you refine the model and take into acounnt their remarkable ability to use their turbulance to help them fly (around 50% more efficent than effort alone) it is possible to demonstrate that not only do bees obey the laws of aerodynamics but that they exploit them ingeniously.
two guys playing golf one turns to the other and says "my wife was stung by a bee here last week"
The other says "where?"
"between the first and second holes"
"ah her stance is to wide"
J.B.S Haldane on the perforated eardrums which were a consequence of his pressure experiments "the drum generally heals up; and if a hole remains in it, although one is somewhat deaf, one can blow tobacco smoke out of the ear in question, which is a social accomplishment".
-
Neil this is a 10 min. clip for you "How do bees fly"
it explains it all..
cheers
http://www.pbs.org/perl/media.cgir?t=w&f=virage/scientific/pbssaf904_220k.asf&s=1385000&e=1980366
Laith
-
Karen...I am just so glad your sister was fine. What an amazing recollection...you weren't long winded at all..you have a great gift for recounting events....Wow!!...that was a day and a half wasn't it ?
It is easy to stroke a Bee...they really do not want to sting you...and they are so busy collecting pollen that they don't even notice it...juts follow my instructions in the first post of this thread and you'll be fine if you ever want to try it. I will definitely try to get a piccy though.
Thanks Sharkeyandgeorge for your insight and joke lol!!
Cheers laith...that's a great little documentary...Alan Alda is great and that clip is brilliant....thanks
Men are the same as women, just inside out !