Friday, July 24, 2009

Caffeinated Randomness : Bees

 

I hate bees.  Really I do. 

Now don’t give me any attitude, I have a  good reason;  I am extremely allergic to bee-stings.  I have been my whole life, since I was stung at about age 2 and my parents made the discovery.  I was stung a few times as a child, and the last time was at about 11 years old.  The swelling took three days to stop spreading, let alone go down.

That means I have spent more than a quarter of a century trying to avoid the little buggers; since I was old enough to understand the need.

But will they return the favour?  Oh, no!  They follow me.  All over.  There’s nothing scarier for me than the sound of a bee buzzing when I can’t see it.  The knowledge that the comparatively harmless little insect could decide to chase me, and then I will be in trouble.  Some of the scariest times in my life were when I was caught in a migrating swarm, and the time I nearly swallowed a bee. 

People used to tell me I was paranoid, but last year a bee chased me around a fruit orchard for nearly a minute before stinging me for no reason.  Despite the fact that there were three other guys standing perfectly still, the bee chooses to chase me.

I hate bees.  How can something so small be so nasty?

For more Caffeinated Randomness visit Andrea’s Blog.

13 comments:

  1. Well then, I don't blame you! I'm not allergic to bees, and would you believe I've NEVER been stung!! I know, amazing! But, I wouldn't say I'm a fan. :)

    Have you ever heard of Apis Mel? Look it up. It might be a good idea to carry some with you. It's a homeopathic remedy for that very thing.

    Have a great weekend.
    Lynnette

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  2. Now that I haven't seen as many bees as in times past, I get excited when I see them. I imagine that would be rather frightening for you though.

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  3. Follow my blog for the next few days to see a continuing saga about bees, my handling of them, the last time I was stung, an amazing story, and culminating in a guest post about bees by a friend of mine on Rainy Day Monday.

    Stay with us, and don't buzz off!

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  4. Shark Bait, I too am allergic to bees. I found this out when I was 14 or 15 and my mother sent me into the backyard to pick blueberries. I went barefooted and managed to step on a bee. I suppose it was my just desserts that he stung me after I stepped on him. I mean, I do outweigh him and everything. Thankfully, I didn't keel over and die... But I did break out into some lovely hives and spend a couple of days in a Benadryl haze...

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  5. Hoo Ha Ha.

    (I am very good at following directions.)

    I feel bad for laughing at your post but I feel the same way about spiders. I am not allergic to them or anything but well....they seem to be out to get me.....*shivers*

    Maybe bees can smell your fear? Hmmm.

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  6. I was stung many times each summer as a child because I refused to wear shoes while playing outside (I know, hard to believe with me being a stiletto addict and all ). Those little clover bees would sting the heck outta' my feet! By I was stepping on them, they weren't chasing me! ANd I'm not allergic. I don't blame you for having a bit of a phobia there.

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  7. I was going to say the same thing as Critty - the bees obviously know they have the power to intimidate you!

    I know some people just naturally attract more mosquitoes than others, but I didn't know that about bees. Although I did have a trio of horseflies stalking me at the lake last week - you definitely do NOT want to be bitten by one of those!

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  8. oh yuck.....nothing worse than those little buggers knowing how to mess with you.

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  9. Ditto what Andrea and Critty said. They. know.
    I'm not allergic to bees but I am not a fan of them either.

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  10. My parents always said they chase the person who runs (their attempt at making us not run around and scream) but I'm not sure if that's really true...
    Very randomly hilarious! Thanks!!

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  11. Many bees together will chase a person, but in theory one or two should leave you alone, unless you are giving off 'attack' pheremones. This is why you must never swat a bee if there are more around, because the scent of the dead bee on your skin/clothes will cause the others to attack, as will being stung.

    Running away is the best, and usually only, way to avoid being stung.

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  12. I don't mind bees, even though I've been stung by plenty. Hornets, though, are another matter all together. Hornets are the devil's henchmen. Just mentioning them gives me the willies.

    Hornets!

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  13. I agree that hornets and wasps are scary as well, and the stings don't even compare. A bee sting is a gentle prick, and over in minutes; a hornet burns like fire, and just gets worse.

    The thing is. I don't mind the fact that hornets hate me. They hate everyone. It's nothing personal. Bees are just mean!

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