OT but a serious question.. - Page 1

Maybe it seems like they're more numerous this year because they have been so scarce with all the mysterious die-offs in the past couple years.

I have noticed bees this year because my dogs snap at them like crazy and I so don't want them getting stung.  But I'm so glad the bees are back.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070422190612.htm

I haven't seen any yet but it is chilly right now. I have to say I respect bees...maybe cause I like honey.lol Also I have had them crawl on my hand and they never stung me.If you don't mess with them they won't mess with you.Unless they are the Africanized ones. They are more territorial then normal bees.

I was just actually wondering the exact same thing today. There is a gentleman up the way from us that keeps bees and they are all congregating around the kennels. I know they are good, but they're all over the place and I'm not exactly a fan of the creepy crawlies. I'm actually wondering if because it is so dry right now if they are attracted to the water being the buckets are closer then the river. Hmmm...

Melissa

Maybe you can put out a water bucket away from the kennels and see if that helps draw them away.  Or maybe not a bucket; I've never seen bees around a water bucket, but around the water on the gravel in the runs - I have one dog who likes to duck his head in his bucket and I know he splashes a lot around.  Maybe moisten some ground away from the kennels.

Glad to see you are getting it removed, not destroyed. Are you 100% sure you have honey bees and not yellow jackets? Just checking! We had a swarm of YJ in one day when construction next door destroyed their home. They were very, very mean, indeed. I saw a TV show where they removed a honeybee nest under someone's porch that had been there probably decades. Pretty cool, actually.

My dog is busy snapping and catching those nasty woodborer bees, the bane of my back deck. At this point, I just say, good doggie when he's going for the attack.

I wonder if you can use AFTERBITE on dogs? It works great on human bee stings, I know... I get them every year walking barefoot in the clover.

If they really are just honey bees, just leave them alone and try to stay away from them and bring the dogs in or put them somewhere else for now. They are unlikely to bother you or the dogs if they do not feel threatened. Getting the bee keepers to remove a hive ASAP is a good idea. If they are wasps, that is a different story. But staying away from these guys in a hive situation is the best plan. Bees are dying all over the world, and to date, a lot of theories have been proposed, but none proven. We do know that bees are subject to a lot of parasitic disease, but bees are critical to agriculture, so protecting them is important.

Just in case, make sure you have some benadryl around. Don't use the liquid variety....has alcohol in it. Dose is 1 mg/pound for a dog. So for 50lb dog, give 50 mg. Use tablets so you can titrate the dose better if dog is in the middle dose range. Don't give benadryl to a cat.

Good luck.

Sting prevention is the best medicine, of course.

Yes, I hate all varieties of hornets, but love bees.  I haven't seen any honey bees yet but the wood bees are out and Drake is snapping at them.  I tell him to "leave it" but it's usually in mid-attack so it wouldn't do much good anyway, LOL.  He hasn't yet caught one but he comes close and I also don't want to deal with a reaction.  I have benadryl on hand just in case.  There were a couple of years here that I saw NO honey bees, scary.  They don't bother you if you just let them go about their "bee business".  Post a pic of that hive!  Also keep in mind, bees can only sting once, hornets can multiple times!

i got some honey stuck on my pants..................................