Continuation high school. Science. Seventh period. Most of the students were playing Krunker, although as late in the period as it was, a couple of those students had completed the day's assignment and turned it in already.
The principal came over the loudspeaker.
"Students, when you're dismissed, please leave by the back gate. There is a swarm of bees at the front of the school..."
He then rang the bell early (by about five minutes), dismissing everyone for the day.
A swarm of bees?!?
And how was I going to get to my car?
I went to check out. The office was in crisis mode. They needed someone to deal with the bees. They needed to figure out how to direct students as several after school classes would be arriving shortly. (There are a few career-type classes that are held there via a county program, what used to be called ROP.)
I was told the swarm was fairly contained to the walkway, so I'd be able to walk around it. I was a bit nervous, but I was also curious. What would this swarm of bees look like?
I got outside, and, well, no swarm. They said that before there had been something like a thousand bees in one place, that the area was black with them. All that was left were a dozen or so, flying around the bush that was there.
I was a bit disappointed. I had wanted to get a picture of this swarm. But I was also relieved.
I have no interest whatsoever in seeing a swarm of bees up close.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have gone to seek one out, but if one comes to me...
DeleteI agree; would be interesting to see but maybe from a telephoto lens. Its "common" here to hear stories about swarms of bees at places that have to be removed by fire fighters spraying (I think) foam on them.
ReplyDeletebetty
Or there was only one bee and the school reacted like my mother and freaked right out. :P
ReplyDeleteWe should be grateful for have swarming bees around visiting us at the drop of the hat. So much devastation going on with deforestation, 7 dead zones the size of the UK because of waste dumping into our rivers and insect decline. Save the bees :)
ReplyDeleteWe had a flowering bush in our front yard growing up and in the spring when it was in full bloom, it would be surrounded by hundreds of buzzing bees. Since it was not their hive, they were not especially protective of it. We would walk right into the swarm and they would just fly around us. We found that we could even gently pet the bees on the flowers and they didn't seem to care at all.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like these bees were of that temperament. There were still a bunch around the bush, and I walked on by without them noticing me.
DeleteYou're brave to think you would take a picture of them. They could have been killer bees!
ReplyDeleteIf they were, the school would have been a whole lot more protective. They wouldn't take any chances with the students' safety.
DeleteWow, you are so brave. I run a mile when I see bees!
ReplyDeleteThere was a news story last year about swarming bees in Sydney. A postie parked their bike outside a sho pand went in to deliver mail, then when they came out the bike was covered in a swarm of bees. They had to get a professional to come and move them. Weird choice by the bees.
ReplyDeleteFeel lucky. When my hubby lived out west, he was mowing the lawn for a company he worked for and he went right over a yellow jacket nest. He started getting bit and he ran. His boss was in the hanger, like the ones you see for airplanes, talking to Japanese businessmen, when he saw my hubby run right through and a swarm buzzing right after him. When my hubby made it to a fence and realized he couldn’t go any further he started swiping. He was bit over 175 times and was sent, obviously, to the hospital. His boss told him what he saw afterwards and that my hubby was lucky. His eye was swollen shut and he was in a bad way for a while.
ReplyDeleteYikes. That's awful. From what I understand, this swarm was peaceful as no one had disturbed it.
DeleteEven I would have been disappointed that I couldn't take a pic of the swarm! :-) Glad it was contained in time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, me too.
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