Killer bees in east tennessee

[wm3o]

nothings cheap anymore. for me money is just way to tight I would have done it years ago had I not been moving around all over just for work

the problem is everything has become more expensive but cheaper - as in cheap plastic designed to fail and require replacement. gone are the days of self servicing and durable goods. a case in point, my grandfather bought a watering can for his garden in the 1950's, i still have it. it has outlasted 3-4 metal cans and a dozen plastic ones. the steel is thicker, the galvanizing is thick, and it just works. it has been left out in the snow, rain, hot sun, and still it just works.

it probably cost him a $1.00

[W2NAP]

the problem is everything has become more expensive but cheaper - as in cheap plastic designed to fail and require replacement. gone are the days of self servicing and durable goods. a case in point, my grandfather bought a watering can for his garden in the 1950's, i still have it. it has outlasted 3-4 metal cans and a dozen plastic ones. the steel is thicker, the galvanizing is thick, and it just works. it has been left out in the snow, rain, hot sun, and still it just works.

it probably cost him a $1.00

you dont have to tell me brother, for the most part Ill take the old stuff over new stuff anyday.

[wm3o]

you dont have to tell me brother, for the most part Ill take the old stuff over new stuff anyday.

the older the scotch, the better ;)

[W2NAP]

dont know about scotch (dont drink) but i do know the older made stuff have alot more quality behind it.

[N7YA]

the older the scotch, the better ;)

Heres a good islander in the making right here.

[n2ize]

My father kept bees until around 1990. Being on a small property he only had 2 hives. but they produced copious amounts of honey. We still have jars of perfectly good honey that have yet to be opened. Around 1991 we had a huge large ash tree that died cut down. We had to relocate the hives and the tree man didn't take all the wood. They yard was a mess and by the time we had everything cleared and were ready to put things back to normal we found the hives were dead and the bees gone. For whatever reason my dad never resurrected the hives and hasn't kept bees since. Too bad. It was fun. I have fond memories of the bee smoker, the centrifugal honey extractor, the supers, the frames, all fun stuff.

Over the years I have come across bee keepers in some one the least expected places. I learned bee keeping is not just a rural man's venture. I have found bee keepers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and even in Manhattan of all places. Hard to envision keeping bees in Manhattan but I've seen it with my own eyes. Healthy hives too with plenty of honey. Bee's are quite adaptable and quite amazing.

[n2ize]

the problem is everything has become more expensive but cheaper - as in cheap plastic designed to fail and require replacement. gone are the days of self servicing and durable goods. a case in point, my grandfather bought a watering can for his garden in the 1950's, i still have it. it has outlasted 3-4 metal cans and a dozen plastic ones. the steel is thicker, the galvanizing is thick, and it just works. it has been left out in the snow, rain, hot sun, and still it just works.

it probably cost him a $1.00

yes, stuff was made to last. I have an electric fan next to my desk that dates back to the 1920's. Still runs great. All, iron, brass, and solid machine screws and an autotransformer for speed control. And I have another one dating back to the 1950's. Not as solid as the one from the 20's but still all metal, runs great and quiet as heck.

Some stuff was made better back then. Other things however have improved. face it, modern electronics blows away anything we had in the past.

[N7YA]

We had africanized bees here in the southwest starting about 20 years ago...now i dont see any bees at all. When they first arrived here, they were quite a menace. Numerous pets and a few old people were killed by attacks, mostly they just scared the bejeezus out of folks when they would mass up on a tree or the side of a house. I remember when they first got here and there would be clouds of bees flying around, attacking cars...thats a fact. But then they just sort of went away. We still see some groupings from time to time, they are much smaller than in previous years though. Spring usually means bees, but i havent seen any yet.


By the way, the thread title is very musical. Repeat it several times to yourself and see if it doesnt turn into a tune and gets stuck in your head for a few hours...maybe its just me.

[n2ize]

We had africanized bees here in the southwest starting about 20 years ago...now i dont see any bees at all. When they first arrived here, they were quite a menace. Numerous pets and a few old people were killed by attacks, mostly they just scared the bejeezus out of folks when they would mass up on a tree or the side of a house. I remember when they first got here and there would be clouds of bees flying around, attacking cars...thats a fact. But then they just sort of went away. We still see some groupings from time to time, they are much smaller than in previous years though. Spring usually means bees, but i havent seen any yet.


By the way, the thread title is very musical. Repeat it several times to yourself and see if it doesnt turn into a tune and gets stuck in your head for a few hours...maybe its just me.

Mostly when you see bees swarm they tend not to be aggressive. It;s just the sheer numbers that terrify people more than anything else.

Now, if you see a bunch of these heading your way take cover fast !!

[N7YA]

Well, these swarms were attacking anything with dark patches...that seems to piss them off. But i believe they have been strained out lately so they are not as aggressive...not as big either. But 20 years ago, the ones here in the desert were definately to be respected and feared.