# Bees after soda......?hum?



## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

I thought bees didn't like soda. All the book say soda draws wasps, but NOT bees.

Today in the parking lot of Tractor Supply (located in the MIDDLE of town in an old K-Mart building) in the space next to ours someone dropped the World's SMALLEST cup of soda and while we were loading up we noticed movement. The kids and I sat for 10 mins to watch up to 5 bees at a time crawling over the soda and cup. I didnt figure anyone would believe me so I took pictures. They looked like Italians to me. Nice fuzzy yellow and black. VERY pretty wings. They let me get as close as 5" to them, didn't even phase them. They were SO calm. I wanted so bad to just pick them up and bring them home. giggle. (And stupid and pointless. I know) Which got me thinking, WHERE is their hive??? The parking lot is bordered by a deep, huge storm drain that has REALLY tall trees growing in it. It's illegal to keep bees inside Huntsville city limits, so I wonder if they are ferel, or if theres an outlaw beekeeper around. I couldn't help wondering how easy would it be to hang a swarm trap in those trees, and how much trouble I'd get into if the trap were found.....

Oh well. giggle. 

It was really cool. People were like, "What the heck is that crazy woman and those kids sitting on the ground staring at???" The last two weeks the kids have chosen honey bee books from the library on story day. It was amazing being able to sit with them a foot away from bees and neither of them were afraid in the least. We were just in awe at them. I think my mom kept waiting for me to get stung when I was taking pictures. I kept getting closer and closer till I realized I was WAY too close for the camera to be in focus. 

Well at LEAST I know the bee I saw in the back pasture REALLY was as dark as I thought it was. Now I have real life yellow and black bees to compare it too. Too Cool!!!!


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## blue8ewe (Oct 25, 2006)

too cool, thanks for shareing. 
I know we have often witnessed bees attracted to a can of pop. I did not know they were not supose to. LOL
And around trash cans. :shrug: 
A good question, what do they want with a garbage? They cant convert any of that mess to honey. So what are they doing?


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

Well it's not just the caffine, but also the HIGH amount of sugar in the soda that keeps my children from being allowed it (bipolar child + soda = swinging from chandelier howling like Tarzan.....my grandmother has the photograghic proof) and we feed hive sugar water. Could they be taking the suger from the soda and making it honey? What color would THAT be? Wonder what it would taste like.....hummmmmm. Odd.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I'd like to see the picture. Please post it.

 Al


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

We're trying to upload them now. Turns out mom's camera (the one I used) has an "M" chip and my chip reader wont read it (then mom dropped the chip into my chair cushion. So Now I'm upset that I've lost my pics, and SHE'S upset because her expensive chip is missing. giggle. She's tearing my chair apart. Oh well.......I was gonna have to move it to put the tree up in a month anyway......giggle)

I'll post them as soon as their found!!!! giggle

-Joy


Okay.....DH found the chip. Mom's on her way to HER house so she can download them off the chip for me. They'll make it up today! grin.


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## OkieDavid (Jan 15, 2007)

Read the ingredient list on just about ANY soda can.....Right near the top will be High Fructose Corn Syrup.......more commonly known to beekeepers as HFCS.....A much cheaper substitute for sugar water that MANY beekeepers feed their bees. Mystery solved,
David


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

Got the pics uploaded to my picturetrail. I dont know how to post them to the forum, but there are 10, so this way it wont take up forum space.

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=18202077&uid=9414032

-Joy


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Yup a sure enough honey bee.










 Al


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## critter (Feb 18, 2006)

I've seen bees harvest soda water many times, usually if there is no large nectar flow going - it seems like mountain dew is their favorite.


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

I HATE mountain dew!!!! giggle.

I'm considering all the ins and outs of baiting a swarm off a feral hive that's illegal in city limits anyway (not that they KNOW they are there illegally!) I'd hate for someone to find out theyre there and gas them!!!!


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

i have seen bees climb into soda cans and drink their fill then come stagering out like they were drunk, 

i wonder how you would collect a feral swarm in the city like that, if they are illegals it would be best for you to get them before someone does tell the law and they get gassed


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

midkiffsjoy said:


> I'm considering all the ins and outs of baiting a swarm off a feral hive that's illegal in city limits anyway (not that they KNOW they are there illegally!) I'd hate for someone to find out theyre there and gas them!!!!


You're in AHB territory, be careful.


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

dcross said:


> You're in AHB territory, be careful.



Grin. I thought about that, but if they let me get so close that the camera cant focus, I highly doubt they are AHBs. They were no where NEAR agressive enough. grin. In fact, these bees were calmer than even the bees we're got wild out in our woods. (that's one of the reasons I was so giggly over them. grin)

-Joy

Besides....Since the Us extension office sent out FREE africian honey bee queens in the 50's to ANYONE who wrote them for them......deep down...we're ALL in AHB territory. We all run that risk when looking at swarms.


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

midkiffsjoy said:


> Grin. I thought about that, but if they let me get so close that the camera cant focus, I highly doubt they are AHBs. They were no where NEAR agressive enough. grin. In fact, these bees were calmer than even the bees we're got wild out in our woods. (that's one of the reasons I was so giggly over them. grin)
> 
> -Joy
> 
> Besides....Since the Us extension office sent out FREE africian honey bee queens in the 50's to ANYONE who wrote them for them......deep down...we're ALL in AHB territory. We all run that risk when looking at swarms.


Foragers aren't going to be aggressive no matter what the disposition of thier hive is.

Swarms can be docile even if full AHB, but once they have comb to defend it's a different story.

I'm personally fairly certain that migratory beekeepers and queen/package suppliers send AHB north sometimes, that worries me more than queens from a half century ago

And the first swarm I ever hived sent me to the ER, they were gentle as can be! So yes, we ALL need to be careful.

But those of us solidly in AHB territory need to be most careful.


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

dcross said:


> I'm personally fairly certain that migratory beekeepers and queen/package suppliers send AHB north sometimes, that worries me more than queens from a half century ago



If queens from half a century ago havent destroyed beekeeping in America, I doubt the swarms we have now will. Heck, the ones WE have to deal with are AT LEAST hybrids (as opposed to those back in the 50's.). Thank goodness we arent in Africa!!! giggle. (HOW do they manage!!! giggle)

You know.....I have to agree....I've read about all the outfits that take hundreds of hives down to Florida (talk about a place hit hard by AHBs!!!), and then take the back. HOW is that safe??? sigh. At least here in Texas we can always have a bee from our colony tested if in doubt!!!


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