LANDBOU
sods die a quick and lonely death . “ After the mating season , the queen leaves the hive and flies as high as she can with the drones [ male bees ] following her . About 40 drones will manage to mate with the queen bee and then fall to the ground where they die .
“ But , during cold spells , the males are kicked out of the hive as they consume too much energy . And then they also die .”
However , it is not just the lesser amorous males that die in this way . All intruders face the same fate .
“ Ants are a huge problem because they love sweet stuff and eat the larvae . Wax moths enter the hives and lay their eggs inside , which can destroy an entire hive . Black widow spiders are another menace . And vandalism and theft .”
The non-human intruders are attacked and killed by the female warriors . If the predator is too large for the bees to cart outside , they are coated with propolis ( more on this later ) to mummify and sterilise them and protect the hive .
Humans are an altogether different issue . If an assailant stands still and holds their breath , the bees ’ motion sensors probably won ’ t register their presence . But run and your goose is cooked . If the bees can ’ t kill the attacker by stinging , they will smother the predator ’ s head which will lead to asphyxiation .
Now for a niggly issue : in ra-
7 .
7 . Scrumpy Jack ’ s restaurant is a delightful place where scrumptious light meals are on offer .
33 MARKtoe ! Augustus 2023