Nature hates cycles?

[elyob]

What with the buzzard attack and now this ... ?

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_985792.html?menu=news.quirkies

Bicycle proves attractive to bees

A 12-year-old girl parked her bicycle to go on a short shopping trip and
came back to find it covered with 12,000 bees.

Experts think a queen bee may have rested on Alice Gilmore's bike after
escaping from a hive, and had then been followed by the entire swarm.

The bees were clustered under the bike's saddle and on the handlebars.

Alice and her mother Angela had to summon experts help from apiarists, who
trapped the bees in a box and took them to another hive in Petersfield,
Hampshire.

"I like nature and animals but I wasn't too keen on this," Alice told the
Sun.

[Simonb]

elyob wrote:

> A 12-year-old girl parked her bicycle to go on a short shopping trip
> and came back to find it covered with 12,000 bees.

Someone actually counted them? How'd they do that? They all look the same to
me.

[Roos Eisma]

"elyob" > writes:

>What with the buzzard attack and now this ... ?

> Bicycle proves attractive to bees

And every dog I pass on the Fiero seems to go berserk. Not just the German
Shepherd guard dog behind a fence in the industrial area, but also the
short-legged dopey looking fluffy one that was being walked.

Or maybe it's just the doggy way of saying "cool! I want one of those" :-)

Roos

[Al C-F]

On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 18:59:18 GMT, "elyob" >
wrote:

>
>A 12-year-old girl parked her bicycle to go on a short shopping trip and
>came back to find it covered with 12,000 bees.
>
>Experts think a queen bee may have rested on Alice Gilmore's bike after
>escaping from a hive, and had then been followed by the entire swarm.

Better security than a lock, I suppose.
--

Cheers,

Al

[JohnB]

Gonzalez wrote:
>
> On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 20:27:30 +0100, "Simonb"
> > wrote:
>
> >elyob wrote:
> >
> >> A 12-year-old girl parked her bicycle to go on a short shopping trip
> >> and came back to find it covered with 12,000 bees.
> >
> >Someone actually counted them? How'd they do that? They all look the same to
> >me.
>
> If I understand The Sun's style of reporting correctly, it's an upper
> scale estimate.

So it was two.

John B

[\(t'other\) Dave]

"elyob" > wrote in message
...
> What with the buzzard attack and now this ... ?
>
> http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_985792.html?menu=news.quirkies
>
> Bicycle proves attractive to bees
>
> A 12-year-old girl parked her bicycle to go on a short shopping trip and
> came back to find it covered with 12,000 bees.
>
> Experts think a queen bee may have rested on Alice Gilmore's bike after
> escaping from a hive, and had then been followed by the entire swarm.
>
> The bees were clustered under the bike's saddle and on the handlebars.
>
> Alice and her mother Angela had to summon experts help from apiarists, who
> trapped the bees in a box and took them to another hive in Petersfield,
> Hampshire.
>
> "I like nature and animals but I wasn't too keen on this," Alice told the
> Sun.
>
>

I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....
Dave.

[Simonb]

(t'other) Dave wrote:

> I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
> hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....

BEE Secure!

[James Annan]

Simonb wrote:

> elyob wrote:
>
>
>>A 12-year-old girl parked her bicycle to go on a short shopping trip
>>and came back to find it covered with 12,000 bees.
>
>
> Someone actually counted them? How'd they do that? They all look the same to
> me.

Easy. just count the legs and divide by...um...

James

[\(t'other\) Dave]

"Simonb" > wrote in message
.. .
> (t'other) Dave wrote:
>
> > I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
> > hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....
>
> BEE Secure!
>
>
Genius!!

[Simonb]

(t'other) Dave wrote:
> "Simonb" > wrote in message
> .. .
>> (t'other) Dave wrote:
>>
>>> I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
>>> hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....
>>
>> BEE Secure!
>>
>>
> Genius!!

OK, so we have the idea and the brand name. To make Bee-Secure(TM) a
reality, we just have to address the trivial matter of how to lug 12'000
(for this is the number) bees around on a bicycle.

Ho hum...

[Ambrose Nankivell]

In ,
Simonb > typed:
> (t'other) Dave wrote:
>> "Simonb" > wrote in
>> message .. .
>>> (t'other) Dave wrote:
>>>
>>>> I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
>>>> hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....
>>>
>>> BEE Secure!
>>>
>>>
>> Genius!!
>
> OK, so we have the idea and the brand name. To make Bee-Secure(TM) a
> reality, we just have to address the trivial matter of how to lug
> 12'000 (for this is the number) bees around on a bicycle.
>
When my dad used to get called out to collect random people's bee swarms,
I'm fairly sure he went out on the bike with a cardboard box attached to the
rack at least once.

A

[Ambrose Nankivell]

In ,
(t'other) Dave > typed:
> I live in an area where anything left alone for more than 5 mins gets
> nicked.....
> I'll see what I can do...bit of honey and I should be away..trouble
> is I'll probably get a mixture of various insects, possibly some
> bees, certainly some wasps and maybe a few flies and less harmful wee
> beasties...I'll have a think ;-)

Won't work: I don't think I've seen a honey bee since living in Walsall. It
really is crap, isn't it?

A

[\(t'other\) Dave]

"Simonb" > wrote in message
.. .
> (t'other) Dave wrote:
> > "Simonb" > wrote in message
> > .. .
> >> (t'other) Dave wrote:
> >>
> >>> I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
> >>> hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....
> >>
> >> BEE Secure!
> >>
> >>
> > Genius!!
>
> OK, so we have the idea and the brand name. To make Bee-Secure(TM) a
> reality, we just have to address the trivial matter of how to lug 12'000
> (for this is the number) bees around on a bicycle.
>
> Ho hum...
>
>
aahhh, victorian style over-engineering.....
All that we really need to identify is how many bees, positioned where on
the bike, would have the desired effect.
I live in an area where anything left alone for more than 5 mins gets
nicked.....
I'll see what I can do...bit of honey and I should be away..trouble is I'll
probably get a mixture of various insects, possibly some bees, certainly
some wasps and maybe a few flies and less harmful wee beasties...I'll have a
think ;-)
Dave.

[\(t'other\) Dave]

"Ambrose Nankivell" > wrote in
message ...
> In ,
> (t'other) Dave > typed:
> > I live in an area where anything left alone for more than 5 mins gets
> > nicked.....
> > I'll see what I can do...bit of honey and I should be away..trouble
> > is I'll probably get a mixture of various insects, possibly some
> > bees, certainly some wasps and maybe a few flies and less harmful wee
> > beasties...I'll have a think ;-)
>
> Won't work: I don't think I've seen a honey bee since living in Walsall.
It
> really is crap, isn't it?
>
> A
>
>
That'll be because of our new cat, sorry....
honey bees are the ones that are not as colourful or as big as the black /
yellow striped beasties aren't they?
It's our cats first spring / summer. He seems to think they make great
playmates for some reason. We keep explaining to him about extinction
possibilities if he carries on bringing them in to play with and are most
surprised that he hasn't ended up with a stung mouth yet, as he carries them
around in his mouth. Don't know where he's getting them from but there seems
to be a plentiful supply, or at least there was :-(.......unfortunately I
don't think it'd be agood idea putting a collar with a bell on for him like
you should do if they get a taste for birds...don't think the bees recognise
the bell as a warning...just hope he doesn't end up bringing a queen in 8-o
Dave.

[Mark Thompson]

> http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_985792.html?menu=news.quirkies
>
> Bicycle proves attractive to bees

Shouln't this be "Nature Loves Cycles"? :-)

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 23:35:04 +0100, "Simonb"
> wrote in message
>:

>OK, so we have the idea and the brand name. To make Bee-Secure(TM) a
>reality, we just have to address the trivial matter of how to lug 12'000
>(for this is the number) bees around on a bicycle.

Step forward the BikeHive[tm].

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

[Graeme]

"Simonb" > wrote in
:

> OK, so we have the idea and the brand name. To make Bee-Secure(TM) a
> reality, we just have to address the trivial matter of how to lug 12'000
> (for this is the number) bees around on a bicycle.
>

You should just need to cart one single queen bee around and ensure you
don't ride so fast the others can't keep up. You're *meant* to be fairly
safe from stings when they're swarming round the queen in such a way, but
it's not a chance I've ever taken. My Dad used to have about 5 hives for a
good number of years. I was never stung by a single bee until after he'd
sold all the hives.

Ever seen those pictures of people with "bee beards" etc? They are done by
attaching a queen bee in a small container to your face - after removing
your brain first :-]

Graeme

[Zog The Undeniable]

elyob wrote:

> What with the buzzard attack and now this ... ?
>
> http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_985792.html?menu=news.quirkies
>
> Bicycle proves attractive to bees
>
> A 12-year-old girl parked her bicycle to go on a short shopping trip and
> came back to find it covered with 12,000 bees.

Bet it was yellow.

[Carol Hague]

Simonb > wrote:

> (t'other) Dave wrote:
> > "Simonb" > wrote in message
> > .. .
> >> (t'other) Dave wrote:
> >>
> >>> I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
> >>> hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....
> >>
> >> BEE Secure!
> >>
> >>
> > Genius!!
>
> OK, so we have the idea and the brand name. To make Bee-Secure(TM) a
> reality, we just have to address the trivial matter of how to lug 12'000
> (for this is the number) bees around on a bicycle.

Lots and lots of teeny little collars and leads?

--
Carol
"Nothing is so virtuous as a bicycle."
- Dorothy L. Sayers, _Five Red Herrings_

[Mark Thompson]

> Ever seen those pictures of people with "bee beards" etc? They are
> done by attaching a queen bee in a small container to your face -
> after removing your brain first :-]

How do they get the beard off? Just plunge a hand into the 'beard' and put
her back in the hive? Swallow her and wait for the others to disperse?
How?

[Mike Causer]

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 00:22:32 +0100, Ambrose Nankivell wrote:

> Won't work: I don't think I've seen a honey bee since living in
> Walsall. It really is crap, isn't it?

Used to see lots when I lived in Walsall, because the bloke three doors
along had a hive....

Used to see hornets too; now they are scarily large. (They were near
the Park Lime Pits, which is now a country park, so they may still be
there.)


Cycling in Walsall is not pleasant nowadays though....


Mike

[Ambrose Nankivell]

In news:840zc.465$jj2.422@newsfe1-win,
Mike Causer > typed:
> On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 00:22:32 +0100, Ambrose Nankivell wrote:
>
>> Won't work: I don't think I've seen a honey bee since living in
>> Walsall. It really is crap, isn't it?
>
> Used to see lots when I lived in Walsall, because the bloke three
> doors along had a hive....

Yeah, there used to be lots at my parent's old house in Birmingham. Maybe
something to do with the 2 hives at the end of the garden. For some reason
they've not taken beekeeping up again. Maybe something to do with them
getting sensitised to the stings (cue anxious driving to get an emergency
prednisolone prescription (not that it's ever missing from my drugs
collection, but...)). Not a nice moment.

> Used to see hornets too; now they are scarily large. (They were near
> the Park Lime Pits, which is now a country park, so they may still be
> there.)

Nice ride up the canal from my end.

> Cycling in Walsall is not pleasant nowadays though....
>
No. But I did find a nice route to Wolverhampton when I was travelling that
way.

A

[Gawnsoft]

On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 23:35:04 +0100, "Simonb"
> wrote (more or less):

>(t'other) Dave wrote:
>> "Simonb" > wrote in message
>> .. .
>>> (t'other) Dave wrote:
>>>
>>>> I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
>>>> hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....
>>>
>>> BEE Secure!
>>>
>>>
>> Genius!!
>
>OK, so we have the idea and the brand name. To make Bee-Secure(TM) a
>reality, we just have to address the trivial matter of how to lug 12'000
>(for this is the number) bees around on a bicycle.
>
>Ho hum...

Just lug the one queen. The other 11,999 will follow...


--
Cheers,
Euan
Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122
Smalltalk links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk) http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk

[Graeme]

Mark Thompson > wrote in
93.157:

> How do they get the beard off?
> Just plunge a hand into the 'beard'
> and put her back in the hive?

I think that's more or less how they do it. Perhaps more "gently slip" than
"plunge" though.

Apparently it's a competitive sport too -
http://www.honeybeecentre.com/upcoming_events.htm
http://www.rucherdumoulin.com/barbe_abeillesang.htm

Graeme

[Alan Braggins]

In article >, Simonb wrote:
>(t'other) Dave wrote:
>> "Simonb" > wrote in message
>> .. .
>>> (t'other) Dave wrote:
>>>
>>>> I bet no-one was tempted to nick it ;-)
>>>> hhhmmm, think I've spotted a gap in the market ....
>>>
>>> BEE Secure!
>>>
>>>
>> Genius!!
>
>OK, so we have the idea and the brand name. To make Bee-Secure(TM) a
>reality, we just have to address the trivial matter of how to lug 12'000
>(for this is the number) bees around on a bicycle.

It explains in the article that so long as you have the queen, the rest
of the swarm will follow.

[Mike Causer]

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 01:00:33 +0100, Ambrose Nankivell wrote:

>> the Park Lime Pits, which is now a country park, so they may still be
>> there.)
>
> Nice ride up the canal from my end.

Isn't it nice? I was very surprised last year to see how that green
belt corridor had survived so well since I last saw it in the 1960s.



>> Cycling in Walsall is not pleasant nowadays though....
>>
> No. But I did find a nice route to Wolverhampton when I was travelling
> that way.


Tell me more. Wolverhampton is next on my list of nostalgia visits.



Mike

[Mike Causer]

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 23:47:25 +0100, Ambrose Nankivell wrote:

> Leave on the canal that goes out from town wharf, in the obvious direction,
> and carry on under the M6 and along the bit where it's parallel to the black
> country route. Then take a bridge off up Moseley Road, going right to go
> under the Black Country route and past a Catholic secondary school. Carry
> straight on until you meet the A454 and then go the last couple of miles on
> that.

By "Black Country Route" do you mean the new dual-carriageway around
Darlaston? (I'm looking at a combination of Sustrans web map and a 1974
issue OS 1:50,000.) Seems to match what you're suggesting.

Note to self: get up to date OS map before going to W'ton.


Mike

[Ambrose Nankivell]

In news:NpIzc.175$eM3.132@newsfe1-win,
Mike Causer > typed:
> On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 23:47:25 +0100, Ambrose Nankivell wrote:
>
>> Leave on the canal that goes out from town wharf, in the obvious
>> direction, and carry on under the M6 and along the bit where it's
>> parallel to the black country route. Then take a bridge off up
>> Moseley Road, going right to go under the Black Country route and
>> past a Catholic secondary school. Carry straight on until you meet
>> the A454 and then go the last couple of miles on that.
>
> By "Black Country Route" do you mean the new dual-carriageway around
> Darlaston? (I'm looking at a combination of Sustrans web map and a
> 1974 issue OS 1:50,000.) Seems to match what you're suggesting.
>
That's the one. Well, more the one round Willenhall, going from Junction 10
to Wolverhampton. A454

A

[Mike Causer]

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 20:20:25 +0100, Ambrose Nankivell wrote:

> That's the one. Well, more the one round Willenhall, going from Junction 10
> to Wolverhampton. A454

OK, got it now. Thanks.


Looks like I'll be phoning Wolverhampton Council in the morning, because
they only do their local "cycling facilities" map in the dead-tree
version. I'm damn sure it was created on a computer before going to the
printers, so why can't they PDF it?? [Rhetorical Question, but very
FA]


Mike

[FranklynMint]

Mike Causer wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 20:20:25 +0100, Ambrose Nankivell wrote:
> > That's the one. Well, more the one round Willenhall, going from
> > Junction 10 to Wolverhampton. A454



Sure it isn't the Bee 454? :D



--