March 15, 2015 · 2:27 pm
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The death of a bee

I read recently about the death of  37 million bees in Ontario,  Canada. (I wonder who counted each little bee body?)

Their deaths were attributed to the proximity of genetically modified maize, and the use of a particular pesticide which damages the immune system of bees, and affects their sense of direction. This is disturbing news, if it is accurate. We depend, more than we know, on these busy little pollinators.

I have to report on the death of one little bee here on the streets of Florence. It wasn’t nasty pesticides that caused its death. No, it seems to have been fire. Poor little bee.

P1120125

P1120123

I forgot to mention that the Italian word for these 3 wheeled vehicles is “ape”, which is pronounced ah-pay. It means “bee”. If you’ve seen and heard one of these, you might remember the tiny engine sounded like a buzzing bee

Here is what a living one looks like.

ape

34 Comments

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34 responses to “The death of a bee”

  1. BerLinda
    March 16, 2015 at 11:34 pm

    Reminds me a bit of the car in Only Fools and Horses!

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. the eternal traveller
    March 16, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    I love bees. They work so hard and I make sure I waste not a drop of honey. These little trucks are very cute and I’m sure they must work hard too.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Jane
    March 16, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    Florence, I associate with leaning to love honey and parmesan served with “rocket”. I’m planted for butterflies and bees….support your local apiaries!

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. suchled
    March 16, 2015 at 10:33 am

    I want a bee. And I think Monsanto are from out of space and this is how they are going to destroy the earth. GM and Insecticides.Don’t they understand anything about the natural world or have they developed a chemical pollinator that we will all need to buy once they have eliminated all bees worldwide. Bastards!

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. coffeegrounded
    March 16, 2015 at 1:49 am

    Very true. One third of the worlds population has already disappeared. Just this week I watched Martin Spurlock’s documentary about the decline. Commercial farming is the greatest harm to the bee population. When we take away their natural habitats, we take away their variety of food resources. Acre and acre of the same food source, diminishes the nutrients available to the colony, add to that herbicide, pesticides, genetic modification of human food crops, and we create a very desperate situation.

    Part of my garden was transformed into a bee and butterfly sanctuary. I was amazed at the number of bees that visited this past year. All of my yard is organically fed and treated. We’ve been composting grass clippings, leaves and discarded food (no meat, oils) items for over thirty years.

    It’s amazing how much one can do within their own yard or patio to improve the environment. Also, allowing the natural habitat will offer its own reward to weed and pest control. One simply needs only to begin the process to reap the rewards. Year after year the world around you will improve.

    I use vinegar to rid unwanted weeds (and YES, some weeds you will actually want to keep, but simply control their area of spread). Coffee grounds have created a hotbed of fishing worms if I fished, instead, they feed the birds and also improve my soil with their castings and their natural tunneling.

    (Sorry, I did get long winded, but I saw your comment and simply wanted to shout, Hooray! We need to spread the word. No bees = No humans! They are our pollinators, without them we will have no food supply. Birds and other insects cannot manage the workload provided by the bees.

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    • Yvonne
      March 16, 2015 at 7:33 am

      You sure are doing your bit to try to save a bit of our environment! I’m going to look online for the use of vinegar to kill weeds, that interests me. I had all the grass removed from my yard and have planted trees and shrubs that attract birds and butterflies. I haven’t seen many bees though.

      .

      Liked by 1 person

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      • coffeegrounded
        March 16, 2015 at 1:53 pm

        Once those critters find you, and they will, you’ll see a great change. Can I ask how long ago you cleared the area and replanted? Did you plant plants native to your area? (Sometimes nurseries will see ‘old fashion’ variety plants or items tagged, “heirloom”. Those are what you’re looking for, and guess what, sometimes they appear as a long forgotten weed, but introduced back into the garden you will find them as your pollinators. Fret not, feed them organic materials (compost) and eventually the garden will come around.

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  7. Sue Slaght
    March 15, 2015 at 9:39 pm

    Looks like a sad end to the big ‘bee’. Yes here in North America we have a terrible decrease in bee population in all seriousness.

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  8. Bert
    March 15, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    And ‘Vespa’ means wasp.
    If bees became extinct the human race would not be far behind.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Yvonne
      March 16, 2015 at 7:38 am

      One way or another, we’re doing our best to stuff things up, Bert.

      My son won a Vespa 50cc for me, Bert! But, as I had no need for it, it found a home with a young University student who fell in love with it.

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  9. Ralph
    March 15, 2015 at 6:30 pm

    For Sale. Hardly used. One careful owner. €4000.

    Don’t buy it Yvonne.! You’ll get stung ! 😉 ❤

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. Andante
    March 15, 2015 at 5:40 pm

    In England, there is an alternative term for that kind of three-wheeled vehicle, such as a Reliant, they’re called “Hedgehog squashers” – if you think about it, the layout of the wheels increases the chance of a poor little hedgehog being squashed as it tries to cross the road! Squelch!

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. Darlene Jones
    March 15, 2015 at 5:16 pm

    Good blog post, but sad because of the danger to bees – the ones who pollinate, that is.

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. sunsetdragon
    March 15, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    I wonder the sam thing about the bees and wonder who is out there counting them.
    Ape is a cool looking little vehicle.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Now let's hear it from you, folks.