the shasta daisies and coreopsis were taking over. in the process of digging up and replacing, i uncovered what must have been a bumblebee nest. it was odd, mostly because i never really considered where bumblebees made their homes. i would just be digging then...lo and behold...there is a bumblebee crawling out of the disturbed dirt! it happened over and over. not like a massive hole filled with bees, more like singular bees hiding out in their own soil burrows.
maybe they sensed that what i was doing was ultimately in their best interest (i.e. continuing the bounty of flowers) so they generally ignored me. but after a while, i think they wanted to get back to whatever it is they do underneath the dirt.
adam and i had a conversation about whether bumblebees sting which sent me to wikipedia.
apparently they do sting, but are averse to doing so (thank you bees).
what i found to be most interesting, and what is the ultimate reason for this post, is a certain scale related to stinging insects. it's called the schmidt sting pain index. i found it amusing as this schmidt fella must be some sort of insect sting afficianado. his descriptions bear a strong resemblance to wine charecteristics. (for example: "yellowjacket: hot and smoky, almost irreverent. imagine w.c. fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.")
everyone is a specialist at something.
better him than me.
Such poetic descriptions of insect stings! As you say, there's always someone who's totally into any given thing, evidently.
ReplyDeletei did not know that bees lived underground! one more reason for me not to root around on my hands and knees in the dirt. ;)
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