Captain Stoic v.s. The Killer Bees
I’m going to step aside from the house improvements for this entry as there hasn’t been any progress anyway.
I had a thoroughly rotten day at work yesterday and was so tired from the events of the week, I was debating on whether or not I wanted to even go to the gym yesterday. I finally figured that I could go and do a little and if I didn’t want to do the full 40 Minutes on the elliptical, I’d just leave whenever I felt like going.
When I arrived at the gym, I got one of my favorite parking spaces: in the shade of the building and right against the side.
I noticed a few people running into the building like they were more than a little anxious to get started, but I really didn’t think much of it. I parked, grabbed my bag and got out of the truck.
I tend to walk rather slowly as a matter of habit and choice. When I need to put on some speed, or when I’m exercising, I’ll get moving, but typically - I saunter. Maybe I trundle. Lumber? Whatever.
As I ambulated down the side of the building, a man ran toward me, flapping his t-shirt and waving his arms like a madman. Before I could react, we’d both turned the corner and he’d pulled his shirt of and was whipping it around. It wasn’t until then I noticed the bees.
Wasps don’t much bother me – I find that if you ignore them, they’ll ignore you. Even Africanized bees, if given a wide enough berth generally won’t attack – the problem with them is that THEY decide what is a wide enough berth – not you.
Yes, these were Africanized bees – the killer bees from Mexico that we’d been warned about for thirty years. They are in Phoenix now, though the strain is diluted from interbreeding with the locals (or so I’m told, I have no personal knowledge of the courtship of bees), they’re still aggressive and rather short-tempered.
The man without the shirt was stung several times, there was another gentleman in the gym who was on the edge of panic and had been stung on the ear – as he made sure anyone nearby had heard.
I hadn’t been bothered until I got near the half naked man with the waving shirt. Even then they only swarmed me, I never got stung.
Several of the little buggers got into the lobby of the gym, a couple entering with two young women. One of the women stood stock-still, and these two bees buzzed her for a moment, grew bored and went other places.
*DING* so, in order to avoid the bees, one must be stoic? For me stoicism is practically a super-power. I decided to stay and workout (for the full time - ½hour on the weights, 40 Min on the elliptical), and at the end I trundled back to the truck through the diminished swarm at my casual lumbering pace.
I was indeed ignored by the little malevolent guided missiles.
I found out what suddenly enraged the bees enough to attack everyone within 100 yards. The gym had called an exterminator who had no training or experience with Africanized bees. This guy was probably ok to spray for termites, but I wouldn’t have trusted him that far.
The hive, by the way, is still in the wall – the very same wall where I had parked.
Figures: even angry bees avoid direct sun in Phoenix.
I may skip the gym today..........
I had a thoroughly rotten day at work yesterday and was so tired from the events of the week, I was debating on whether or not I wanted to even go to the gym yesterday. I finally figured that I could go and do a little and if I didn’t want to do the full 40 Minutes on the elliptical, I’d just leave whenever I felt like going.
When I arrived at the gym, I got one of my favorite parking spaces: in the shade of the building and right against the side.
I noticed a few people running into the building like they were more than a little anxious to get started, but I really didn’t think much of it. I parked, grabbed my bag and got out of the truck.
I tend to walk rather slowly as a matter of habit and choice. When I need to put on some speed, or when I’m exercising, I’ll get moving, but typically - I saunter. Maybe I trundle. Lumber? Whatever.
As I ambulated down the side of the building, a man ran toward me, flapping his t-shirt and waving his arms like a madman. Before I could react, we’d both turned the corner and he’d pulled his shirt of and was whipping it around. It wasn’t until then I noticed the bees.
Wasps don’t much bother me – I find that if you ignore them, they’ll ignore you. Even Africanized bees, if given a wide enough berth generally won’t attack – the problem with them is that THEY decide what is a wide enough berth – not you.
Yes, these were Africanized bees – the killer bees from Mexico that we’d been warned about for thirty years. They are in Phoenix now, though the strain is diluted from interbreeding with the locals (or so I’m told, I have no personal knowledge of the courtship of bees), they’re still aggressive and rather short-tempered.
The man without the shirt was stung several times, there was another gentleman in the gym who was on the edge of panic and had been stung on the ear – as he made sure anyone nearby had heard.
I hadn’t been bothered until I got near the half naked man with the waving shirt. Even then they only swarmed me, I never got stung.
Several of the little buggers got into the lobby of the gym, a couple entering with two young women. One of the women stood stock-still, and these two bees buzzed her for a moment, grew bored and went other places.
*DING* so, in order to avoid the bees, one must be stoic? For me stoicism is practically a super-power. I decided to stay and workout (for the full time - ½hour on the weights, 40 Min on the elliptical), and at the end I trundled back to the truck through the diminished swarm at my casual lumbering pace.
I was indeed ignored by the little malevolent guided missiles.
I found out what suddenly enraged the bees enough to attack everyone within 100 yards. The gym had called an exterminator who had no training or experience with Africanized bees. This guy was probably ok to spray for termites, but I wouldn’t have trusted him that far.
The hive, by the way, is still in the wall – the very same wall where I had parked.
Figures: even angry bees avoid direct sun in Phoenix.
I may skip the gym today..........
posted by methatiam | 8:15 AM
3 Comments:
Oh my! REminds me of the time my father insisted I had to get the lawn mower under every hedge in the yard and I sucked up a nest of yellow jackets. 20 stings up my legs and arms. Upshot was I never had to mow the lawn again (I still did on occasion, I was a good daughter and all, but if I could get out of it I did...)
The screaming and flapping thing doesn't really help.
Hmmmm, I may never return to your fair city. :)
Oh, I don't like wasps and yellow jackets, but bees don't bother me. Must admit that I haven't had an encounter with the Killer Bee variety though.
Glad to hear Captain Stoic made it in and out of the war zone safely. Whew!
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