Things that make you smile

[Medusa]

Re: Things that make you smile

omg. Two of my fave authors have just released new audiobooks! And my Maberry one is involving three of his fave characters from three different books into one zombie book! I'm going to like dieeeeeee!

[anubisa]

Re: Things that make you smile

sabrinawally5.JPG

This still makes me smile. This was when my two fur babies Wally (left) and Sabrina (right) were puppies. Still love the pictures of the old days.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Things that make you smile

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This still makes me smile. This was when my two fur babies Wally (left) and Sabrina (right) were puppies. Still love the pictures of the old days.

Lovely puppies!

[thalassa]

Re: Things that make you smile

Sweating my buttons* off @ the farmers market.

*autocorrect cracks me up!

[anubisa]

Re: Things that make you smile

Lovely puppies!

They were. Now they're stubborn babies. Love them still. Here's a more recent one.

sabrinawally9.JPG

[Medusa]

Re: Things that make you smile

My new laptop cooler came in. I only paid $16 for it. I plugged it in and it's so whisper quiet! And my laptop's fan kicked to off it was so cool now.

Also one of our girls at work (who just had a baby with her bf and is only like 24) is having a hard time keeping food on her table. I advised her about pantries and told her to get into the Food Stamp program (she had wic while pregnant). She's just waiting for approval. Poor girl (she's like the sweetest gal ever) was hungry at work today. So I let her have my locker food. I keep peanut butter and bread and jam for emergency snacks. And I told Chris, our assistant manager that I was going next door to Walmart to get her a $20 gift card. He pitched in the same amount and we got her a $40 gift card. It made me smile to see her so happy. I'm planning on buying some stuff for her weekly at the 99 cents store to help her out. She doesn't quite know how to be frugal with home made stuff. So I'm going to just help her out.

[Jembru]

Re: Things that make you smile

I was worried that the mugwort wasn't going to survive the move. It looked very limp and sad yesterday. I cut it back quite hard leaving just a few stems. This morning the most central stem has become rigid again so I think I haven't lost him after all!

Also Honey the wingless honey bee has come down from her perch and had some breakfast. She seems in good health all considered. I just wish I could make her some new wings!

[anubisa]

Re: Things that make you smile

I was worried that the mugwort wasn't going to survive the move. It looked very limp and sad yesterday. I cut it back quite hard leaving just a few stems. This morning the most central stem has become rigid again so I think I haven't lost him after all!

Also Honey the wingless honey bee has come down from her perch and had some breakfast. She seems in good health all considered. I just wish I could make her some new wings!

I'm glad to hear about both the Mugwort and about Honey. I'm praying she stays in good health.

[DragonsFriend]

Re: Things that make you smile

The adult life of a honey bee is only about two weeks. It may be less when separated from the hive.
The picture you have is what we call a "Bumble Bee". They are plumper and fuzzier than a honey bee and black with white or yellow stripes while the honey bee is amber with thin black stripes and little, short hairs on its thorax.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Things that make you smile

The adult life of a honey bee is only about two weeks. It may be less when separated from the hive.

Honey bees can live up to around 10 months, about 2 weeks of that is grub.

Trust me on this, I've kept hives.

[Jembru]

Re: Things that make you smile

Honey bees can live up to around 10 months, about 2 weeks of that is grub.

Trust me on this, I've kept hives.

I was hoping you'd be able to pipe in actually. I did a bit of research and apparently there is a fungus spread by mites thar can cause wing deformity or no wings at all. If this is how she came to have no wings she'd have had to crawl for some incredible distance to make it into our yard unless there is a wild hive nearby. It's possible though. I actually hope it was a wasp though because otherwise the entire colony is at risk which is much worse.

The adult life of a honey bee is only about two weeks. It may be less when separated from the hive.
The picture you have is what we call a "Bumble Bee". They are plumper and fuzzier than a honey bee and black with white or yellow stripes while the honey bee is amber with thin black stripes and little, short hairs on its thorax.

No she's not a bumblebee. I agree she does look a bit like one from the way she's crouched in that picture but I know a honey bee when I see one -the guy I get my honey from brings some in a glass case to show people which is why I gave her that honey rather than the cheap stuff we cook with. She's definitely a honey bee. In fact if you want to see her variety the main image on the honey bee Wikipedia entry is identical to her and shows the fuzz around the thorax, but there are varieties without it so maybe they're more common in your part of the world?

A bumblebee came to visit her today though. JP called me while I was out with my dad to ask if the bumblebee would attack her for the honey. I thought that was very unlikely but JP chose to supervise the play date. Apparently the bumblebee was like a giant next to her. Bless her!

Looking at bee forums, she should be able to live out her days quite well so long as she has food and shelter.

It's raining tonight but she has sheltered under the coconut shell we left for her.

Whatever happens, she's done her colony proud even though they'll never even notice they're a drone down.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Things that make you smile

Watching Remmie the Beagle in REM sleep.

His jowles are twitching. I think he's dreaming of one of his favorite things - either eating, or sniffing poop.

[DragonsFriend]

Re: Things that make you smile

Honey bees can live up to around 10 months, about 2 weeks of that is grub.

Trust me on this, I've kept hives.

Really? That surprises me because it conflicts with the studies I have been doing in preparation for getting a hive.
According to the studies I have done and backed up by:

http://www.scmidstatebeekeepers.org/honeybeelifecycle.htm

and other sites, the period of life an adult honey bee is collecting pollen and visible to the general public is roughly two weeks. Below shows the stages of development versus time during the active period of gathering:


Period of development:
Day 1 to 3 as an egg
Day 4 to 6 as a larva

Day 7 to 9 in a capped cell
Day 10 to 12 as a pupa


Period of service as house bee:
Day 13 to 14 cleans cells and warms the brood nest

Day 15 to 17 feeds older larvae with honey and pollen

Day 18 to 23 feeds young larvae with royal jelly
Day 24 to 29 produces wax and constructs comb, ripens honey

Day 30 to 33 guard the hive entrance and ventilate the hive
Day 34 to 48 in field service (total life of 6.8 weeks with 2 weeks as a gatherer)


Perhaps I am misinterpreting something...

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Things that make you smile

Perhaps I am misinterpreting something...

Sort of misinterpreting, but mainly missing data.

Life span (in total) between 1 and 10 months (hence "can live up to"). The short span you've quoted is for a working bee, in the summer, bringing in nectar. The hard work of flying ((up to 5 miles per day), and a food source of pretty much pure sugar, added to the hazards of being out in the wild reduces the average lifespan. In spring and autumn when nectar is more available nearer to the hive, and over winter when the bees only fly to poop, plus pollen added to honey as food within the hive, leads to a longer lifespan.

[DragonsFriend]

Re: Things that make you smile

I did say that this was for a worker bee during the active gathering of food for the hive... which you also say in your post,

The short span you've quoted is for a working bee, in the summer, bringing in nectar. The hard work of flying ((up to 5 miles per day), and a food source of pretty much pure sugar, added to the hazards of being out in the wild reduces the average lifespan.

It IS summer and the bee was OUTSIDE the hive. What would you say was a reasonable maximum life expectancy at this point for the bee in question?