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It follows that cities should allow backyard bee keeping. To make it safer to people allergic to bees, someone should invent a hive on a pole that can be raised

It follows that cities should allow backyard bee keeping. To make it safer to people allergic to bees, someone should invent a hive on a pole that can be raised or lowered like a flag.

peteradio 6y ago
That is like saying someone should get a goldfish because salmon are going extinct. Backyard bee keeping is not helping the global native bee population (this is the one that matters in the long run).
- 11235813213455 6y ago
  Yes, exactly, we should just plant trees, fruits trees, plants (and eat them! so many people ignore their fruits in their gardens, or worse, cut them), vegetables, that's all needed, and insects will be back contributing
  - prattatx 6y ago
    Not sure I agree with this. Most fruit trees need 2 of them and wind or bees/insects. If we spray insecticide or anti-fungal on the fruit tree, which many people do, then we reduce the bees, and get no fruit. The insecticide seems to be the unnatural addition that impacts the ecosystem. I would argue for reduced use of insecticide.
    - 11235813213455 6y ago
      Of course not using insecticides! that was implicit, how could they come back else. You're right to mention it, I kinda forgot people used them, it sounds so useless and terrible
prattatx 6y ago
We have kept Italian and Russian honey bees in our suburban backyard. Both came out of their hive, flew up 20 feet and left the yard, and even the neighborhood we think, most of the day. Stable base, near a source of water, and in the sun worked best for them not swarming on us. A lawn mower bumping into a stand meant 20 mins of angry bees, then back to business. Moving the hive on a pole would make me nervous for 20 minutes. What killed two hives outright (we think) are lawn services going after mosquitoes in the neighborhood. Didn’t kill them but weakened the hive. They were subsequently taken over by fire ants and small hive beetles, each time after a split. Bee keeping is so easy and fun and can be done through the mail. I agree with you, duke, if we could solve for allergies, beekeeping could easily be as commonplace as growing tomatoes.

It follows that cities should allow backyard bee keeping. To make it safer to people allergic to bees, someone should invent a hive on a pole that can be raised or lowered like a flag.

peteradio 6y ago

That is like saying someone should get a goldfish because salmon are going extinct. Backyard bee keeping is not helping the global native bee population (this is the one that matters in the long run).

11235813213455 6y ago
Yes, exactly, we should just plant trees, fruits trees, plants (and eat them! so many people ignore their fruits in their gardens, or worse, cut them), vegetables, that's all needed, and insects will be back contributing
- prattatx 6y ago
  Not sure I agree with this. Most fruit trees need 2 of them and wind or bees/insects. If we spray insecticide or anti-fungal on the fruit tree, which many people do, then we reduce the bees, and get no fruit. The insecticide seems to be the unnatural addition that impacts the ecosystem. I would argue for reduced use of insecticide.
  - 11235813213455 6y ago
    Of course not using insecticides! that was implicit, how could they come back else. You're right to mention it, I kinda forgot people used them, it sounds so useless and terrible

prattatx 6y ago

We have kept Italian and Russian honey bees in our suburban backyard. Both came out of their hive, flew up 20 feet and left the yard, and even the neighborhood we think, most of the day. Stable base, near a source of water, and in the sun worked best for them not swarming on us. A lawn mower bumping into a stand meant 20 mins of angry bees, then back to business. Moving the hive on a pole would make me nervous for 20 minutes. What killed two hives outright (we think) are lawn services going after mosquitoes in the neighborhood. Didn’t kill them but weakened the hive. They were subsequently taken over by fire ants and small hive beetles, each time after a split. Bee keeping is so easy and fun and can be done through the mail. I agree with you, duke, if we could solve for allergies, beekeeping could easily be as commonplace as growing tomatoes.