This photo is especially for Nature Girl, author of the wonderful blog Adirondack Naturalist (www.adknaturalist.blogspot.com). In her comment to my post about beautiful bugs, she let on that in the past she had a great fear of bees. Turnabout's fair play, so here's a photo of something the bee should be afraid of: a goldenrod crab spider, with jaws sunk into the bee. The murder scene is a shining sumac bush. Be sure to click on this photo to get all the (not so) gory details. (Just think how close I had to get to take this picture!)
In my defense, my fear of bees was well-deserved...read on. :) When I was three, we lived on Guam. My sister and I were playing ball with a couple other kids and my ball ended up in a bush. I reached in for it and apparently there was a nest of bees in the bush as well. I was badly stung, and was rushed to the hospital. Twice, when I was an older kid, I had bees in my shirt! Still, despite the trauma of this bee-infested childhood, I have taken this fear in a firm grip and come to terms with it. First, I spent some time with a bee keeper (armed with a smoker to keep the bees away), learning what I could about honey bees. I've written articles on bees, focusing on all the good they do, and today, I can bravely wade into a garden full of blooming plants filled with bees of all stripes and not go into a panic (afterall, they do make great subjects for photography). I've contemplated ordering mason bees for my gardens (they are great native pollinators), and have even briefly considered keeping a bee hive! I've come a long way, baby! I'm living proof that almost any fear can be overcome.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo, by the way! :)
I truly sympathize with your fear of bees (and celebrate your overcoming of it). My terror is of wasps. Years ago, I was carrying one of my babies when a wasp landed on him and I threw my baby to the ground to get the wasp away from me. I still shudder with guilt over that.
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