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August 08, 1996 - What's the Buzz? It's About BeesGA • The, Suffolk Times • August 8; 1996 What's the Buzz ? It's About Bees I first became interested in bumblebees when portable tape recorders came on the market. The first sound I recorded was the powerful hum of these colorful big bees. The early bumblebees we see in the spring are always females and are docile and do not sting. Needless to say, be wary later on. Even singly, these large yellow -and- black- striped fuzzy bees can make a sig- nificant amount of sound, for if you ever stood under a tree in bloom in the spring with its blos- soming catkins drawing bees from all over the neighborhood, you'd find the sound so loud you'd think you were inside a beehive. From that early en- counter my next experience _ with the bumblebee family was when I was cleaning up around a garage. As I lifted up some old boards, I came across what looked like a field mouse nest. Later I was to discover, through reading, that was exactly what many bumblebees use as a nesting site along with chipmunk burrows, old straw piles and other suit- able sites. Upon close examination, I could see the neatly divided cells of the bumblebee's nest. Needless to say, I backed off quickly and quietly but not until I gently laid back the boards as not to disturb Mrs. Bumblebee. backyards. Lesser known is the life his- tory of our biggest of bees: the bumble- bee. It all starts in early spring when an already -mated female emerges from her hiding place where she has spent the win- ter months in hibernation. In the fall she mated with a nonstinging drone (male bee), who gave his life to the cause and thereafter died. Now, with anticipation of laying her eggs and warmer weather, she goes about looking for a place to start her family. Once it's found, she starts cleaning out the old mouse nest or whatever it is she has chosen, and starts adding material of her own. Then an egg cell is created along with a tumbler -like honey pot, all made of wax that she has secreted from a gland under her abdomen. This honey pot will be filled with pollen and honey for her and her young later on. Like most bees, she collects pollen from the early blossoms and carries it to her nesting site, where it is packed into the cells for later use when her young hatch out. Then on top of this yellow blanket of pollen, she deposits her eggs. here she sits atop the cells, like a brooding hen, until the young are born, her body heat keeping them warm. In between she makes more cells and collects more pollen. She is a jack of all trades, caring for her young, creating cells and gathering pollen and honey. This is a much different role than that of the honeybee, whose sole purpose it is to produce eggs for the colony. Later, as her family expands and helper bees take over, she'll then busy herself more with egg laying as the colony grows. As the season progresses and summer turns to cooler weather, all the bees start to die off except the new fertilized queens, who now look for a place to hibernate for the winter. Colonies of bumblebees are much smaller in num- ber compared to the honey bee colonies, but like the honeybee they will fiercely defend their colony from intruders. Of course, not all queens make it through the winter to start anew each spring. Wintering birds find them hiber- nating behind the bark of trees, or the Focus on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh Bumblebees can be found from the cold tip of South America on up through the tropics, into the Temperate Zone and all the way to the edge of the Arctic Circle, yet few of us know much about this fre- quent pollinator in our garden. Most peo- ple are leery of them, thinking that bees of all sorts will come after them and sting them. Far from it. Usually they are too busy collecting their life blood in the form of pollen and nectar to bother you. Of course, if you should step on one in bare feet as it sips from a clover blossom, it's bound to defend itself with a sting. Most Know About Honeybees The life of the honeybee is well doc- umented and most know about the fas- cinating goings -on in the beehives we often see about orchards and people's ■_aSya ■_wwL nwAL 75 Years Ago Aug. 5, 1921 World- Famous Tenor Dies: Enrico Caruso, the world's greatest tenor, died at four o'clock last Tuesday morning, following an operation for an abscess. Not alone because of his beautiful voice, but because of his personali- ty, his intellect, his unconquerable, artistic unstinted charity will Caruso be missed and long mourned by his world of friends and admirers. Town Topics in Greenport: Three large Navy planes and a tender, the Sandpiper, have been anchored in the harbor opposite the breakwater several days this week. It is reported that the planes are equipped with machine guns and are here for target practice. Camp Upton up for Auction: The Quartermaster General advertises that all the buildings and remaining equipment at Camp Upton will be sold at public auction beginning Aug. 15 and continuing daily until completed. 50 Years Ago Aug. 9, 1946 Atom Study at Former Camp Upton: The War Department's withdrawal of its surplus declaration on Camp Upton, and the transfer several days ago of the for- mer Army reception convalescent center to the Manhattan Project, gives final evidence that it will be the site for scien- , :�. s� r Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh BUMBLEBEE NEST —Often our big yellow- and - black- striped bumblebee will build its nest in the spring in a deserted mouse nest. Bumblebee colonies are much smaller than the honeybee colonies, whose numbers often run into the thousands. inquisitive mouse that pokes into every- thing sooner or later locates the sleeping bumblebee and has a meal. Even with the advent of spring, many of the nests are poorly located and succumb to flooding or other mishaps. Then those who sur- vive are faced with various types of para- sites that plague the colony. One, the cuckoo bee, is like our brown- headed cowbird that lays its eggs in other birds' nests and therefore shirks all responsibili- ty of bringing up the young. But it is not always easy for the cuckoo bee to gain entrance into the bumblebee's nesting site, as it is guarded vigorously at all times. Only bumblebees from that colony are permitted inside; yet some- times through diversion or other means the cuckoo bee will slip by the guards and gain entrance. Should this happen, it is often accepted, for it has by then tific research in nuclear physics. Major Gen. L.R. Groves, in charge of the Manhattan Pro- ject — the name given for the funds and work expended on the development of the atomic bomb — has indicated that the Associated Universities Inc., comprising nine universi- ties in Northeastern United States, plans to operate a huge laboratory at the camp under contract with the government. It is believed that the research program will be trans- ferred to the new civilian- controlled atomic energy authori- ty as soon as that authority is established. 25 Years Ago Aug. 5, 1971 Arson at Booth Houses Fire that burned out the top two stories and roof of the historic Booth House at Ster- ling Harbor has been called arson after preliminary investi- gation by the county Arson Squad. "A fire that had help" was how Greenport firemen sized up the blaze that left the newly renovated Booth House "uninhabitable." Fifty volun- teers fought the fire in the historic landmark for four hours Saturday morning. The Arson Squad was called in by the Greenport Fire Department to study the mysterious blaze. They found no gasoline or other accelerants commonly used by arsonists and have decided tentatively the fire was recklessly set, per- haps by vagrant youths with candles or matches. picked up the scent of the other bees and gone about the job of laying eggs in the bumblebee's cells. Needless to say, more often she is caught trying to enter and is ruthlessly killed by the workers who furi- ously fight any intruder. The sting of a bumblebee is much like the sting of a honeybee. They sting only once, while yellow jackets and hornets can sting more than once. The reason the bee stings only once is that when you swat it away the abdomen rips off because it is attached to the barbed stinger in you and the bee dies immediately. The imbedded stinger of the bee continually pumps its venom into the victim and so it's imperative to try to remove the stinger as soon as possible. The best way to do this is to rub across the sting area with your fingernail until the stinger is removed. The quicker the better! Left alone, bumblebees and honeybees are usually unagressive and should be appreciated for all the good they tlo by pollinating our trees and plants. Ask any farmer or orchard grower and they will vouch for their absolute importance. M � TIMES / REVIEW I I •� Congratulations to Carl Johnson of Cutchogue, winner of this week's Gold Card Drawing. He wins a Times /Review apron from Times /Review Newspapers, Mattituck. All Times /Review Gold Card holders are eligible for this weekly drawing.' Simply check this space every Thursday to see if you are a winner, and call Christina Weber at 298 -3200 within one week of publication, to claim your prize.