Don’T Be Caught Off Guard When Bees Come Buzzing

Tue., July 20, 1999

By Susan English susane@spokesman.com

It’s not something we like to think about, but we are heading into prime bee season. Hives are fully stocked with worker bees, and by August they’re hungry, thirsty and cranky.

So, tips for preventing bee stings are in order. First, take care of bee nests you find in your yard (look under the deck and the exposed eves of the house, too). Bees come to water sources, including bird baths, this time of summer. Researchers at the University of Arizona Africanized Honeybee Education Project recommend putting a tablespoon of vinegar in pet water dishes and bird baths. The vinegar acts as a deterrent to killer bees and probably does the same for other bees, too. In any case, it won’t hurt.

Wear light-colored clothes. If possible, avoid wearing perfumes, hair spray or scented lotions.

If you are attacked by a bunch of bees, run to a car or house, cover your head since bees target the head and eyes, and don’t flail or swat at the bees.

* It could happen in your neighborhood: A squirrel climbing a power pole in a Logan, Utah, neighborhood ignited first himself and then some bushes, according to a recent Associated Press report.

The squirrel put too many paws on too many wires and grounded two power lines together, said Logan Light and Power officials.

The squirrel caught fire, and power was temporarily out across the city. The squirrel, in flames, fell into some bushes and started a small grass fire, Logan fire officials reported.

* Sit back and watch the show: Plan to spend some time in the back yard on Aug. 12. If there’s no cloud cover, you can catch one of the best meteor showers of the year, the Perseid, so named because it comes from the direction of the constellation Perseus.

At its peak, you can see between 50 and 150 shooting stars an hour. (From August Men’s Journal)

* Backyard journal: Just as we were ending an evening dog walk, we rounded the corner for home and there, in the road between us and home, were two brown horses and a mule. Naked. No collars, halters, ropes, what-have-you. For some reason, the mule took a liking to the dog and tried to follow us home. This pets-on-the-loose situation baffled us.

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