Bees At My Cache

[+ThePropers]

I had to disable one of my caches due to (apparently) a bunch of aggressive bees in the park.

 

I have been known to have allergic reactions to bees and carry an Epi Pen with me. How should I handle this? Would it be safe to go at night to try to retrieve the container and relocate it? Should I ask for volunteers? (yeah, good luck with that)

 

I should also mention the park closes at sunset....so technically I'd be trespassing if I went at night....but it's only about 150 feet from parking to the cache. Are bees completely inactive at night?

Edited May 2, 2006 by ThePropers

[codeman3]

I had to disable one of my caches due to (apparently) a bunch of aggressive bees in the park.

 

I have been known to have allergic reactions to bees and carry an Epi Pen with me. How should I handle this? Would it be safe to go at night to try to retrieve the container and relocate it? Should I ask for volunteers? (yeah, good luck with that)

 

I should also mention the park closes at sunset....so technically I'd be trespassing if I went at night....but it's only about 150 feet from parking to the cache. Are bees completely inactive at night?

Personally, I would take that spray stuff that shoots like 20 feet and just keep spraying till they are all dead and run!!! My dad is allergic to bees too he has carry not 1 but 3 epi pens!! and he has already sprayed bees at 5 feet and ran away fast enough so you might not hgave a problem but dont chance it. yes I would ask for a volunteer in your situation it shouldn't be that hard

[+team moxiepup]

I'm not sure if going at night would work or not. You could always borrow/rent some beekeeping attire, complete with one of those smoke squirters.

Too bad it weren't fall, you could just wait until a freeze, and remove it when the bees are torpid. I see from your avatar that you are from Pennsylvania. Is it still chilly at night there? If you get a really cold night, it might still be very cold right before sunrise. That might be the best time to try to remove it. (With the bee attire)

Good luck!

[+ThePropers]

I'm not sure if going at night would work or not. You could always borrow/rent some beekeeping attire, complete with one of those smoke squirters.

Too bad it weren't fall, you could just wait until a freeze, and remove it when the bees are torpid. I see from your avatar that you are from Pennsylvania. Is it still chilly at night there? If you get a really cold night, it might still be very cold right before sunrise. That might be the best time to try to remove it. (With the bee attire)

Good luck!

 

Well, it's not that chilly....it dips into the 40s at night. You think that's chilly enough?

 

I should be more scared of bees. Well, it's not so much the bees, but it's the swelling and dying that concerns me.

[bogleman]

I used to have bee issues but all is well now. I would go in at night, the cold should keep them down so it should not bee a problem and if it is just a quick run in/out I would not get concerned about being there after hours. One other choice is to try just before or at sun-up.

 

Let it ride and post a warning on the page in big bold text, I really would not get all excited over one report of vicious bees in the area. They could bee swarming and looking for a new home and have taken up temp. living quarters

 

Find a neighbor kid and give him a couple of bucks to get it for you.

Edited May 2, 2006 by bogleman

[+Tsegi Mike and Desert Viking]

Propers, you shouldnt go and retrieve it. I was stung after dark when they are supposedly docile. Twice.

 

Strongarm ... er ... ask your friends and neighbors to go and retrieve it for you. As someone said, bribe a kid with a couple of bucks to go and get it.

[+Freth]

Bees tend to be a lot more docile in the mornings and evenings. Keep in mind, unless they're the African killer variety they won't get too riled by your presence. The wasp spray kills pretty much instantly, so if you douse the bees and their nest you should have little trouble. They shouldn't even have a chance to get angry.

[+BlueDeuce]

Bees tend to be a lot more docile in the mornings and evenings. Keep in mind, unless they're the African killer variety they won't get too riled by your presence. The wasp spray kills pretty much instantly, so if you douse the bees and their nest you should have little trouble. They shouldn't even have a chance to get angry.

 

Bug spray? Are you kidding?

 

There are typically 30,000 bees in a hive and according to the Bee Man bigger hives can have 150,000. But hey go ahead and try spraying them, just have someone with a video camera. You could win 10,000 dollars.

 

of course you hope they are only honey bees.

 

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ip_beneficia...2277586,00.html

 

: Do bees want to sting people?

A: There's a big misconception about the aggression of a honeybee. Yeah, they'll sting, but you really got to provoke them. Yellowjackets are nasty, though. Hornets are actually more docile than honeybees. Wasps are bad. People are afraid of bees, but really, yellowjackets are the bees to be afraid of.

[+Torchbearer]

As said before you can ask someone else(who isn't allergic) to get the cache for you. Or you can check around your area for someone who keeps bees and they might be willing to come out and get them for you. However, I vote for this..

 

Let it ride and post a warning on the page in big bold text, I really would not get all excited over one report of vicious bees in the area. They could bee swarming and looking for a new home and have taken up temp. living quarters

[CoyoteRed]

What kind of park is this? If it's an city/urban park, leave it and notify the management of the presence of the bees. They will probably have it removed.

 

If it is a rural, woodsy park, then you might have to remove it as I doubt management would want to remove something as natural as a bee hive. Find a friend willing to do it for you.

[+BlueDeuce]

As said before you can ask someone else(who isn't allergic) to get the cache for you. Or you can check around your area for someone who keeps bees and they might be willing to come out and get them for you. However, I vote for this..

 

Let it ride and post a warning on the page in big bold text, I really would not get all excited over one report of vicious bees in the area. They could bee swarming and looking for a new home and have taken up temp. living quarters

 

Yep, if there were that many bees out at once they were probably in the middle of a swarm session.

[+carleenp]

I would think that a few posts on some local forums would turn up a cacher who would go get the cache for you. I know that in my area people would certainly volunteer.

[nobby.nobbs]

leave alone with a temp disable log. then come fall reinstate.

 

the trouble with drowsy bees is that they may well sting you quicker as they panic faster. like has been said leave them alone and they'll leave you.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

I had to disable one of my caches due to (apparently) a bunch of aggressive bees in the park.

 

I have been known to have allergic reactions to bees and carry an Epi Pen with me. How should I handle this? Would it be safe to go at night to try to retrieve the container and relocate it? Should I ask for volunteers? (yeah, good luck with that)

 

I should also mention the park closes at sunset....so technically I'd be trespassing if I went at night....but it's only about 150 feet from parking to the cache. Are bees completely inactive at night?

Personally, I would take that spray stuff that shoots like 20 feet and just keep spraying till they are all dead and run!!! My dad is allergic to bees too he has carry not 1 but 3 epi pens!! and he has already sprayed bees at 5 feet and ran away fast enough so you might not hgave a problem but dont chance it. yes I would ask for a volunteer in your situation it shouldn't be that hard

 

Please be advised that it can be illegal under both federal EPA regulations and under various state regulations to spray or otherwise apply or emit any kind of pesticide or herbicide on private property belonging to another or on park properties.

 

Also, are you sure the problem is really bees, and not wasps? My own experience is that both move on with the passage of time. Were it my cache, I would put a warning on the cache page and leave it at that -- after all, bees and wasps are part of nature. If geocaches can be placed near rattlesnake dens and rattlesnake hangouts, and in toxic waste dumps, and on the edges of cliffs, why can't they be placed near bee or wasp nests, so long as the Terrain rating is appropriate and so long as you mention the possibility on your cache listing page?

[AZcachemeister]

That is unusual bee behavior, and probably won't continue.

Post a warning in the description, where seekers will be sure to see it, and keep it active. I can decide for myself whether there are too many bees (or spiders, rattlesnakes, Bengal tigers, etc.) at the cache site when I get there. This kind of thing can happen anywhere when you're outdoors!

After a few months, the bees will settle down or move on.

[Lt32]

If you decide to try to retrieve your cache at night DO NOT use a flashlight. The bees are attracted to the light. My Dad is a retired commericial bee keeper and I used to help him with the bees as a part time job. We moved them at night because most of the bees were in the hives then, and usually not very active. When we did use a flashlight it was very sparingly.

[+ThePropers]

If you decide to try to retrieve your cache at night DO NOT use a flashlight. The bees are attracted to the light. My Dad is a retired commericial bee keeper and I used to help him with the bees as a part time job. We moved them at night because most of the bees were in the hives then, and usually not very active. When we did use a flashlight it was very sparingly.

 

Thanks everyone. I had another sucker...errr...cacher look last night for it. He couldn't find the cache (even with a direct spoiler) but he reported back that they were burrower bees (mostly harmless) and while they were buzzing around him, they seemed to be just chasing each other around.

 

I stopped by this morning and retrived the container with no trouble. I'm just going to clean it up, slap a new geocaching.com sticker on it and replace it elsewhere in the park.

[+YuccaPatrol]

I wouldn't do anything but raise the terrain and difficulty level of the cache!

Edited May 4, 2006 by YuccaPatrol

[+Tsegi Mike and Desert Viking]

To anyone who is allergic to bees, it is important they know about bees. In my area, almost all the bees are Africanized, so if there is any bees in the area, I personally would disable the cache or archive it. Africanized bees have caused many human deaths in the Phoenix area. Geocaching is only a game, not worth getting someone hurt over.

 

Disclaimer, Im in the medical field. Im trained to be conscious of medical needs, like this one.

[nobby.nobbs]

completely a coincidence but moved one of mine yesterday and nearby the new location found this