Bee safe in and around town!

Baltimore City(BBS)

So, we’ve probably all done it. It a bright, beautiful sunny day! It’s perfect weather to go out in your yard, walk your pets or even garden, right. We’re not the only ones that love the outdoors so do insects! Especially our bee friends! They love the magnificent Summer too! When a bee is near most residents can resist the sudden urge to wave their arms at them. Or even worse they start to swing at the them out of fear. From what we’ve heard that’s the wrong thing to do and here’s why neighbors. You’re going to get stung for sure at that point. That movement triggers them and causes them to react fast. It’s a good idea not to go near their hives as well. It causes the bees to feel threatened causing you to be attacked. That makes sense because everyone wants to protect their families and homes right. So, how can you protect yourself and family members? We’ve always been told to wear light, colored clothing and to avoid wearing sweet smelling scents while outdoors. Scented perfumes and smell goods make you an easy target to get stung. We don’t want that happen to you! So, go easy on the sweet shampoos, soaps and deodorants too. Spraying water is supposed to protect you too but we aren’t too convinced of that one. Surprisingly, we were told that bees don’t like the smell of lavender, vegetable or olive oil so go figure, lol. I guess that’s why some residents have it on or near them outdoors. How does a bee sting feel? Fortunately, we’ve never got stung all the way into adulthood. Friends have said that it is very painful and causes some swelling. It can also cause an allergic reaction, sadly. The most common place for a sting is your face or neck. Hydrocortisone is supposed to help with that. Please don’t yank or pull the stinger out yourself. Instead try scraping it off. When stung, please leave that area because more bees will come. An interesting fact about female wasps is that they can sting their victims multiple times! Their stingers don’t fall off. So, be safe and enjoy the outdoors today. Do you have a bee safety tip to share with our community members? If so, share it in our fabulous, comment section below!