Pet Bee

[swarfrat]

This is what happens when you don't get your kid a pet:

My son captured this bee. We have kept it in a jar or box for four days now. I've been expecting it to die any day now. Hour actually. But it is still alive.
He said "I love him." It turns out it's actually a boy - so we've relaxed the guard a bit - the white face visible in the picture proves it's a male carpenter bee.
We gave it flowers, and honey. I haven't seen it eating the honey, but when I touched some to its antennae it did get very interested - finally.

After a few hours without eating they don't have enough gas to fly, but he did try again on day 2. I sort of figured he was already not in great shape if my son was able to capture it in the first place, but here we are at day four.  All because my wife won't give in on getting the boy a cat.

 

[Seamas]

Do you have a license for that Bee?

Is it a full bee or just half a bee?

Half a bee, philosophically,
Must, ipso facto, half not be.
But half the bee has got to be
Vis a vis, its entity. D'you see?
But can a bee be said to be
Or not to be an entire bee
When half the bee is not a bee
Due to some ancient injury?

 

[mayfly]

That's all fine, but what I want to know is...



.... is his name Eric?

 

[swarfrat]

I'm not sure about all the questions but I do know that it is a US Bee. I knew that if a female bee stings it dies, but did not know that mating is fatal for males. I didn't share that tidbit with the kiddo. He must've found the honey we gave him because today is either day four or five (I forget) and he's actually got some spunk and I expected him to die days ago.

 

[Seamas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlrsqGal64w

 

[Cagey]

Bees don't eat honey - it's actually bee puke. True story. So, you might be starving the poor thing. Needs flower nectar. Not sure they have that on the "Pet Food" aisle at Kroger's.

Of course, if he had a cat, you could obtain food easily or it would just happily hunt it down itself. They're heartless, bloodthirsty murderers and they like it!. As a plus, you'd get more free puke than you'll probably ever need(unless you also get a dog, they think it's a treat!) Note: dogs think cat litter boxes are secret snack sites, too! :laughing7:

 

[swarfrat]

It appears we're not the first:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGrWvcRy8_8&t=336s[/youtube]

 

[swarfrat]

Honey is canned nectar.  We all go to grandma's and vomit up some nectar. Bees have two stomachs - a honey stomach for short term nectar storage/turning it into honey, and a food stomach for eating.

We did give it some various azaleas and dogwood flowers (about the only thing in bloom around the house), but it didn't perk up until we put some honey in the enclosure. Carpenter bees and bumblebees because of their size can't get their snouts in some deep flowers, so they will 'rob' nectar by slitting the side and drinking out of the side. But it doesn't pollinate the flower (which is why it's termed 'robbing').

Anyway, it's been a neat adventure that he'll probably remember into adulthood. I was actually curious about getting him an observation hive, until I saw the price. Yikes. Not happening.

 

[PhilHill]

You may have a future Entomologist on your hands there.

 

[swarfrat]

Here's a frame grab from that video - that stinger is about 4x longer than I thought  it could be.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

The nectar you put in hummingbird feeders is like some kind of delicacy for bees. My hummingbird feeders always have bees. That would probably be easier to get hold of than a can of bee food. In a pinch, sugar water would probably suffice.

 

[Rick]

Half a bee half a bee onward flew Eric into the glass wall of his prison.

 

[swarfrat]

Alas the poor bee has shuffled off this mortal coil. Kid doesn't yet realize it. Wife is prolonging his ignorance/denial, because that's what she always does.

 

[PhilHill]

:sad1: