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EO Wilson, on the Superorganism
I was driving home from work and heard this interview with EO Wilson on NPR, discussing "superorganisms", such as bees and ants. Simply stated, a superorganism acts collectively, as an individual organism. It's the exact opposite of our capitalist-society which teaches us that if we act individually, then the collective society benefits or advances. As someone who's studied Economics, I found the idea fascinating and novel. This program single-handedly got me interested in keeping bees. EO Wilson, Superorganisms
Going off the rails, I play a game: I think Thos Jefferson was a brilliant man, and was ahead of his time in multiple areas, art, politics, agriculture, architecture, engineering, you name it. As advanced as he was, if we transplanted him abruptly into today's world, he'd have no idea of everyday items surrounding us. And he lived a mere 250yrs ago, a fraction of time in the historical sense. Then, I try to imagine a world 250 years from now, realizing I have no ability to imagine what's coming. One of my theories is that men have outlived our usefulness or relevance. We're no longer needed for physical strength, for labor, protection, procreation, even sex. In fact, our testosterone may have already become a liability, since men are more prone to violence than women. Bees and ants are female-centric societies. Maybe that's where we'll end up in 250yrs. |
#17
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#18
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my dad decide to become an apiarist in his 80s...
watched him smoke the hives and remove the honey a few times....even with all the protective gear on, he got stung a few times. gave the old guy props for dealing with that... unfortunately, a fungus took out all his bees and he gave up the hobby. |
#19
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This'll be the most expensive honey you've ever bought! It's a cool thing to explore and your land looks ideal.
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#20
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I am hopeful and I have a big time confession.....I really AM only in it for the honey. I have an niece that just moved back from Nashville and expressed interest in learning. I called a friend who has many hives and has collected honey for years wanting to know if he would teach her. He called me back the next day and said he was dropping a hive by yesterday. I guess they came across a swarm that needed a home and the timing was perfect. She gets a new hobby, I get honey.
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#21
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I have two hives, they are not that much work and we get way more honey than we can consume. Let me know if you have any questions.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
#22
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You may have issues when you go to move the hive to it's permanent location. The rule of thumb I learned was: Move a hive less than 3 feet or more than 3 miles, otherwise the bees will go to the temporary location not the hive.
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#23
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I hope not. They wont' be going far when moved, but up on cinder blocks and against a fence.
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#24
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This advice is correct. Bees have an acute and precise GPS system. If you move their hive a few feet away, it's not far enough to reset their inner GPS. They'll go to the original location and the hive won't be there. It's important to move it at night when they're inside, far away, which will reset their inner GPS. Then, do it again a day or two later to the location that's a few feet away from the original location.
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#25
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Kept bees for many years. They are amazing little creatures, cute as the dickens. I had too much honey to know what to do with it all.
There is a lot to learn about the hobby. But first, do you know you don't have any allergic reactions to bee bites? You need to be sure, cuz if you do, you shouldn't be keeping bees. For smoker fuel, try to find some old burlap bags. That material works great in a smoker. And a good smoker is your friend. That, and calm movements around the hives. No sudden jarring movements to get them riled up. And if by chance you seem to have a nasty bunch of bees, you may just have to get a different strain. Re-queening a hive is tricky, but satisfying. And on and on. Lots of good books out there. Some quite folksy, but still good. Have fun. PS. Do you have bears or skunks around very often? Both like bees. One reason I don't keep bees now is that bears would just destroy a hive to get at the bees and the honey. Skunks like to munch on bees, too. Last edited by tv_vt; 05-29-2020 at 11:27 AM. |
#26
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The neighbor behind our backyard has had a hive for about a year. I see the bees coming and going from the living room window throughout the day.
Our yard has several fruit trees and those bees are helping to pollinate. Meyer Lemon, Lime, Cuban Shaddock, Quince and a large Fig tree. |
#27
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One of the Professors on my Doctorate committee was one of or the first graduate student EO Wilson had at Harvard. As a result and being the only Fulbright Fellow in the Entomology Department at UGA I was invited to a cocktail party for him when he visited UGA. It was really neat to meet him up close. A very kind, gentle and unassuming genius.
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***IG: mttamgrams*** Last edited by joosttx; 05-29-2020 at 03:21 PM. Reason: messed up haploid diploid sex determination. |
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#29
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Fortunately I will not be the one to move them or tend them. I know they were moved in at night and I imagine they will be moved to there next home at night. No bears but yes to skunks, as well as beaver, muskrat, armadillos, and opossum aplenty.
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#30
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