The Bees Knees

Honey Bees made a home in the foundation of my home. It is not a compliment.

As Sue said, "Everyone wants to live here!"

However, bees and four cats and two dogs don't mix (not to mention the humans).

Thanks to the world wide web, I did some investigating about honey bees in the home. It would seem that experts agree that bees and humans don't live together in the same place very well. That's probably why people aren't trying to live in hives.

One aspect of the article did disturb me though, which was the section helping me to identify the type of bee. Here is what I read:

"Honey bees are characterized by the presence of a long, pointed tongue, social habit, front wings with three closed submarginal cells, and no spurs at the tips of the hind Tibiae (4th segment of the insect's leg)."

Considering the bees were in a swarm, I'm not sure how I was supposed to ask them to "open up and say 'ahh'" to determine their tongue shape or see if there are spurs (whatever THOSE are) on the 4th segment of its leg (what if it was on the third?). And just how does one figure out the social habit of a honey bee? "Hey, drone, come here often?"

Fortunately, when I woke up this morning, there was no more activity near the crevice where they'd been swarming. Maybe word got back to the queen as to the condition of my basement. Or maybe they don't like a western exposure. Either way, they are gone and I'm grateful. Though maybe, just a little, I feel a touch of rejection.