Gavin,
Both these articles are the articles we are discussing.
( if you did not see the daily mail story)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-13942849http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2008942/Two-horses-drown-die-shock-attacked-angry-swarm-bees.html
Allen & I have both pointed out the below:
one article says, "Nobody knows what happened, but some hives
were damaged and the horses were obviously attacked by millions of bees.
Certainly horses have been stung to death in Brazil by AHB but unless these
horses were confined close to the hives the story certainly does not fit
what we know of bees and horses.
Can you find another similar case Joe or Peter?
Certainly all the horses could have experienced anaphylactic shock but not
would be my *guess*.
A sad case and certainly not a situation I have heard of ever happening in
areas I have kept bees.
Weather & honey flow or not at the time might give clues. At night bees
mostly crawl and would not follow far. I wonder the distance from the pond
to the damaged hives?
I get calls all the time by people which have never seen the inside of a
hive wanting to put a hive of bees in their front yard to pollinate a couple
fruit trees. One two weeks ago wanted to buy a hive and have me put on her
roof in Kansas City.
I think part of the problem is those pushing hobby beekeeping always *seem*
to try to whitewash over the fact bees sting and sting the crap out of you
when not treated properly.
Richard Taylor wrote in one of his bee article years ago:
"The lowly bee sting will always limit the numbers of people in the craft of
beekeeping"
I grew up caring for horses and my first hives were along the pasture fence
facing into a horse pasture.
Never had a problem.
One of my articles with Terry Brown ( Australia) was in a pasture with
horses and the horses kept coming up while we were trying to take pictures.
None were stung. Both of us were not wearing protection which is not unusual
and I think we each received a single sting. We were using a smoker and had
all the frames out of two hives at once. (pictures in ABJ article).
We see testy hives at times but not as described in the U.K. story.
Multiple ( over two ?) hives damaged *by the horses* seems at the root of
the problem.
Still very tragic and bad PR for all beekeepers. I predict will lead to
ordinance changes.
bob
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