There's been a buzz about bees in the news lately. A man found 50,000 bees in the walls of his house in California. They were relocated by Mike, a humane bee worker who doesn't exterminate the winged critters but vacuums them into boxes and introduces them to a new home, hopefully in the country or a tree where they'd be more welcome.

Bees in China have apparently been poisoned; as well, our own honeybees have been in the news over the past few years for the same reason.

Little known facts about bees? Watch this space in future.

Bees are not wasps. Read about the difference.


Watch out for the General. He's a mean wasp, and threatens earth with extinction.

It might be we had it coming!

What do you think? Is mankind the top of creation or would you give that honor to the insects who might survive long after we're gone? Watch how this jewel wasp turns roaches into zombies and lays its eggs in the roach.

Meanwhile, we're BUZZING WITH NEWS...

READ "SPACEHIVE" TO BE RELEASED ON KINDLE KDP SELECT AUGUST 10th and in TRADE PAPERBACK SEPTEMBER 1st, 2012!!! 

Earth was in danger.
Jealous eyes gazed toward our Sun from a planet called Jive Hive in another star system, black compound eyes that peered without compassion as though we were flies caught on sticky paper ready for the fire.

The first of their suns was setting as blood orange light spilled into the valley. Three female worker bees, two over seven feet tall and the other not quite five feet, sat under a purple-flowered tree, sorting through various flowers.

"We can't go on like this much longer," Banter said. "There are too many of us. The hive has to find a new home. The Black Watch wasps, vicious as they are, know what they're doing. They've been scanning the skies for hundreds of years. And keeping a check on our population."

She sat next to her cousins, Zibb and Bipp. They had worked all day collecting pollen for their hive. Now they rested and talked of the Imperative—to colonize. The whole Jive Hive planet was abuzz with the news.

"Yes,” Zibb agreed. "The queen said this one is a plum ripe for the picking and only eight light years away. It'll be a brand new adventure for us. A new Jive Hive. We'll be tired when we arrive. From the long sleep."

"Too bad there are beings there." Banter selected a fresh flower and began culling its nectar.

"Too bad we have to kill them all," Zibb said. "I've heard the new planet's green and warm. I've heard from the wasp scouts that it's abused by its inhabitants, though."
"Their fault then and all the more reason to kill them. We must take it while we can."

Zibb began grooming her cousin. "The migration will be an adventure to be endured before it's ended. They say the trip will take eight years in suspended animation. Then, on arrival, our poor, wasted bodies must prepare for war." She sighed.

"Or negotiation," Banter offered. She picked up another flower.

"Never! Negotiation with General Vard and his black wasps?” Zibb shook her barbs in the air. “The Black Watch wouldn't allow it. No, the Eternity Drive will deliver some of us to an early death once we've arrived on Earth. The humans are said to be a warlike race. I don't think they'll offer to share their planet. And our Black Watch sure won't share it. Earth will be taken by force and the human survivors used for food for the wasps."

 

A wise friend once told me that everyone has the same number of hours in the day and it's up to us how to use them. I know he meant apportion the hours wisely and don't complain how busy we are because there are choices of how busy we are and what we spend our time on. I often think of his words when I'm apt to complain I have no time. As a result, I also spend time on fun and exercise such as karate and gym. A gym not far from me offers great karate classes. I break up my day and am fortunate to have the flexibility to do so.

Unfortunately, I fell last October and hurt my right ankle and knee, developed arthritis in them, and my doc was hesitant to recommend karate or any form of exercise I like including walking.

"You're not 17 anymore, my friend," he said famously. I am so, in my head I'm 17, and I love to do something I enjoy such as karate at Panther Gym. If we're lucky, we all eventually lurch with a 17-year-old mind on our old arthritic feet to the grave. I've suffered from delusions in the past but knowing we're all capable of much more, even past our years of wine and roses, keeps me interested and grounded -- seeking more fulfillment, more adventure, and finally, contentment.

I write books about giant bees or horror anthologies about time machines and the end of the world. Read my Kindle and become motivated. Wonder if I'm crazy to think the world is a giant sandbox for my entertainment. Don't sleep because there aren't enough hours in the day. Work at my home based medical transcription business during the day and write at night.

Does anyone else wonder if the world is here to entertain and educate us, and if we're delusional to think so?

I took the following information from the Pest Control Canada site. Apparently Hornets and Wasps are not Bees, a fact not addressed in The Jive Hive, where the aliens are typically referred to as Bees although the Wasps are the soldiers and the General is a Wasp or Yellowjacket. Only the Queen, the workers and drones are truly honeybees in real life and in the context of my story.

Bald Faced Hornet Nest

Pest control doesn't have to be as difficult as sending a nuclear bomb against the foe. In fact, it shouldn't be! If in doubt, call a professional exterminator, but the following information is on the Pest Control Canada site for eradication of Wasp nests.

Control of Nests

The first step in wasp or bee control is to correctly identify the insect and locate its nesting site. An experienced pest control service may provide wasp or bee control service or you can use the following information to attempt to control them yourself.

Wasps

The best time of the year to control wasps is in June after the queen has established her colony and while the colony is still small. But because nests are small, they are also harder to find. The best time of the day to control wasp nests is at night, when they are less active.

Exposed wasp nests

Wasp nests that are visible and near human activity can pose a potential problem. If there is a concern about stings, you should eradicate the nest.
Apply a ready-to-use aerosol "wasp and hornet spray" into the entrance of the nest during late evening according to label directions. To avoid pesticide falling down on yourself do not stand directly under the nest and spray up. Plan your escape route.  Be very careful if you must climb a ladder. If live wasps are still observed the next day, repeat the treatment.
Mechanical control without insecticides is possible for small, exposed nests. At night, cover the nest with a large, heavy, plastic bag and seal it shut. Cut the nest from the tree and freeze it.  Use caution: there is more risk involved in this procedure than in spraying the nest.

Ground wasp nests

If that doesn't work, apply an insecticide into the nest opening. Be sure you use a product that is registered for use in lawns or soil. After you are sure all the wasps have been exterminated, cover the nest entrance with soil.

Concealed wasp nests

The most challenging nests to control are those that are concealed in voids behind walls or in attics. Often, the only evidence of the nest is wasps flying back and forth through a crack or hole in the home.
It may be wise to hire someone experienced to exterminate a wasp nest. Contact a pest professional service.  Aerosol insecticides usually do not work very well on hidden nests.

 Old wasp nests

Old nests are not reused by wasps. Wasp nests found during winter or early spring are old nests from the previous summer. There are no live wasps in the nest; they have already left  or died inside it. The nest can be safely removed and disposed of if desired.