[Pollinator] Bumble bee Allergic Reactions

[Droege, Sam]

All:

I too have found some nests to be aggressive (B. pensylvanicus!!!!) and
most not.  That said, I have yet to hear of anyone having an allergic
reaction of the magnitude that causes death from a Bombus sting (as apposed
to Honey bee or Yellowjacket), does anyone have access to definitive
studies of the degree of re-activity (or whatever might be the term) to
different Bombus venoms?

sam

On Tue, May 27, 2014 at 12:42 PM, Mark Seetin <MSeetin at usapple.org> wrote:

>  This is a tough situation.  Having experienced the wrath of bumblebees
> after accidentally stepping on a nest, I can say firsthand that they will
> instantly swarm and sting. – so, unless there is an effective way to move
> the nests,  it may come down to a value judgment about what is more
> valuable – children’s health and wellbeing or the bumblebees.
>
>
>
> What if one or more of the students happens to be allergic to bee stings?
>  According to the Boston Children’s hospital (and other sources) , about 3
> percent (1 in every 33 individuals) of the population is allergic to bee
> stings, and  if the allergy is severe, anaphylactic shock could occur in
> minutes.  I hope the teacher has an “Epipen” and knows how to use it.
>
>
>
> *Mark W. Seetin** | Director, Regulatory and Industry Affairs | U.S.
> Apple Association*
> 8233 Old Courthouse Rd, Ste 200*|* Vienna, VA 22182 *|* ( 703.442.8850
> *|Cell* 703.201-2379 *|* ***  mseetin at usapple.org <jallen at usapple.org>
>
> *Register Today!
> <http://usapple.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183&Itemid=8/>
> 2014 Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference, August 21-22, The
> Ritz-Carlton Chicago*
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* pollinator-bounces+mseetin=usapple.org at lists.sonic.net [mailto:
> pollinator-bounces+mseetin=usapple.org at lists.sonic.net] *On Behalf Of *Stephen
> Pryor
> *Sent:* Monday, May 26, 2014 12:37 PM
> *To:* pollinator at lists.sonic.net
> *Subject:* [Pollinator] Value of bumble bees and how to deal with nests
>
>
>
> Hello members,
>
>
>
> I am a researcher in the San Luis Obispo area of California and I've been
> called out to a school lawn that has three *very*healthy bumblebee (*B.
> vosnesenskii*) colonies nesting in gopher borrows in the lawn where kids
> play.
>
>
>
> The lead teacher does not want to have the colonies sprayed, but is caught
> between her concern for the bees and the parents concern for the their kids
> being stung.
>
>
>
> I have roped off the most active colonies and told the teachers to have
> the kids stay a distance away. I've also been relocating the queens
> currently emerging to a rural site nearby that also has many bumblebees
> colonies and wild flowers, hopefully they will still mate and start their
> own colonies.
>
>
>
> Does anyone have any sage advice to best avoid stings. Also could you
> forward me papers in laypersons terms that explain the value and importance
> of bumblebees as well as the peril that bumblebees are in nationwide and
> worldwide.  Links would also be helpful.  We want to avoid the exterminator.
>
>
>
> Thanks for any help you can offer.
>
>
>
> Stephen Pryor
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pollinator mailing list
> Pollinator at lists.sonic.net
> https://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/pollinator
>
>


-- 
*Bees are Not Optional*

*Apes sunt et non liberum*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20140528/9487b559/attachment-0001.html>