Posted on 08/30/2011 10:37:24 AM PDT by Jack Hydrazine
LYNDEN, Wash. (AP) - A Washington state fire chief says a man dumped gasoline on a beehive in a tree in retaliation for a bee sting, then ignited the hive, causing an explosion heard throughout his suburban neighborhood just a few miles south of the Canadian border.
Lynden chief Gary Baar tells the Bellingham Herald that the Sunday night fire caused a large "whoosh," singed the tree and killed the bees but no people were hurt.
Baar says the man's friend had been stung earlier in the day.
The fire chief says, "The correct way to do that is to call a beekeeper."
Firefighters explained that to the homeowner, and the newspaper says it doesn't appear that that the man will be cited.
a ‘hold muh beer’ moment?
Ha! Payback is a b*tch!
sounds like a very effective and fun way to deal with bees
Tree was only singed....bees done for...nobody hurt. Sounds like he did a good job.
This would have made a good Red Green Show episode.
Direct contact with gasoline will kill an insect in 2 seconds. The fire got the stragglers.
You know, I like a fireball as much as the next guy, but when I had a full-on 10” x 30” bee swarm re-locate to a tree in my suburban front yard a couple years ago, I looked up local beekeepers on the internet and had a man at my house within the hour to take them away.
Bees are sort of a natural resource. And I scored a mason jar of honey from the very appreciative bloke for my efforts.
In other words, "Don't solve your own problems. Call an expert. That's how us experts get paid."
serious though, what a slow news day it must have been. Maybe I’ll send them a note next time I plan to put some ant poison on the hill outside my house.
In a lot of places, killing honeybees is a hefty fine.
No one should do that to American Honey Bees! Wonder how he got the gas on them with out getting stung?
One bee stings, so he kills the whole hive?
At a time when the bee population is way down and declining?
Man's stupidity is astounding.
You should have gotten paid. A mature honey producing bee hive is worth $600 to $1000.
The correct way to do what? Get stung? Swat a bee? Torch the hive? Would any beekeeper agree to pour gasoline on the bees and light them up?
More Officialdumb. It seems to be the default state for 'the authorities.'
Are we sure these were honeybees? A lot of folks use “bee” to describe any kind of stinging, swarming insects. I haven’t seen a wild honeybee hive in years and years, but I’ve seen plenty of Yellow Jacket hives.
When I was growing up in Georgia this was the prescribed method of dealing with Fire Ants... Soak the nest with gasoline, let it soak down into the nest, and then “WHOOMP”!
People can’t tell the difference between wasps, hornets, and honeybees.
If it was hanging in a tree where he could get to it, it was a hornets nest. The bald head variety are the absolute worst. Yellow jackets (ground hornets) rank second.
Imagine his response to getting mugged.
I am assuming it was NOT a honey bee. They won’t sting unless extremely provoked. I am thinking yellow jackets - which will sting someone just for the fun of it.
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