Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Ask Lynne’ for the Western Mail. 9th July 2016
Bee Aware
I bet you didn’t know that tomorrow (Sunday 10th) is National Don’t Step On A Bee Day – set up by Thomas and Ruth Roy of Wellcat Herbs in the States, who thought up the special day to encourage their children to be careful where they trod whilst barefoot.
A friend was called out to ‘rescue’ a swarm of honey bees last week only to find that they were actually wasps. When asked the difference, he immediately replied, “ Bees are fat, furry and useful; wasps are skinny, hunters and useless.” He is partly right – although, despite their unpopularity, wasps are extremely beneficial to humans. Nearly every pest insect on Earth is preyed upon by a wasp species, either for food or as a host for its parasitic larvae. Apparently wasps are so adept at controlling pest populations that the agriculture industry now regularly deploys them to protect crops. As omnivores they are predators and will hunt prey whereas it is thought that bees evolved from wasps and later became vegetarian (and better tempered).
If you are unlucky enough to step on a bee, or a wasp, on Sunday or any day, then there are also some pretty interesting theories for reliving the sting too. They include applying any of the following – toothpaste, chilli paste, Mum roll on deodorant, mint leaves, a copper coin, lavender oil, a slice of raw onion, WD40 (honestly), plantain leaves mixed with saliva as a poultice and even putting a clothes peg on the sting for 10 minutes!
I have to be honest, the only one that I can vouch for is the plantain leaves, chewed up and held on the sting – the others you’ll have to try for yourselves!
Wash and Go for Dogs
My much beloved Westie, Yogi, is rather notorious for rolling in ‘nature’s fertilizers’ when we are out walking on the hills – it’s usually sheep poo but the fox variety also makes a fabulous ‘dog perfume’ apparently, so thank you to the reader who send me details of the Woof Washer 360.
Described as ‘an entirely new approach to the problem of messy mutts. Attached to a standard garden hose, it has a special adjustable ring that surrounds your dog with cleaning jets of water, and a separate shampoo bottle that you can turn on or off as you wish. So you can wash, shampoo and rinse clean, outdoors, with no fuss and no mess. With your dog in its natural surroundings, happy and calm, the whole process will be over in less time than it takes to fill a bath. Returning from a muddy walk is often the start of a lengthy bathing session but, with Woof Washer 360, you can shower you dog clean every day, in no time at all.’
Although I haven’t tried it, I can’t help thinking Yogi would often be more likely to need a jet wash!
Check for Nests
It seems many of you are worried about whether or not you can cut your garden hedges as you have still seen young birds in them. The quick answer is ‘No, not if you have birds nesting.’ Please don’t disturb them, they have a hard enough time as it is during this vulnerable time of their lives.
It is also an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. The bird nesting season is usually considered to run from 1st March to 31st July, although I think the RSPB recommends delaying it until the end of August as it often lasts longer for certain species or multiple broods. Blackbirds, for example, often rear 2-3 broods but in a good year, fourth broods may also be attempted.
So please check thoroughly – of course you can always cut the hedges that are bird-free – as always, common sense is the key. Although as my Nan used to say, ‘Common sense isn’t so common these days’.
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