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Posted by gscott 6 days ago

An Indoor Beehive in My Bedroom Wall(www.keepingbackyardbees.com)
182 points | 97 commentspage 3
HappMacDonald 6 days ago|
Just makes me wonder what Erika Thompson's take on this project would be
accrual 6 days ago||
> For now, it feels good to know that behind me stand centuries of bee-lovers who have had the joy of listening to the hymns of bees far into the night and smelled the intoxicating aroma of honey and propolis waft out across the room before the dawn light begins.

I wonder what that's like. Is it just another nice smell, like coffee brewing while sunlight hits your face?

cryptonector 5 days ago||
It's an indescribably wonderful smell. I love the smell of my beekeeping outfit, which also includes smoke from my smoker (the beehives themselves don't smell of smoke though). You can buy propolis products and get a very slight idea.

You might want to take a class in beekeeping, one where they take you to do some actual hive inspections. You'll need a beekeeper's suit.

otherme123 6 days ago||
My grandpa had one of these (the traditional they talk about), and the smell fades away. I guess it smells like honey to everyone visiting, but for you isn't there.
loa_in_ 5 days ago||
Could Stonehenge be a beekeeping prospect?
nanna 5 days ago|
Explain?
jader201 6 days ago||
> they sing me to sleep

I read this at first as “sting” and was briefly horrified.

But bees singing is still, to me, quite horrifying, and would not at all help me fall asleep.

quantadev 6 days ago|
Made me realize for the first time Bees are the only insect that most people don't find disgusting. I mean we literally eat what they create: Honey. It would be fascinating to watch them build their hives.
SoftTalker 6 days ago||
I think there must be others. Butterflys? Fireflies? Ladybugs?
tcoff91 6 days ago|||
Dragonflies are kinda cool too, and mantis.
Terr_ 5 days ago||||
While they are admittedly not insects, I feel jumping-spiders deserve an honorable mention.
cryptonector 5 days ago||
Jumping spiders are adorable.
quantadev 6 days ago|||
I stand corrected. You found 3 more. :)

And I like Praying Mantises because I think they're probably secretly alien robots. I wonder if biologists have ever taken one apart to see if they're truly biological or a machine. I've seen one take down a humming bird, so it's gotta be some kinda machine bro.

AngryData 6 days ago|||
I would think that was mostly because of the relation bees have to honey and all the wonderful imagery and thoughts people have about honey. But there is also a lot of general cultural tradition in bee keeping going back atleast 5,000 years.
quantadev 6 days ago||
wow. I didn't know it went back that far, but it makes sense mankind discovered hives are basically a free sugar factory that long ago!!
AngryData 5 days ago||
There is some evidence of it going farther back to 9,000 years, essentially trying to harvest wild bee honey without killing the bees themselves, however 5,000 years is generally considered the time period when honey bees first became domesticated and we were actively managing and colonizing multiple artificial hives.
quantadev 5 days ago||
I mean it was probably easier 250,000 years ago for primates to steal some honey, because we still had our long body hair back then I think, so that's more protection from bee stings.
Terr_ 5 days ago||
> the only insect that most people don't find disgusting

That reminds me of a bit of fiction where a bioengineered commercial species is being critiqued:

> Miles leaned forward again, to peer in revolted fascination. "It looks like a cross between a cockroach, a termite, and a... and a... and a pustule. [...] Nobody will want to eat food that comes out of something that looks like that. Hell, they won't want to eat anything it touches."

> "People eat honey," argued Mark. "And that comes out of bugs."

> "Honeybees are... sort of cute. They're furry, and they have those classy striped uniforms. And they're armed with their stings, just like little swords, which makes people respect them." [...]

> Enrique said, in a bewildered tone, "So do you think if I put stings on my butter bugs, Barrayarans would like them better?"

> "No!" said Miles and Mark together.

> Enrique sat back, looking rather hurt.

--A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold Enrique sat back, looking rather hurt.