H.S. For Sunday 042708

Interesting. But WHY?

Hey folks,

In the Health and Science Segment this week we will learn something interesting. Although, I have to admit, I have NO idea why we need to know this.

According to Live Science - How to Capture Yellow Jackets (and Not Get Stung)

Michael Goodisman
The Georgia Institute of Technology
LiveScience.com
Fri Apr 25, 10:31 AM ET

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation.

Dressed in a white beekeeper suit and full face mask, I pour a small amount of ether into the exit hole of a yellow jacket nest. Too much ether might kill many of the colony inhabitants, too little might allow them enough mobility to attack me, but just the right amount should send the yellow jackets into dreamland.

After a few minutes, my students and I quickly dig up the nest and place it and the yellow jackets into a sealed box. Unfortunately, some angry yellow jackets that weren't affected by the ether always remain behind. As we work, these justifiably disturbed insects fly around menacingly and ram directly into our face shields in an attempt to drive us off. If there is even the slightest opening in our suits, they try to enter and sting us.

Collecting yellow jacket nests is always an adrenaline rush and one part of my job as an assistant professor in the School of Biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. When metro Atlanta homeowners call me to remove a nest, I'm happy to help. I get yellow jacket colonies to study in my biology laboratory and the homeowner gets rid of a dangerous and irritating pest.

So the next time that you have the desire to capture Honey Bees, remember the ether.

But the rest of the article talks about why PROFESSIONALS do this.

So why study social insects? First, many social insects have direct impacts on humans. For instance, honeybees are critical pollinators of important crops, social wasps are key predators of insects, and many ants and termites are serious pests.

Second, understanding how social insects interact provides direct insight into how complex societies, such as those displayed by humans, operate. Such information can help us understand interactions within human families and between different human groups.

Third, social insects can help us learn how to effectively complete tasks. That is, we may learn how to efficiently organize ourselves by studying how social insect colonies accomplish their goals.

And finally, the formation of social insect societies represents a delicate balance between the selfish interests of the individual and the welfare of the group. The issues governing these relationships are important to understanding such diverse issues as the origin of multi-cellular organisms and the factors governing the occurrence of cancer.

Thus, there are many scientifically-important reasons to study social insect societies, but I like to study them because they are so amazing. Watching social insects interact and understanding how their societies function is fascinating.

OK. There you have it folks. How to capture Bees without being stung. But remember though, before you go out to do this, Africanized Bees {Killer Bees} have made there way here. Many cases of them here in South Florida. So Please, leave this to the "experts."
Peter

Sources:
Live Science - How to Capture Yellow Jackets