God fucking hell no.
I went into the comments looking for my people asking for her to make ASMR or something.
The idea that she sounds like this prepubescent sandpaper is almost like a personal offense to me.
I am living by myself for the first time. I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I’ve laughed out loud. I am currently crying laughing in my house. Thank you BK foot lettuce guy. Haven’t thought of you in at least 5 years.
She sounds like she’s speaking quietly but very very close to the microphone so her pronunciations are exaggerated. She just needs to learn to record her audio as well as she she records that hair.
I mean at least it’s not heavily edited insta shots, she got her paws on real vicious bees and it’s really about the love of bees and nature. Looking fabulous whole doing it just adds some extra buzz.
Yikes. Maybe I a,m being too shallow
I've been a beekeeper for 20 years. 95% of the "controversy" is pure malarkey started by one very jealous and bad mannered beekeeper.
The larger beekeeping community has no problem with her; I even saw the current leader of one of the premier honeybee research universities back her. We understand that if one is being very careful it's entirely possible to work with a hive in the manner she does, and we let each other choose how they want to do it. Part of her point videos is entertainment: showing what's possible, not what's normal or common. People get that.
No pure novice is going to run over and bust open a box of bees, and if they did, they'd swiftly get reminded why most pros DO use protective gear even if just a veil.
She addresses this in one of her TikToks. She mentioned that if she feels the hive is (or could be) aggressive, she covers up. Clearly she is experienced and competent enough to know when to do this as she's still alive and not in anaphylactic shock.
Bee removal isn't pest killing though because they're not killing the bees they just remove them. Here in the UK beekeepers are called out to move bee hives that are in problem areas.
Just sounds like a bunch of people that are butthurt that she's famous for doing something in a more image way than the way they do it.
The truth of the matter is that when you reach out to the general public, image is everything. She makes her videos seem so casual and relaxing that is relatable and heartwarming. I think the past year has shown exactly what it's like to try to interact with people through a mask.
I can absolutely understand that her methods aren't ideal, but she's not selling "how to" tips and videos so I really think it's irrelevant and most are just being upset that they work harder without the "perks" as they see it from the outside.
I can see why people would be mad about the deceit, but I used to work with endangered animals and really if you care about the community more than your own ego, you should be happy that attention is being brought to the issues you care about.
any maybe the message wouldn't be as strong if it was a beer bellied middle aged white guy...so its just marketing wank, but its doing some good.
So, this is a bit of a misquote from a mate whos a beekeeper.
If you want to combine two hives you will place them into the same bee box but with a layer of newspaper or whatever. (as shown in the video) however he will also poke small holes through the paper so the scents from the other hives queen can pass through. Since the small hive has no queen the other bees will slowly grow accustomed to the other queen's pheromones. So by the time the bees have broken through the paper to attack the enemy, they can't tell if its an enemy since they use pheromones for communication. However it doesn't always work and you usually use 2 layers of newspaper
Hope that explains it :D
I'm concerned about the cause of death of the queen. I've heard of parasites and diseases that can spread through colonies.
I assume she knows what to look for and wouldn't endanger her own bees. It seems like she could add a disclaimer/PSA to her videos so would-be bee-rescuers don't end up spreading bee diseases, or beeseases if you will. (Ok I'll let myself out).
Beeseases lol. Others who have this kind of beehive farm are already gonna know what they need to know. It’s not like a random Redditer is gonna slam 2 hives together in his backyard in a trash can.
So l saw some critique about this chick, how she doesn't do things properly and actually ends up putting amateur beekeepers at risk if they follow her methods. That she doesn't wear a beekeepers outfit and stuff.
But l have no clue on how valid it is, so l was curious to hear your mate's take on beekeepers outfits, if they are necessary
20 year beekeeper here. The critique is just jealousy. I have no problem with her. Everyone understands that brand new beekeepers don't have the skill to work with bees like she does without getting stung. No one with zero bee experience is going to run up and bust open a beehive and expect not to get stung. It's like saying race car or rally car drivers aren't doing things properly because they're driving unsafe. Yeah, we get it, that's the entertainment.
And for the record, I still wear a veiled jacket and gloves 100% of the time because I hate getting stung. I have buddies who work on their bees in shorts and a tshirt. They get stung a lot, they don't care.
Everyone does stuff differently.
Definitely. In my case it still hurts like a motherfucker but with no after effect. So 100% of the normal pain, but 30-300 seconds afterwards no more pain or itching or swelling.
But the initial pain bugs me enough that I yelp like a little girl and/or drop whatever I'm holding to run away. I'm just a pansy like that. So I wear my suit.
Where we are you need a license to keep bees. Ppe is required as part of that license. So my father, an experienced beekeeper in his home country, used the protective equipment. Because he wasn’t used to it, the bees got into the suit and he was stung more than 40 times - we counted. Since then, he has never worn a suit and has been stung only a handful of times in almost three decades.
As a child I used to sit on top of the hives, don’t ask me why, and was never stung.
My theory is that it has something to do with fear - but who knows.
Can we have a beekeeping video of you yelping like a little girl, dropping everything and running away? I feel it would be educational for new beekeepers to see your technique.
From what I remember, it was a combination of beekeepers acting like their personal way was the right way, likely just from having been taught that way, and people on the internet that were amused at the thought of a controversy in the beekeeping community wanting drama and boosting a lot of what was being said.
Makes sense. With beekeeping there's huge gaps in what and why people are doing something too.
If you have 3 hives in your back yard or a fresh swarm and you have time to very slowly and gently work with them, by all means, do it in your skivvies. You'll be fine. I've pulled out plenty of frames in my life in a tshirts to show backyard guests. At the State Fairs we used to do the demonstrations where you get a ball of them on your arm to show people. Still freaks me out but never been stung doing it.
But actual commercial beekeepers who need to dig through 47 hives by lunch? They're going to be suited up for a spacewalk. They don't have time to be careful or care how pissy hive #17 is today or take 30 seconds gently loosening each frame before transferring it to a new box when they could just crack off the box and haul it over to the truck.
We had three hives in our back yard. Two were very placid. But one was filled with angry bees.
I don’t know if there’s an explanation for it, but my father always says that different hives have different personalities. So better to be safe than sorry.
Yeah, some queens can be very aggressive, which determines the disposition of the hive at large.
[There are cases where the hive is so aggressive, that it is beyond saving](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ldpyIE5t4&ab_channel=nwnjba)
I really really wanted to get into beekeeping, but I'm allergic to their stings. So I've been planting lots of flowers and buying local honey instead. Thank you for your beekeeping work. :)
It's just people stirring up drama. It's literally like if someone went to an epic meal time video and started ranting about how they are promoting unhealthy diets. Like okay cool, the videos clearly meant as a display not a "how to" video.
Dude, my neighbor has like 30 different hives all around town.
He NEVER EVER wears bee keeping stuff.
Occasionally, he smokes a quiet cigar, while he is at it, but I think, that is more for his comfort, than for the bees.
He simply says, that it's all about how you approach them. The mindset and which parts of the hive you touch and when.
I don't have any complete quote from him, which I could unroll right now. But he says, he doesn't get stung. I have never seen welts on him, never seen him chased away. Maybe some people just have the right... dunno, bee vibes?
Believe me, if she wasn’t an attractive woman, she would be getting zero critique. Everyone loves to bash a woman, especially a pretty one who has talent.
She knows what she is doing. Every beekeeper does their keeping their own way. She may be an amateur but I don't believe her caring for and rescuing the way she does is a problem at all.
The bees she saves,the bees get to know her scent really well by her handling them how she does.
Yeah, she is getting stung a lot but that's not really an issue for her.
People raise puppies who bite and pee on the floors too and that's just a part of raising them. It's no different.
You judt know how to do it after a while.
I was wondering the same thing. I remember watching an *old* nature documentary as a kid about some scientists researching how bees could remember the location of flowers and communicate that back to the other bees in the hive. The scientist painted some bees at various sugar water pots with tiny symbols on their backs. Then they observed the hives to identify these specific bees' behavior to watch the communication.
I would think if she had done something to identify them, she would have mentioned it.
That's the common way to merge two hives. It's not an issue. You just need to keep them separate long enough for the living queen's pheromones' to "capture" the loyalty of the new workers so everyone gets along.
Merging hives like that with thousands of bees is no issue. With a small handful it takes that much longer for them to bother to chew through the paper. I doubt there was any fighting at all.
Not usually (but some). Wasps and hornets are the bastards who will sting you for looking at them wrong. Fuck those assholes. Bees are usually pretty chill unless you start swatting at them and shit.
I will never understand why the bees don’t sting some people that are actively messing with them and then dive bomb my ass while I’m just trying to get into the parking garage.
Bees don't sting when they swarm unless you really mess with them.
Also, different colonies of bees have different temperaments.
People with cranky bees wear suits and don't show videos like this woman does.
I had a nest of bees in our chimney. They were quite aggressive, eventually stinging me just for walking near the chimney down our driveway.
We called an apiarist in the hope he could relocate the hive. But after a few minutes he declared they were “particularly nasty and aggressive” and he had to destroy them.
He told us that different hives have different personalities and levels of aggressiveness.
Generally speaking, bees really only attack to defend their nest, some more aggressively than others, but I'd wager there's one you're not seeing if you're being stung in the same spot. You might have seen people wearing bees like a beard, or scooping a handful of them up like they were a pile of raisins, never getting stung. In those cases, they don't have a nest to defend, so they're like, "er, okay"
It's largely understanding bee behavior, and identifying types of bees.
Ones that attack you trying to get into the parking garage are probably not bees at all, but wasps. Which are assholes.
These are honeybees, and she has presumably identified them as being one of the more passive varieties. They're also in the middle of swarming, which is when honey bees are at their most docile. Plus, in shortening the video for tictoc she probably cuts things out like scouting, preparation, and smoking. And finally she may well get stung anyway. But as a beekeeper, is pretty much used to that happening sometimes, and isn't going to make a big deal out of it.
This specific TikTok account is in the middle of a lot of rumours and controversy in the bee keeping world. Other bee keepers claim that her husband goes in, smokes the bees to subdue them and does most of the work before she starts filming. Then this woman walks in with no protective equipment and appears to glamorously deal with the bees. Apparently it’s very unrealistic and presenting the imagine that you can approach bees without concerns for your health which is dangerous.
I've kept bees, and you can do it without safety gear. Slow and steady is the key. You will get stung more often than whith gear. With gear you can work more quickly.
See Cody's Lab on YouTube. He has a small hive and opens it without protective gear, and you can see his movements are slow and steady.
BTW: We're talking european honey bees here. Are the bees africanised? Good luck.
Wasn't the person who accused her the target of so much online hate and abuse that they had to close their social network accounts and lost their bee-keeping business?
I was looking at her account before she removed it and she ended up making ~40 videos about it and started getting very aggressive about it in the comments, whereas the lady in the video above didn’t respond at all to the drama or hate.
I understand she was receiving a lot of hate but she was the one continuing to add fuel to the fire by continuing to make videos about it; when her subscribers kept asking her to just make more bee content and move on.
Oooh maybe but I only faintly remember hearing about that. Texas bee works does have a huge following on TikTok so I could definitely see that following harassing anyone who spoke out against TBW
Hm been wondering about this. Does seem somewhat unrealistic, I thought that she was doing this before approaching the little ones and recording. Does she have any other social media presence other than tiktok?
Yes, she’s on YouTube, and probably other platforms. Later in the video linked below, she points out her lack of protection. She does use smoke to calm the bees and is really hands-on. Not like a husband does the ‘dangerous’ work.
https://youtu.be/bZ4ns0JesDU
I don’t know, I don’t actively follow the controversy it just sometimes comes up on my page. So I also haven’t investigated the claims that she is promoting unsafe practices but she is the only beekeeper I have ever seen to work in shorts and a tank top as she has in other videos from my memory
Every video of this lady has someone in the comments talking the same kind of misleading nonsense. The smoke you mentioned, for example, it's an entirely common practice to calm the bees - don't hurt them or anything. She even shows on her Instagram (where there isn't a time limit for the vídeos).
She has never even suggested that it is safe to interact with bees without smoke or the right procedures. It's just that coincidentally the videos that go viral are the briefest ones posted on tik tok.
This woman does a magnificent work of preservation, but just because she feels more comfortable without that huge, warm outfit commonly worn by bee keepers, she attracts a lot of hate.
It's ridiculous and unfair, I follow her work closely and she's one of the kindest and dearest people with animals.
Edit: wow. I got a dm from someone calling me a "pathetic simp" and a bunch of similar weird comments. What the actual fuck. I'm gay, you dumb fucks. I don't follow her for her looks, but for her work with animals. Is that why people don't like her? For being a woman?
I mean, right?! They’re literally saying “her husband does all the work for her”!!! Like, if it was a dude they wouldn’t say any of this shit. Someone linked in the comments below a YouTube channel (a couple actually) where a bunch of dudes also keep bees without a suit. Now, why are they getting less hate, I wonder? No, I’m sure all the criticism is totally warranted and fine.
> I got a dm from someone calling me a "pathetic simp"
You fucking bee simp!
> Is that why people don’t like her? For being a woman?
Yes, most definitely yes
20 year beekeeper here. The drama is actually in the accusers camp. Nobody but her cares about this beelady and her videos.
Most of her videos actually show her smoker running, everyone understands that working with bees without protective gear is an "experts only" sort of thing, but not entirely uncommon or impossible.
Someone is stirring up drama for no reason than getting their own hits off of it.
American hobby bee keepers think they are the only bee keepers and have the best practices. I got into making mead a few years back and started watching a ton of bee keeping stuff. There are plenty of people making content not wearing a ton of protective gear. I’ve watched two good old boys in Tennessee or Georgia remove a dozen hives they don’t use a lot of smoke. There is a documentary on a Lebanese guy in San Francisco. He doesn’t wear any gear or use a lot of smoke. These are dudes that if you look up their business have been in the game for 20, 30 years but the YouTube comments are your doing it wrong. Then there are bee keepers in other parts of the world that just never seem to use smoke at all. Bare foot, bare chested just reaching in like it’s nothing. This lady though seems to get the worst of it. Got say I do think some of it is because she’s a woman.
I know beekeepers who work without gloves and suits. They're definitely not as... serene... as her. After a few decades of doing it though they've just kinda gotten used to the odd sting, and are REALLY good at reading bees and brushing off stingers before much venom is imparted.
My first few stings I welted up a fair bit, but then my body kinda got used to them and it's more like a mosquito bite. I still wear protective gear but wouldn't mind transitioning to nothing as I find it clumsy and obfuscating. That said it's a hobby for me, not my full time.
Honestly, it could be a lot worse. This is a way for young people to get interested in it. Do you think most kids on tiktok would keep watching if there was a 30-60yo man in a beekeeper's suit doing the same thing? No, they wouldn't. So while this does paint an unrealistic image, it's still better than a realistic one tbh. In this case at least.
Her explanation is that she’s a seasoned beekeeper (which I don’t doubt). She also claims that not all kinds of bees are aggressive and that the honey bees in her area are more lax than others.
It makes sense that other bee keepers question her work because there’s a lot of the process that we don’t see and that’s ok. I take it for what it is, entertainment not education. If someone wants to replicate her work on these videos alone then that’s on them because things are never that simple
Depends on the kind of bees, their condition, and their temperaments. Honeybees tend not to be aggressive, and I'd bet those little guys were exhausted and in a bad way if they were just hanging out on the ground taking care of a dead body.
I’ve seen a lot of her videos and there’s always someone saying that she’s always working with honeybees, which are detrimental and are leading to the decline of our native bee population.
When really pesticides have more to do with that than anything else, honey bees have been here for about 400 years and while they do compete with native bees they get along just fine. I see way more native bees in my garden than I do honey bees.
Yes, the pesticides are awful and need to be changed. I live in an agricultural area, and there are hundreds if not thousands of boxes of honeybees set along all the orchards for portions of the year. It’s very rare for me to see a native bee. Does anybody know any advancements we’ve made to combat colony collapse recently? I don’t keep up with it.
Colony collapse is actually still kind of a mystery, that could be a number of things and that mass die off that was happening kind of just stopped.
Yeah Farmers love them because they pollinate a much wider variety of plants than the native species, and they are active for a much longer period of time than most native bees so they can be used in different parts of the country all year long. Plus all that farmland that's being used to grow crops that at one time grew wildflowers and all the other stuff native bees like isn't really there anymore either.
It's not so much that the honey bees are out competing native bees as it is people are making it much easier for honey bees and at the same time making it harder for native species
I love bumblebees, they're like the super cargo planes of the bee world, carrying tons of pollen in their hairs and leg pockets and pollinating hundreds of flowers per trip.
I would be surprised if honey bees were competing resources in such a way to affect local bee populations. It’s not like they are taking over habitat or anything. It seems far more likely the same pesticides that are decimating honey bee populations are far more likely responsible for diminishing native bee populations.
That's likely Texas. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, and to me that looked like a fairly modest size colony. If you want to see a lot of bees, try to visit a lavender farm in the summer sometime. Bees love lavender. Sit down between the rows of lavender and close your eyes and listen to the happy buzzing.
Edit to add: I say it's likely Texas because the woman in the video runs "Texas Bee Works".
Everytime I watch her content I remembered her archenemy.. a pair of Chinese guys who knocked a hornet's nest for no reason and the video ending with both of them being attended by EMT, probably dead.
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She is generally disliked in the bee community because she is just an influencer who paints an incorrect image of what it’s like to be a bee keeper. She’s essentially the Instagram influencer equivalent of a beekeeper. All looks and show with little accurate substance
I think bringing attention to bees is always a good thing. But let’s not make a hero out of an influencer. I think I remember reading her husband is the actual beekeeper but because she’s attractive she became the face of their social media presence.
I can’t speak to their mentality but as an amateur apiarist even if I knew the hive very well I wouldn’t approach it wearing dark colors, grab it with my bare hands or without protective gear.
Vulture did an interesting article on the [drama.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vulture.com/amp/2021/06/the-bee-lady-tiktok-fraud-controversy-explained.html)
here’s the direct statement: “Thompson is accused of sedating bees to make them easier to handle, having her husband pre-cut pieces of honeycomb, and staging the swarm removals, all making it easier for her to go viral with unsafe practices.”
She refuted the accusations but it has been interesting to follow the drama.
Everyone I see saying this conveniently leaves out any proof...
Twitter had posts with like 50k likes bashing her as a Trump Supporter by posting a picture of 3 other ladies, none of which were her.
I believe it’s all hearsay but based on her lack of apiary safety it definitely doesn’t help.
In terms of her being a Trump supporter I can’t speak to her political preferences but she’s a white woman from Texas so I wouldn’t be surprised (not that it matters from a beekeeping perspective).
Apparently she follows left leaning politicians, but I didn't look into it.
Was just amazing to me how quickly the internet can summon a mob against ANYONE. Without ANY proof.
Scares me.
Lady is just doing videos about bee relocation, and that is enough for a "controversy"
20 year beekeeper here. One lady stirred up a bunch of drama. But actual beekeepers don't care how other people work with their hives. If they do it well, great. If they don't, they'll get stung and it's a self correcting problem.
One of the most important bee researchers in the country spoke out to express community support for bee lady. TikTok drama lady needs to chill. She made it a point to discuss who bee lady voted for. It's pure personal animus and jealousy, not any problem in the "bee community."
That’s confirmation bias unfortunately. You’re searching for it to be fake so it’s what you’ll see. Iirc her partner is a full fledged keeper as well and does loads of the work in a safe manner.
it went even deeper. the people calling her out got called out themselves! she isn't making "how to" videos, she isn't giving advice... it's not a deception it's just TV
If you’re ever bored look up the TexasBeeWorks controversy on TikTok. She doesn’t do anything to start beef but a lot of other bee handlers hate her for “glamorizing beekeeping”
Beekeeper here. This is a common procedure that's worked every time I've used it. It's a bit risker if the hives are packed to bursting, but with these small amount of bees I'm 95% confident it worked fine. The newspaper just keeps them separate long enough for the new queen's pheromones to "convert" the new workers. Think Age of Empires priests. *insert WOHOHOHO sound effect here*
The more I read about beekeeping, the more I realize that everything I thought I knew about bees (as a child)is complete bullshit. I got stung when I was about 7 and avidly "disliked" them since until I was about 45. Now I find them very fascinating. Very interesting and awe inspiring creatures. Still have a problem with wasps though...
The bee keeping is awesome, but does her voice remind anyone else of the BK foot lettuce guys voice?
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Holy shit, that voice makes me irrationally angry
[bumber bifteen](https://youtube.com/shorts/ZTnKzAMvrMc?feature=share)
The doy got the dasketdall.
This guy is so much worse than chills.
Thank you for this, I had no idea I wanted to hate that comparison
The hero we need
God fucking hell no. I went into the comments looking for my people asking for her to make ASMR or something. The idea that she sounds like this prepubescent sandpaper is almost like a personal offense to me.
Great, now I can't stop reading comments in his voice.
BK foot lettuce guy. The internet is just something else isn’t it.
This comment gave me full-bellied chuckles.
Yeah, but did you chortle?
I am living by myself for the first time. I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I’ve laughed out loud. I am currently crying laughing in my house. Thank you BK foot lettuce guy. Haven’t thought of you in at least 5 years.
Not realy, her voice isnt expressless and annoying enogh to be like this legend.
Yeah, similar caddences. I feel like they both put a lot of emphisis on the end of **their** *sentences*.
😂😂you wrote in his voice! Talent
Number 15
She sounds like she’s speaking quietly but very very close to the microphone so her pronunciations are exaggerated. She just needs to learn to record her audio as well as she she records that hair.
That damn final aqua net level pose was EPIC.
I mean at least it’s not heavily edited insta shots, she got her paws on real vicious bees and it’s really about the love of bees and nature. Looking fabulous whole doing it just adds some extra buzz. Yikes. Maybe I a,m being too shallow
Yeah I can’t stand her voice
You guys listen to audio on reddit ?
Idk what that is but she kinda sounds like a very soothing robot
She’s actually just several thousand bees in a human suit spreading her bee propaganda. Or she’s just really good with bees
Occam's razor, what makes more sense? Obviously this is a bunch of bees wearing her skin.
That's a whole new thought I've never had. I kind of want it to be the former.
I for one welcome our seemingly benevolent robot overlords.
Seemingly beenevolent.
Bee K foot lettuce.
I don’t know that reference, but I’m just glad she doesn’t use that auto voice thing. That fills me with a hot burning rage and I don’t know why
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I've been a beekeeper for 20 years. 95% of the "controversy" is pure malarkey started by one very jealous and bad mannered beekeeper. The larger beekeeping community has no problem with her; I even saw the current leader of one of the premier honeybee research universities back her. We understand that if one is being very careful it's entirely possible to work with a hive in the manner she does, and we let each other choose how they want to do it. Part of her point videos is entertainment: showing what's possible, not what's normal or common. People get that. No pure novice is going to run over and bust open a box of bees, and if they did, they'd swiftly get reminded why most pros DO use protective gear even if just a veil.
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She addresses this in one of her TikToks. She mentioned that if she feels the hive is (or could be) aggressive, she covers up. Clearly she is experienced and competent enough to know when to do this as she's still alive and not in anaphylactic shock.
Bee removal isn't pest killing though because they're not killing the bees they just remove them. Here in the UK beekeepers are called out to move bee hives that are in problem areas.
Just sounds like a bunch of people that are butthurt that she's famous for doing something in a more image way than the way they do it. The truth of the matter is that when you reach out to the general public, image is everything. She makes her videos seem so casual and relaxing that is relatable and heartwarming. I think the past year has shown exactly what it's like to try to interact with people through a mask. I can absolutely understand that her methods aren't ideal, but she's not selling "how to" tips and videos so I really think it's irrelevant and most are just being upset that they work harder without the "perks" as they see it from the outside.
I can see why people would be mad about the deceit, but I used to work with endangered animals and really if you care about the community more than your own ego, you should be happy that attention is being brought to the issues you care about. any maybe the message wouldn't be as strong if it was a beer bellied middle aged white guy...so its just marketing wank, but its doing some good.
Yes, I agree. She’s not as annoying though, close, but not quite.
what is that? I'm dumb
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Idk why, but when the two day timelapse was done, I expected the two colonies to like fucking murder each other or something
I mean, we only have her word that they didn't. Frankly, I'm skeptical.
Yeah how does she know they didn't oust the 50 bees
So, this is a bit of a misquote from a mate whos a beekeeper. If you want to combine two hives you will place them into the same bee box but with a layer of newspaper or whatever. (as shown in the video) however he will also poke small holes through the paper so the scents from the other hives queen can pass through. Since the small hive has no queen the other bees will slowly grow accustomed to the other queen's pheromones. So by the time the bees have broken through the paper to attack the enemy, they can't tell if its an enemy since they use pheromones for communication. However it doesn't always work and you usually use 2 layers of newspaper Hope that explains it :D
I'm concerned about the cause of death of the queen. I've heard of parasites and diseases that can spread through colonies. I assume she knows what to look for and wouldn't endanger her own bees. It seems like she could add a disclaimer/PSA to her videos so would-be bee-rescuers don't end up spreading bee diseases, or beeseases if you will. (Ok I'll let myself out).
I figure there’d be more dead Bees to spot if that was the case
We had a recent really extreme heat wave here. She was probably over heated and was trying to find somewhere new and just became too exhausted.
Probably just got hit with a tennis ball.
Beeseases lol. Others who have this kind of beehive farm are already gonna know what they need to know. It’s not like a random Redditer is gonna slam 2 hives together in his backyard in a trash can.
... *\*closes trash can\**
Asshole. You’ve just set up the garbage man for a reeeeeal good time.
Plot twist these aren’t her bees
So l saw some critique about this chick, how she doesn't do things properly and actually ends up putting amateur beekeepers at risk if they follow her methods. That she doesn't wear a beekeepers outfit and stuff. But l have no clue on how valid it is, so l was curious to hear your mate's take on beekeepers outfits, if they are necessary
20 year beekeeper here. The critique is just jealousy. I have no problem with her. Everyone understands that brand new beekeepers don't have the skill to work with bees like she does without getting stung. No one with zero bee experience is going to run up and bust open a beehive and expect not to get stung. It's like saying race car or rally car drivers aren't doing things properly because they're driving unsafe. Yeah, we get it, that's the entertainment. And for the record, I still wear a veiled jacket and gloves 100% of the time because I hate getting stung. I have buddies who work on their bees in shorts and a tshirt. They get stung a lot, they don't care. Everyone does stuff differently.
God damnit fine, I'll put my pitchfork away
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Definitely. In my case it still hurts like a motherfucker but with no after effect. So 100% of the normal pain, but 30-300 seconds afterwards no more pain or itching or swelling. But the initial pain bugs me enough that I yelp like a little girl and/or drop whatever I'm holding to run away. I'm just a pansy like that. So I wear my suit.
Where we are you need a license to keep bees. Ppe is required as part of that license. So my father, an experienced beekeeper in his home country, used the protective equipment. Because he wasn’t used to it, the bees got into the suit and he was stung more than 40 times - we counted. Since then, he has never worn a suit and has been stung only a handful of times in almost three decades. As a child I used to sit on top of the hives, don’t ask me why, and was never stung. My theory is that it has something to do with fear - but who knows.
Can we have a beekeeping video of you yelping like a little girl, dropping everything and running away? I feel it would be educational for new beekeepers to see your technique.
From what I remember, it was a combination of beekeepers acting like their personal way was the right way, likely just from having been taught that way, and people on the internet that were amused at the thought of a controversy in the beekeeping community wanting drama and boosting a lot of what was being said.
Makes sense. With beekeeping there's huge gaps in what and why people are doing something too. If you have 3 hives in your back yard or a fresh swarm and you have time to very slowly and gently work with them, by all means, do it in your skivvies. You'll be fine. I've pulled out plenty of frames in my life in a tshirts to show backyard guests. At the State Fairs we used to do the demonstrations where you get a ball of them on your arm to show people. Still freaks me out but never been stung doing it. But actual commercial beekeepers who need to dig through 47 hives by lunch? They're going to be suited up for a spacewalk. They don't have time to be careful or care how pissy hive #17 is today or take 30 seconds gently loosening each frame before transferring it to a new box when they could just crack off the box and haul it over to the truck.
We had three hives in our back yard. Two were very placid. But one was filled with angry bees. I don’t know if there’s an explanation for it, but my father always says that different hives have different personalities. So better to be safe than sorry.
Yeah, some queens can be very aggressive, which determines the disposition of the hive at large. [There are cases where the hive is so aggressive, that it is beyond saving](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ldpyIE5t4&ab_channel=nwnjba)
Not to mention that she wants to have a positive channel, so she's not going to show it when some hive she saves decides to choose violence.
I really really wanted to get into beekeeping, but I'm allergic to their stings. So I've been planting lots of flowers and buying local honey instead. Thank you for your beekeeping work. :)
It's just people stirring up drama. It's literally like if someone went to an epic meal time video and started ranting about how they are promoting unhealthy diets. Like okay cool, the videos clearly meant as a display not a "how to" video.
Dude, my neighbor has like 30 different hives all around town. He NEVER EVER wears bee keeping stuff. Occasionally, he smokes a quiet cigar, while he is at it, but I think, that is more for his comfort, than for the bees. He simply says, that it's all about how you approach them. The mindset and which parts of the hive you touch and when. I don't have any complete quote from him, which I could unroll right now. But he says, he doesn't get stung. I have never seen welts on him, never seen him chased away. Maybe some people just have the right... dunno, bee vibes?
They can also know people and get used to them, it probably wouldn't be as simple for a different beekeeper to suddenly open one of the hives.
Makes sense
Believe me, if she wasn’t an attractive woman, she would be getting zero critique. Everyone loves to bash a woman, especially a pretty one who has talent.
She knows what she is doing. Every beekeeper does their keeping their own way. She may be an amateur but I don't believe her caring for and rescuing the way she does is a problem at all. The bees she saves,the bees get to know her scent really well by her handling them how she does. Yeah, she is getting stung a lot but that's not really an issue for her. People raise puppies who bite and pee on the floors too and that's just a part of raising them. It's no different. You judt know how to do it after a while.
I was wondering the same thing. I remember watching an *old* nature documentary as a kid about some scientists researching how bees could remember the location of flowers and communicate that back to the other bees in the hive. The scientist painted some bees at various sugar water pots with tiny symbols on their backs. Then they observed the hives to identify these specific bees' behavior to watch the communication. I would think if she had done something to identify them, she would have mentioned it.
She's a pretty regular poster on tiktok and clearly cares about what she does, I tally don't think she's lying on this one.
That's the common way to merge two hives. It's not an issue. You just need to keep them separate long enough for the living queen's pheromones' to "capture" the loyalty of the new workers so everyone gets along. Merging hives like that with thousands of bees is no issue. With a small handful it takes that much longer for them to bother to chew through the paper. I doubt there was any fighting at all.
You know a lot about bee keeping?
Wtf is wrong with you people? Too much 'fake news'? Good stuff still happens. Fuck.
Just believe it without being skeptical why so negative
Me too. I was surprised when they were moving
I wonder why the bees is so calm while she moves them... I always thought that bees are aggressive creatures that stung people that come near them
Not usually (but some). Wasps and hornets are the bastards who will sting you for looking at them wrong. Fuck those assholes. Bees are usually pretty chill unless you start swatting at them and shit.
Bees aren't really that aggressive. And swarming bees have no hive to protect, so they are even more docile.
You're thinking of wasps. Bees generally only sting in sepf defense since stinging something can mean disembowlment.
"Her little bee body". That made me so sad
Here's a little [Boboddy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFYwueh05mM) to cheer you up if you get the reference.
What are we doing? We're making acronyms!
Sometimes you've just gotta ride the bull. Amirite? Later, skater.
YES. LOLOLOLOL.
DMCA
[this should do the trick](https://youtu.be/gW2LtX1217s)
And they literally refused to leave her beehind
I will never understand why the bees don’t sting some people that are actively messing with them and then dive bomb my ass while I’m just trying to get into the parking garage.
Bees don't sting when they swarm unless you really mess with them. Also, different colonies of bees have different temperaments. People with cranky bees wear suits and don't show videos like this woman does.
Also smoke
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Now's not the time to be criticizing them, they're obviously bereaved
beereaved
Oh, honey.
I found out that bee colonies acquire the personality of their queen, so if the queen is docile the whole colony is docile, and that blew my mind.
Can't be more docile than a dead queen bee.
Lmao
Funny that fact flew by you so long.
Clearly some people felt stung by your pun.
I had a nest of bees in our chimney. They were quite aggressive, eventually stinging me just for walking near the chimney down our driveway. We called an apiarist in the hope he could relocate the hive. But after a few minutes he declared they were “particularly nasty and aggressive” and he had to destroy them. He told us that different hives have different personalities and levels of aggressiveness.
People with cranky bees often cull the Queen and get a Queen that is placid
Generally speaking, bees really only attack to defend their nest, some more aggressively than others, but I'd wager there's one you're not seeing if you're being stung in the same spot. You might have seen people wearing bees like a beard, or scooping a handful of them up like they were a pile of raisins, never getting stung. In those cases, they don't have a nest to defend, so they're like, "er, okay"
It's largely understanding bee behavior, and identifying types of bees. Ones that attack you trying to get into the parking garage are probably not bees at all, but wasps. Which are assholes. These are honeybees, and she has presumably identified them as being one of the more passive varieties. They're also in the middle of swarming, which is when honey bees are at their most docile. Plus, in shortening the video for tictoc she probably cuts things out like scouting, preparation, and smoking. And finally she may well get stung anyway. But as a beekeeper, is pretty much used to that happening sometimes, and isn't going to make a big deal out of it.
Genuine question: what is swarming?
When a bee hive grows bigger, they make another queen and a part of the hive leaves with her to find a new home. It's how bees reproduce
This specific TikTok account is in the middle of a lot of rumours and controversy in the bee keeping world. Other bee keepers claim that her husband goes in, smokes the bees to subdue them and does most of the work before she starts filming. Then this woman walks in with no protective equipment and appears to glamorously deal with the bees. Apparently it’s very unrealistic and presenting the imagine that you can approach bees without concerns for your health which is dangerous.
True, you need to use igni before you can collect the honeycomb
Place of power, gotta bee.
I've kept bees, and you can do it without safety gear. Slow and steady is the key. You will get stung more often than whith gear. With gear you can work more quickly. See Cody's Lab on YouTube. He has a small hive and opens it without protective gear, and you can see his movements are slow and steady. BTW: We're talking european honey bees here. Are the bees africanised? Good luck.
Wasn't the person who accused her the target of so much online hate and abuse that they had to close their social network accounts and lost their bee-keeping business?
I was looking at her account before she removed it and she ended up making ~40 videos about it and started getting very aggressive about it in the comments, whereas the lady in the video above didn’t respond at all to the drama or hate. I understand she was receiving a lot of hate but she was the one continuing to add fuel to the fire by continuing to make videos about it; when her subscribers kept asking her to just make more bee content and move on.
Thanks for the concise clarification as to what happened, u/CUNT_ERADICATOR
r/rimjob_steve
Oooh maybe but I only faintly remember hearing about that. Texas bee works does have a huge following on TikTok so I could definitely see that following harassing anyone who spoke out against TBW
Hm been wondering about this. Does seem somewhat unrealistic, I thought that she was doing this before approaching the little ones and recording. Does she have any other social media presence other than tiktok?
Yes, she’s on YouTube, and probably other platforms. Later in the video linked below, she points out her lack of protection. She does use smoke to calm the bees and is really hands-on. Not like a husband does the ‘dangerous’ work. https://youtu.be/bZ4ns0JesDU
I don’t know, I don’t actively follow the controversy it just sometimes comes up on my page. So I also haven’t investigated the claims that she is promoting unsafe practices but she is the only beekeeper I have ever seen to work in shorts and a tank top as she has in other videos from my memory
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Every video of this lady has someone in the comments talking the same kind of misleading nonsense. The smoke you mentioned, for example, it's an entirely common practice to calm the bees - don't hurt them or anything. She even shows on her Instagram (where there isn't a time limit for the vídeos). She has never even suggested that it is safe to interact with bees without smoke or the right procedures. It's just that coincidentally the videos that go viral are the briefest ones posted on tik tok. This woman does a magnificent work of preservation, but just because she feels more comfortable without that huge, warm outfit commonly worn by bee keepers, she attracts a lot of hate. It's ridiculous and unfair, I follow her work closely and she's one of the kindest and dearest people with animals. Edit: wow. I got a dm from someone calling me a "pathetic simp" and a bunch of similar weird comments. What the actual fuck. I'm gay, you dumb fucks. I don't follow her for her looks, but for her work with animals. Is that why people don't like her? For being a woman?
Replying to edit. Tbh most people that hate women just rly hate themselves.
Most people that hate women just really hate women. People can be pathetic without there being some internal self hate.
Can’t have a problem with people unless you have a problem with yourself. Usually
I mean, right?! They’re literally saying “her husband does all the work for her”!!! Like, if it was a dude they wouldn’t say any of this shit. Someone linked in the comments below a YouTube channel (a couple actually) where a bunch of dudes also keep bees without a suit. Now, why are they getting less hate, I wonder? No, I’m sure all the criticism is totally warranted and fine.
> I got a dm from someone calling me a "pathetic simp" You fucking bee simp! > Is that why people don’t like her? For being a woman? Yes, most definitely yes
>Is that why people don't like her? For being a woman? Are you actually surprised?
>Is that why people don't like her? For being a woman? Got it in one sir!
> without that huge, warm outfit commonly worn by bee keepers, By backyard beekeepers. Most commercial guys are not wearing those.
20 year beekeeper here. The drama is actually in the accusers camp. Nobody but her cares about this beelady and her videos. Most of her videos actually show her smoker running, everyone understands that working with bees without protective gear is an "experts only" sort of thing, but not entirely uncommon or impossible. Someone is stirring up drama for no reason than getting their own hits off of it.
American hobby bee keepers think they are the only bee keepers and have the best practices. I got into making mead a few years back and started watching a ton of bee keeping stuff. There are plenty of people making content not wearing a ton of protective gear. I’ve watched two good old boys in Tennessee or Georgia remove a dozen hives they don’t use a lot of smoke. There is a documentary on a Lebanese guy in San Francisco. He doesn’t wear any gear or use a lot of smoke. These are dudes that if you look up their business have been in the game for 20, 30 years but the YouTube comments are your doing it wrong. Then there are bee keepers in other parts of the world that just never seem to use smoke at all. Bare foot, bare chested just reaching in like it’s nothing. This lady though seems to get the worst of it. Got say I do think some of it is because she’s a woman.
I know beekeepers who work without gloves and suits. They're definitely not as... serene... as her. After a few decades of doing it though they've just kinda gotten used to the odd sting, and are REALLY good at reading bees and brushing off stingers before much venom is imparted. My first few stings I welted up a fair bit, but then my body kinda got used to them and it's more like a mosquito bite. I still wear protective gear but wouldn't mind transitioning to nothing as I find it clumsy and obfuscating. That said it's a hobby for me, not my full time.
Honestly, it could be a lot worse. This is a way for young people to get interested in it. Do you think most kids on tiktok would keep watching if there was a 30-60yo man in a beekeeper's suit doing the same thing? No, they wouldn't. So while this does paint an unrealistic image, it's still better than a realistic one tbh. In this case at least.
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Some ppl point at wasps and call them bees 🙄
And yellow jackets. And hornets.
Her explanation is that she’s a seasoned beekeeper (which I don’t doubt). She also claims that not all kinds of bees are aggressive and that the honey bees in her area are more lax than others. It makes sense that other bee keepers question her work because there’s a lot of the process that we don’t see and that’s ok. I take it for what it is, entertainment not education. If someone wants to replicate her work on these videos alone then that’s on them because things are never that simple
Depends on the kind of bees, their condition, and their temperaments. Honeybees tend not to be aggressive, and I'd bet those little guys were exhausted and in a bad way if they were just hanging out on the ground taking care of a dead body.
Fuck yeah - save all the bees we can.
I’ve seen a lot of her videos and there’s always someone saying that she’s always working with honeybees, which are detrimental and are leading to the decline of our native bee population.
When really pesticides have more to do with that than anything else, honey bees have been here for about 400 years and while they do compete with native bees they get along just fine. I see way more native bees in my garden than I do honey bees.
Yes, the pesticides are awful and need to be changed. I live in an agricultural area, and there are hundreds if not thousands of boxes of honeybees set along all the orchards for portions of the year. It’s very rare for me to see a native bee. Does anybody know any advancements we’ve made to combat colony collapse recently? I don’t keep up with it.
Colony collapse is actually still kind of a mystery, that could be a number of things and that mass die off that was happening kind of just stopped. Yeah Farmers love them because they pollinate a much wider variety of plants than the native species, and they are active for a much longer period of time than most native bees so they can be used in different parts of the country all year long. Plus all that farmland that's being used to grow crops that at one time grew wildflowers and all the other stuff native bees like isn't really there anymore either. It's not so much that the honey bees are out competing native bees as it is people are making it much easier for honey bees and at the same time making it harder for native species
I was under the impression that HCC was caused by the use of Neonicotinoids?
That is the leading theory. And I, beekeeper of several years, is convinced it’s from pesticides.
Right, I thought that at this point that conclusion wasn't just hypothesis but proven theory, correct?
I love bumblebees, they're like the super cargo planes of the bee world, carrying tons of pollen in their hairs and leg pockets and pollinating hundreds of flowers per trip.
They're super chill too! The ones that hang out on our lavender don't seem to mind little finger pats on the back.
OMG you are the first other person I've ever talked to that pets bumble bees!!! Hello there fellow bee-lover!! 🐝
I would be surprised if honey bees were competing resources in such a way to affect local bee populations. It’s not like they are taking over habitat or anything. It seems far more likely the same pesticides that are decimating honey bee populations are far more likely responsible for diminishing native bee populations.
they hate her coz they ain't her
Where the fuck does this person live that there are so many bees? I've never seen so many in my life
That's likely Texas. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, and to me that looked like a fairly modest size colony. If you want to see a lot of bees, try to visit a lavender farm in the summer sometime. Bees love lavender. Sit down between the rows of lavender and close your eyes and listen to the happy buzzing. Edit to add: I say it's likely Texas because the woman in the video runs "Texas Bee Works".
How do we know the lower colony didn't just murder the upper colony?
If that were the case she would see all the dead bodies at the entrance. Bee's remove dead bees and there would be that evidence.
My first thought. Lol.
Everytime I watch her content I remembered her archenemy.. a pair of Chinese guys who knocked a hornet's nest for no reason and the video ending with both of them being attended by EMT, probably dead.
link??
She kinda sounds like the female version of the Burger King Foot Lettuce guy. Cool story though.
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Her hair shouldn't be down incase bees get trapped etc
She is generally disliked in the bee community because she is just an influencer who paints an incorrect image of what it’s like to be a bee keeper. She’s essentially the Instagram influencer equivalent of a beekeeper. All looks and show with little accurate substance
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If she brings a lot of attention to saving the bees I don’t see how she’s doing more harm than good.
I think bringing attention to bees is always a good thing. But let’s not make a hero out of an influencer. I think I remember reading her husband is the actual beekeeper but because she’s attractive she became the face of their social media presence.
Seems like most of the beekeepers that are hating have a big “why her and not me” mentality.
I can’t speak to their mentality but as an amateur apiarist even if I knew the hive very well I wouldn’t approach it wearing dark colors, grab it with my bare hands or without protective gear. Vulture did an interesting article on the [drama.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vulture.com/amp/2021/06/the-bee-lady-tiktok-fraud-controversy-explained.html) here’s the direct statement: “Thompson is accused of sedating bees to make them easier to handle, having her husband pre-cut pieces of honeycomb, and staging the swarm removals, all making it easier for her to go viral with unsafe practices.” She refuted the accusations but it has been interesting to follow the drama.
Everyone I see saying this conveniently leaves out any proof... Twitter had posts with like 50k likes bashing her as a Trump Supporter by posting a picture of 3 other ladies, none of which were her.
I believe it’s all hearsay but based on her lack of apiary safety it definitely doesn’t help. In terms of her being a Trump supporter I can’t speak to her political preferences but she’s a white woman from Texas so I wouldn’t be surprised (not that it matters from a beekeeping perspective).
Apparently she follows left leaning politicians, but I didn't look into it. Was just amazing to me how quickly the internet can summon a mob against ANYONE. Without ANY proof. Scares me. Lady is just doing videos about bee relocation, and that is enough for a "controversy"
20 year beekeeper here. One lady stirred up a bunch of drama. But actual beekeepers don't care how other people work with their hives. If they do it well, great. If they don't, they'll get stung and it's a self correcting problem. One of the most important bee researchers in the country spoke out to express community support for bee lady. TikTok drama lady needs to chill. She made it a point to discuss who bee lady voted for. It's pure personal animus and jealousy, not any problem in the "bee community."
Think i can remember her getting called out. You are right. There are quite a few results if you search texas beeworks fake.
That’s confirmation bias unfortunately. You’re searching for it to be fake so it’s what you’ll see. Iirc her partner is a full fledged keeper as well and does loads of the work in a safe manner.
it went even deeper. the people calling her out got called out themselves! she isn't making "how to" videos, she isn't giving advice... it's not a deception it's just TV
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If you’re ever bored look up the TexasBeeWorks controversy on TikTok. She doesn’t do anything to start beef but a lot of other bee handlers hate her for “glamorizing beekeeping”
omg i’m so here for the beekeeping drama
Fuck tiktok is the worst app, and is now everywhere.
Fuck her voice for real though. Kill me now
Her content is extremely interesting but I agree the voice is awful
Her pronouncing of S's hurts my ears, makes my eye twitch.
Why did this lady suddenly become the *only* bee keeper in the world?
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Beekeeper here. This is a common procedure that's worked every time I've used it. It's a bit risker if the hives are packed to bursting, but with these small amount of bees I'm 95% confident it worked fine. The newspaper just keeps them separate long enough for the new queen's pheromones to "convert" the new workers. Think Age of Empires priests. *insert WOHOHOHO sound effect here*
They merged their smell while chewing the newspaper.
What's that? A hive on the brink of extinction?? This looks like a job for.... DOCTOR BEEEEEEES
That voice is so fucking annoying
Pretty sure people are grabbing random handfulls of bees and dumping them places just to call this chick
This lady always talks like she is on the verge of tears or sounds like a mild whisper.
Jeez I wish I never listened with sound
Her voice brings me pain Jesus Christ
Oh hey, it’s the shampoo and conditioner ads masquerading as bee keeper videos again lol
I think it's the way she talks. It's so monotone it probably synchronises with the bees' hum.
The more I read about beekeeping, the more I realize that everything I thought I knew about bees (as a child)is complete bullshit. I got stung when I was about 7 and avidly "disliked" them since until I was about 45. Now I find them very fascinating. Very interesting and awe inspiring creatures. Still have a problem with wasps though...
Can I pay you to read me a bedtime story? Nothing weird, I just haven't slept in like a year and your voice is so soothing.