It’s Only a Bee

“It’s only a bee,” a father said to his child while dining on pizza on the porch of a tourist facility. “It’s not a snake!”

Perhaps this father was sending the wrong message to his child. If left alone, a snake will not likely harm a person. We’re too big to eat, after all, so there’s no reason for it to waste energy and/or venom in an attack. This father was instilling fear of snakes in his child that could last a lifetime.

Bee Stings

Bees can inflict a painful sting, and the child should be warned to leave them alone and not agitate them. “Drop for drop,” relates WikiAnswers.com, “bee venom is said to be more dangerous than rattlesnake venom. It takes about 1000 stings to kill an average-weight person.”  

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reports North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension, about 8,000 people a year receive venomous snake bites in the United States, and only 9 to 15 victims (.2%) die. “In fact,” they continue, “more people die from wasp and bee stings than from snake bites.”

How About Mosquitoes?

The father’s son is more likely to come in contact with a bee than a snake. He’s also more likely to encounter mosquitoes, which, according to the American Mosquito Control Association, cause more human suffering than any other organism. “Over one million people worldwide die from mosquito-borne diseases every year.”

Whether bee or bear, however, wildlife should be respected and left to their behaviors. “When we forget that nature is not benign,” writes Kirk Carter Mona in the November/December 2013 issue of Legacy Magazine, “or if our parents and educators fail to teach us this lesson at a young age, there are real consequences.”

Under the right circumstances, any animal can become “dangerous.” In terms of the deadliest creature on Earth, man may rank number one with approximately 15,000 murders committed each year.

Neutral Nature

The father’s message to his son may well have been better stated. Respect all nature, he might have advised. “Nature is neutral,” writes Kirk Mona. “It does not care whether you live or die. It has no intent to harm you but just the same it can and will harm you if you fail to act responsibly………Recreating outdoors requires personal responsibility.”

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