Thin air - bee alert

Marc801 C wrote:

Hardly a new thing. It wasn't at all uncommon to see a can of wasp spray rigged with tape and webbing for carrying on a Gunks rack bitd. 

It's no different than removing a dangerous flake, block, or rotting tree.

Guess I am a freak. I would just leave them "bee". 

Eric wrote:

The only ethical thing to do is get raped by bees

Not really... You could just climb something else. But that's just silly. 

Or you could climb around the dangerous flake and into the unknown like I would do

Climberdude wrote: Not only do a lot of flakes have bees nests behind them but they can also break off when cranking on them.  I avoid them at all costs.  Climbing is dangerous enough as it is.

Have you seen this specific flake? You wouldn’t be able to get it off the wall if you put a car jack behind it. It’s not going anywhere

Keith Moon wrote: FYI-   I emptied an entire can of Wasp spray on it today.  The nest is very deep inside the flake so I could not pull it out.  This stirred up a lot of them but should help to eliminate the problem.  2 parties climbed the route after us and were able to climb the flake as normal with no issue.  

It's about time they got nuked. White ledge, Longstack, wasps all over. We just took out a nest for the 2nd time this season with spray on Winter Classic. And a big one on Go West Young Man /Trail of Tears that we got real good but still had some wasps a week later.  The Thin Air one is legendary. 

Climberdude wrote: Or you could climb around the dangerous flake and into the unknown like I would do

Or you could onsight free solo FA a new route on el cap like I would do

I’ll pass on that...El cap has way too many variables.  Plus there’s tons of flakes.  If I were to onsight free solo it would be on something super solid.

Nice

Rob Rogowicz wrote:

I'm not an ethics freak but really?

If they attack us, we attack them. Simple war. Let the best creature win. BTW, whenever I've attacked wasps with spray, I always had a quick exit to a safe place. Last time, I could quickly bail down a ladder and into the side garage door. I've had enough of them get away from the spray pissed off and looking for something to take their anger on that I commend anyone who goes to war with wasps on the side of a rock. I could see climbing in a bee suit to do this. And I'll buy beer for anyone who free solos up with a can of spray and goes to war. Can you keep that hold while getting stung? Oh yeah!!!

Eric wrote:

There is no indication whatsoever that the visiting climber would know to climb something else

I'm pretty sure detour signs were put up by the recreational highway crew.

I bet jackkelly00 will think twice before he climbs anymore dangerous flakes in the future

Eric wrote:

There is no indication whatsoever that the visiting climber would know to climb something else

Confused by this. No one was talking about a visitor climber. I was talking about the guy who went out his way to go up there and kill that nest. Besides, it would seem pretty reasonable, if a visitor climber ran into a swarm of bees, they could very well get the down and climb something else. Why couldn't they?

Rock Monkey wrote:

If they attack us, we attack them. Simple war. Let the best creature win. BTW, whenever I've attacked wasps with spray, I always had a quick exit to a safe place. Last time, I could quickly bail down a ladder and into the side garage door. I've had enough of them get away from the spray pissed off and looking for something to take their anger on that I commend anyone who goes to war with wasps on the side of a rock. I could see climbing in a bee suit to do this. And I'll buy beer for anyone who free solos up with a can of spray and goes to war. Can you keep that hold while getting stung? Oh yeah!!!

You CAN keep the hold while getting stung (first hand experience while getting bees (correction: wasp) stings to my various parts of torso and face. Beers on me to the soloist willing to empty a bottle on the nest burried in the flame. Would be a good way to one-up Honnold (not a real hardman).

Climberdude wrote: I bet jackkelly00 will think twice before he climbs anymore dangerous flakes in the future

DEFINITELY no flakes for me anymore, especially on trad routes. I’m rethinking the whole crack climbing  thing on trad routes too. Protecting and using cracks on trad routes doesn’t really seem that safe  anymore, especially for the bees nests that could be hidden deep inside most all cracks. I’ll just climb around all seemingly great features and especially ones that take gear (cause that’s where the bees probably are).

I’m happy you are now thinking with reason jackkelly00...like me

Keith Moon wrote: FYI-   I emptied an entire can of Wasp spray on it today.  The nest is very deep inside the flake so I could not pull it out.  This stirred up a lot of them but should help to eliminate the problem.  2 parties climbed the route after us and were able to climb the flake as normal with no issue.  

The hero we need. We thank you for your service, and your willingness to stand in the line of fire (or stinging).

Keith, thanks for spraying that nest. I’d run into them before at that spot so was uber cautious but couldn’t find any wasps anywhere. Nice work! Thanks from our entire party!!

Was able to clean one of those booty pieces at the pitch three belay... Now if only someone could go hacksaw the blue one...

Tom Sherman wrote:
Was able to clean one of those booty pieces at the pitch three belay... Now if only someone could go hacksaw the blue one...

If it was a purple cam at the ledge I know the owner. They asked us to get it back but I was unsuccessful the other day. 

In regards to people questioning the ethics/morals of killing a wasp nest:  I'm a bee keeper.  I've had bee hives in my back yard for many years.  I kill wasp nests with reckless abandon and then sleep peacefully that same night.  I actually took out a massive nest this weekend that was in a hollow tube in a fence rail in my pasture.  Wasps are a pest and there is absolutely nothing wrong with killing every last one of them that you can find anywhere near a climbing wall.  

With all of that being said... if it is an actual BEE hive then leave it alone.  Find a local bee keeping group and contact them.  They'll be more than willing to relocate the hive and they'll probably give you some honey as a thank you for helping them find a hive.  

Bumble bees aren't as easily relocated.  They're also way less aggressive than honey bees or wasps though I don't know that they'd nest in cliff walls.  

Mud dauber wasps might build nests on walls but they're solitary and they don't really sting, so no worries there.  

Jonathan Brown wrote: With all of that being said... if it is an actual BEE hive then leave it alone.