Motoring Discussion > Do I believe it ? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: borasport Replies: 8
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New Mon 16 May 11 17:55 
 Do I believe it ? - borasport

tinyurl.com/44rva2o

Bees in the inlet ports ?
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New Mon 16 May 11 18:25 
 Do I believe it ? - L'escargot
I believe it. I'm a believer.
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New Mon 16 May 11 18:33 
 Do I believe it ? - RattleandSmoke
I wonder how much the owner got stung for?
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New Mon 16 May 11 19:31 
 Do I believe it ? - WillDeBeest
I've read of aircraft being grounded because pitot probes (the little tubes that collect air to measure airspeed) were blocked by insects - solitary bees, most probably - nesting inside.

Carpenter bees (Xylocopa violacea - big rumbly black things with iridescent purple wings that Mike probably gets in his French garden) evolved to nest in natural tunnels in rotting wood, but I've seen them nesting in the steel tubes of garden furniture, so it's not that big a stretch to imagine bees finding their way into a little-used engine.

P.S. Is an 'environmental technician' a dustman?
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Mon 16 May 11 at 19:33
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New Mon 16 May 11 20:02 
 Do I believe it ? - bathtub tom
It either had no air filter, or a sizeable hole in the induction system to allow bees in.

No wonder it was running rough.

I've got to get up a ladder later this evening, I've got what looks like bees flying in and out between the tiles and barge-board. I tried local bee-keepers who told me to contact the council - they want forty-odd quid. An aerosol of wasp nest destroying foam's only three quid.
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New Mon 16 May 11 21:46 
 Do I believe it ? - VxFan
Wonder if the engine was a bit of a honey after being cleaned?
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New Mon 16 May 11 22:01 
 Do I believe it ? - Zero
Dunno but it sounded sweet.
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New Tue 17 May 11 09:43 
 Do I believe it ? - Mike Hannon
>>Carpenter bees (Xylocopa violacea - big rumbly black things with iridescent purple wings that Mike probably gets in his French garden) evolved to nest in natural tunnels in rotting wood, but I've seen them nesting in the steel tubes of garden furniture<<

The armour-plated ones? Indeed I do - the sweet peas are coming out now and they love 'em.
We've had two bee invasions in the past three weeks, luckily I now know how to fight back humanely (more or less). They like the cotoneaster and sumac around the house so they arrive early each summer and don't want to leave. Neighbours say they are the descendants of hive bees once kept by my late next-door neighbour. When I asked him about it years ago he said he got to be too old for the honey-selling operation so he 'gave them their freedom'.
Oh, and anyone who thinks bees can't invade through incredibly tiny openings doesn't live round here. They just crawl in and out one at a time by the hundreds.
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New Tue 17 May 11 11:11 
 Do I believe it ? - Kithmo
Did they block his pollen filter too ?
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