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Youre bee-ginning to bug me

A wasp by any other
name doesnt smell as
sweet

By Lauren Paulsen,
Contributor

Byers knows what
a bumblebee is: a
fat, fuzzy, black and yel-
low insect, commonly
believed to defy the laws
of physics with its flight.
Something I’ve noticed,
however, is that people
seem to have a hard time
telling the difference
between honey bees and
wasps, when the truth
is, they aren’t even of the
same family. Bees come
from the family Apidae,
whereas wasps come
from the family Vespidae.
Calling wasps “bees”
all the time creates a
misconception that they
are the same, when this
is far from the truth.

People’s fear of stinging
insects is understandable,
and results in our not
wanting them near
us, but truthfully bees
will rarely sting unless
threatened (like being
stepped on) or if they feel
their hive is threatened.
Honestly, they’ll only
sting as a last resort,
because for a poor bee,
stinging means death.
It is a highly unpleasant
death because large
animals have skin that
is too thick for a bee’s
stinger and therefore it
becomes stuck, literally
ripping the bee’s
abdomen off. If they are
lucky, sometimes their
entrails are attached. I
can only imagine how
painful this must be.
When a bee is
flying around you, it’s
only interested in your
perfume or brightly
coloured clothes. It’s
merely curious, and
will leave shortly after

figuring out you aren’t a
flower. They’re peaceful
when buzzing around the
garden, and won't bother
you if you don’t threaten
them.

In general, most
wasps are also peaceful
and won't bother
you unless you harm
them. There are certain
members of the family
that aren’t so peaceful,
however. One such
species is the yellow
jacket. It is the most
common wasp to be
called a bee, having
the same colours.

These insects can be
quite a nuisance. These
wasps are more likely

to sting, because they
will actually keep their
stinger afterwards. They
can sting as many times
as they want without
worrying about dying
and they release a
pheromone that causes
nearby yellow jackets to
become agitated and start

Opinions

stinging as well. This is a
good survival strategy for
them, but for us, it’s just
plain bothersome—and
painful. Of course, they
wont sting you without
reason, but they’re more
aggressive than bees

and can become agitated
more easily. The most
common way to be stung
by them is if you’re
eating outside and they
come to investigate the
food, or you're near their
nest.

I don’t understand
the habit of calling
anything striped black
and yellow a bee. The
only things I can think
of that wasps and bees
have in common is their
colour, they have wings,
they have a colony that
revolves around a queen,
and they are insects. The
only reason they are both
coloured the same is that
black and yellow stripes
warn other animals that
they sting, just as the

Off Campus Cuisine: Bubble World

Blissful bubble tea
and forgetful food

By Kyrsten Downton,
Contributor

ubble tea has been

building up in popu-
larity for the last couple
of years. I too enjoy
the cold, smoothie-like
drink, so I was excited
to try out the recently
opened Bubble World,
just a short walk down
from Douglas College
in New Westminster
(on 601 Agnes Street
and 6th Street).

Walking in, the
décor was cute and the
windows and a few
tables were covered with
Halloween decorations.

Isilently applauded
Bubble World for getting
into the festive season
and loved the fun vibe.
It’s a great place to hang
out with friends and is
also surprisingly quiet, so
you could easily “work”
on some homework if
you ever felt inclined to.
The drinks at Bubble
World are amazing
and even have a menu
devoted towards bubble
tea alone. I found myself
worrying about the prices
though, as the tea isn’t
cheap. Every drink could
cost up to five dollars.
However, all of the bub-
ble teas come in one cup
size: absolutely ginor-
mous! My strawberry
slush was peaking out of
the cup so high, it came
with a spoon to eat it. The

tea portions are huge, so
be prepared to ask for a to
go cup if you didn’t ask
for it already. Not only
was there a huge amount
of the drink, but it was
absolutely delicious and
definitely worth the price.
The food menu
was also elaborate and
plentiful. It ranged from
traditional Oriental
cuisine, such as gyozas—
which I had—to simple
sandwiches and chicken
wings. Unfortunately, the
food I had was nothing
special. I liked the sauce
they gave me but the
gyozas were bland. I was
disappointed with not
having the amazing food
tasting experience that I
was looking forward to.
The biggest let-down
of all though was the

service. None of the
waitresses even tried to

offer a friendly smile. At
first, I thought they were
attempting to be efficient:
sit customers down, listen
to their order, bring them
food, give them their bill,
and then let them leave.
However, the servers
came off as cold as they
followed their routine.

Is it really that hard just

bright colours of poison
dart frogs tell us they
are highly poisonous.
It’s nature’s warning
flag. Despite living in a
colony revolving around
a queen, their behaviour
is quite different. Wasps
are actually carnivores
and hunt other insects.
This benefits us because
it means less of other
pests. Bees and wasps
don’t even use the same
type of venom when
stinging. Someone who’s
allergic to bees may not
be allergic to wasps, and
vice versa.

I think it’s important
that people understand
the difference between
bees and wasps, and that
they educate themselves
about their differences.
Imagine if we were called
monkeys all the time
because we share similar
features. Don’t give the
bee such a bad rap by
calling it a wasp. They are
actually quite peaceful.

 

to smile at someone and
wish them a great day?
Moreover, Bubble
World’s food may just
be simply edible and
the service is barely
adequate—but the bubble
tea is worth it. | wouldn’t
recommend you go every
day, but it’s a nice change
from all those Starbucks
and Tim Horton’s coffees
we all seem to love.

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