Could you BEE more cliched?

As an Australian, you come to London and people say things such as: ‘oh you’re from the land of things that can seriously f*** you up.’ I always play up to this. ALWAYS! ‘I’ve been catching spiders since I was five,’ I’ll brag. Although that statement is true. It’s what you get for having a mum and two baby brothers who are arachnophobic pussies (sorry Tom and Jack – I know you’re big, muscled things now so please don’t hurt me). I also did my first dive in a shark tank when I was 20 which is also something you can impress Brits with. But the truth is, as a Sydneysider, I really don’t come in to contact with anything that could kill me. Unlike here, where in Summer I feel scared out of my mind about those bees. For people who haven’t come to UK, the bees here are like something out of a 1940s Japanese Horror film. They’re big and nasty and they make a beeline for you if you have anything remotely sweet. I’ve had one fly straight into my diet coke – yes, it was diet, the bees here don’t even mind sugar free – sweetner will do.

Now let’s have a think, how many people per year would be injured by a bee sting (due to allergies or otherwise) vs the amount of Aussies who have been injured by a shark, spider or snake? I’ve got no mathematical proof about any of this of course but I wouldn’t been surprised if they’re are more bee-related injuries than Aussie shark/spider ones. Those bees are relentless little buggers and they’ve got an advantage over our dangerous Australian wildlife – wings.

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