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I'm hoping to get the bumble bee serum through a flatsale or contest. Auctions are too rich for my blood.

Old quest thread is here, in case I forgot to move something over: ]http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12070497

Bumble Bee Information



Common name:
Bumble Bee

Scientific classification:
Bumble bees belong to the genus Bombus of the family Apidae, order Hymenoptera.

Characteristics and Information:

Like the common honeybee, of which it is a relative, the bumblebee feeds on nectar and gathers pollen to feed its young. These creatures are beneficial to humans and the plant world alike, and tend to be larger than other members of the bee family. Most, but not all, bumblebee species are gentle. From this comes their original name: "Humblebee".

Bumble bees are similar to their close relatives, the honey bees, in that their colonies are headed by a queen, who is the main egg-layer, and many workers, who are the daughters of the queen, and in that drones (males) are produced during the mating season.

However, the colonies of bumble bees, unlike those of honey bees, only survive during the warm season; new queens hibernate alone to begin another colony the following spring.

In addition, there are usually fewer individuals in a bumble-bee colony than in a honey-bee colony, and bumble bees do not use a dance to communicate the location of food to other members of the colony, as honey bees do. Also, although bumble bees collect nectar and store it as honey, they do not hoard large amounts of it, as do honey bees.

Bumblebees are social insects that are characterized by a black and yellow striped body, a commonality among the majority of the species of Bombus; however, some species are known to have orange or even red on their bodies.

Another distinguishing characteristic is a hairlike substance, called pile, that covers their entire body, making them appear and feel fuzzy.
Queen and worker bumblebees can sting. Their sting is not barbed like that of the honeybee, so they can sting more than once. Bumble bees do not lose their sting and die if they use it, as a honey bee will.

Unlike honeybees, bumblebees only store a few days' worth of food and so are much more vulnerable to food shortages. However, because bumblebees are much more opportunistic feeders than honeybees, these shortages may have less profound effects. Bumblebees mostly do not preserve their nests through the winter, though some tropical species live in their nests for several years.

Bumblebees form colonies, like honeybees. However, their hives are usually much less extensive than those of honeybees, because of the small size of the nest.
Often, bumblebee nests will hold fewer than 50 individuals, and may be within tunnels in the ground made by other animals.

Because bumble bees are conspicuous and important in nature, their biology has been well studied. They are among the few insects that can control their body temperature.

In cold weather, queens and workers can shiver their flight muscles to warm themselves, allowing them to fly and work at lower temperatures than most other insects. Their large size and heat-conserving hairy coats also help them stay warm.

These features enable them to live in northern latitudes and alpine altitudes. Bumble bees are sensitive to habitat disturbance. In England, several species are thought to have become extinct in past decades due to land clearing and agricultural practices.
Bumblebees are typically found in higher latitudes that range from warm to cold climates where other bees might not be found.
One reason for this is that bumblebees are one of the few insects that can regulate their body temperature, via both solar radiation and via internal mechanisms of "shivering" and radiative cooling from the abdomen.

A virgin queen is a queen bee that has not mated with a drone.
Virgins are intermediate in size between workers and mated, laying queens, and are much more active than the latter.

Virgin queens often do not appear to be recognized as queens by the workers. A virgin queen in her first few hours after emergence can be placed into the entrance of any queenless hive and acceptance is usually very good, whereas a mated queen is usually recognized as a stranger and runs a high risk of being killed by the older workers.

Virgins will quickly find and kill (by stinging) any other emerged virgin queen (or be dispatched themselves), as well as any unemerged piping virgins.

Natural Predators:
Skunks
Birds
Mantids
Spiders
Shrews and Moles
Dragonflies
Fish
Frogs


Websites that I took this information from:
http://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/insects/bees/bumble_bee/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumble_Bee
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/golden_northern_bumble_bee.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_queen
http://hercules.users.netlink.co.uk/Bee.html

More Bumble Bee pictures for reference and anatomy:
http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Bumble+Bee&search=Search
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_Anatomy(mouth)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characteristics_of_common_wasps_and_bees

My Other Character Idea
Just for fun.....maybe.

The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown:
The lion beat the unicorn all around the town.
Some gave them white bread, some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum-cake and drummed them out of town.

Character Name: Willard Ethan Tharoe
Nicknames- Mystery Man, Will, Tharoe, Armstrong, Major Armstrong

Character Appearance (Human):
Age- 33
Gender- Male
Hair- Bald, but his eyebrows are a reddish-blond
Eyes- Hazel
Height- 6'5
Weight- .....?
Build- Very muscular and with tanned skin ((Think Armstrong from FMA))
Clothing- He prefers to not wear a shirt in public, but if he has to...it's usually a white buttoned up shirt. His pants are plain black trousers and a black belt to hold them secure. He dislikes shoes...so he walks around in his socks or bare feet most of the time. When at the beach, he likes to where his pink speedo....which I must say...is better than a thong.

Armstrong from FMA *Sparkles*

Character Personality:
He wishes he wasn't as tall as he is now.
He likes nude beaches.
He's really quite sweet once you get to know him, but can be quite deadly if you get on his bad side.
Is a manly girly man?
Loves to hug people
He can speak French, but not as well as English.
Likes his pink speedo.
When he gets really angry, he'll flip you off French style! XD ((I know what it is too))
When he sees someone he's interested in....he'll butter them up first with sweetness.

Character Background:
He was born in New York City, New York. His mother was a small-time model and his father was her agent....who decided to have an affair with the young model. He grew up surrounded by fashion models in New York and lived right down the street from the local brothel. His mother wasn't just a model during the day, because at night she worked at the whore house. He lived in New York for about 13 years, till his mother's modeling career made them move to France.
During his childhood in France, he was never accepted by any of the other children. He was called queer and always got a swirly after school from the bullies who shoved his head in a toilet. He spent his high school years in an all boys school. The other boys didn't accept him either and constantly bullied him as well.
This led Willard into the world of body building and bisexuality, since he was in an all boy school and was surrounded by women models at home. After school, he'd spend day after day at the gym trying to get stronger and teach the people who teased him a lesson they'd never forget. But he never got the chance, because the principal stopped the fight before it started.
When Willard graduated at the age of 18, he suffered from premature alopecia (balding). This in no way hindered him. In fact, he thought it made him look more sexy. He spent three months in college, but shortly dropped out due to his low grades.
He could barely survive out on his own. His mother wouldn't take him back after he flunked college and his father was long gone. For extra cash, Willard went to work at a club....a strip club. He was the bouncer for half a year, till one drunken customer threatened one of the exotic dancers. Willard got very violent and sent the man into a coma, ending his career at the club.
He later on went back into body building for charities. He rose money for muscular dystrophy, burned patients, cancer patients, Multiple sclerosis, and the Red Cross. Later on, he moved to Nice, France to live a more relaxed and peacful life. He still practices body building, but that barely covers his slowly growing bills.

How does your character get to/why was your character chosen for the Island?
Willard was in his bath robe at the moment, reading the newspaper, and flipped to the employment section. He read all the articles till he saw one that caught his interest. "Island in need of security personal. High paying job with free board. Please contact Feral Labs and ask about the position." Willard was pleased when he finally found a job that would pay high enough. Plus, there was free boarding. Since the island was owned by Feral Labs, all Willard would have to do was guard the labs from any intruders....how hard could it be? He picked up the phone and dialed Feral Labs. After a pain-stakingly long interview over the phone with Doctor Moreau, Willard recieved the job....

What Animal(s)/Plant(s)/Dinosaur Serum do you want?
White Horse + Narwhal Horn = UNICORN! 8D

Unicorn Information and Reference

Describe your ideal 100% appearance.
I really don't mind how he turns out, but it would be nice if he kept some of his muscular physique and if he grew hair.

Why this animal/plant for your character?
The unicorn is for Willard....well, because most people relate them to feminine women and sexy bishonen. Willard is the complete opposite. He's old, muscular, and bald. What better way to torment such a man by turning him into a unicorn?

What do you think really makes this concept? Why you?
Meeehhh...do I have to answer? I don't really know why.

Armstrong (FMA) + Rude (FFVII) + random odds and ends = Willard!

Okay...I really need to put somthing useful here....maybe my people's thoughts on everyone they've met so far? That'd take forever..but I gotta do somthing with this post....