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I think the arse-end of a bumblebee is a bit
squidgier. If not, advanced tanning methods will be
developed to render the abdominal exoskeleton thin
and leathery. |
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For big bumblebees, each abdominal hide should
cover a couple of square centimetres. A couple of
hundred head of bee should be enough for a glove. |
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I have honeybees, and can report that their abdomens feel soft and velvety, with localised extreme pointyness. |
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These would be the bee's knees. |
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head of beef
belly of pig
stinger of bee? |
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You'll need beeskinners. [link] |
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Can I order these with the fly paper liner? No matter. Bun. [+] |
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I will put myself in harm's way and catch a bee, euthanizing it with a drop of bleach in a sealed container as I did when mounting insects as a child, then flay its hide from its carcass. This, I will then tan using the process [MB] is now undoubtedly researching using the resources of whatever institution he has conned into hiring him. Then I will post this produce to the next halfbaker in line who will repeat the process and attach theirs appropriately. Before long, a quite shoddily crafted beeskin glove will be produced. |
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Cunningly, this first glove will be covered in pheromones and inserted into a hive of worker bees that have been exposed for some duration to radioactive isotopes. They will make this glove their queen and toil mindlessly, giving themselves selflessly to the reproduction of her majestic form. These fine bee crafted gloves, composed of the abdomens of bees who died putting single stitches into its seams with their stingers will afford me the construction of a hive of human proportions where I will sup on cups of honey, and take my medication without fail which was a precondition for my release. |
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I don't think you can tan a bee cuticle. They
consist
of a modified polysaccharide (i think there are
amino
groups or something) impregnated with a wax.
You'd
need to soften it rather than toughen it too, but
anyway, leather is protein and tanning is the
creation
of cross-links between the fibres. Not much
protein in arthropod cuticle, though there
probably is some. |
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[Rcarty], i would prefer to do this with insects
which
are already dead. It would be more practical than
catching them. |
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// Not much protein in arthropod cuticle // |
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They're mostly chitin, aren't they ? Cockroach carapaces are largely composed of chitin. |
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Yes, which is almost a polysaccharide, but they also
contain wax like most arthropod cuticles. |
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Now I know why the bee population has been declining. |
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// why the bee population has been declining // |
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Only if you've let it dry out. |
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You can get ointment for that, now. |
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