A salutary tale to prove you cannot have enough crown boards!

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well this year has been a bit hectic and I've fallen behind a bit on my crown board production.
Just to recap - a crown board has no holes so i have a large collection of crown boards, feeder boards (one hole) Rhombus boards (two holes) and some porter escape boards now consigned to be feeder boards.
Now I still have more crown boards than hives but some are employed to seal up stacks (well, one very small stack) of supers etc.Last year I needed a couple of crown boards to blank off a super which I was using to transport frames for the honey show so, being short, I utilised one of my rhombus clearers having blocked any means of entry with a small plug of foam (can you see where this is heading)
yesterday I needed to clear five hives for extraction so i gathered up all my rhombus boards remembering that some were down at the association apiary and quickly, between showers put the boards on.

This morning, took two loads of supers off and brought them back to the house, then after lunch went to get the rest. - just a bee suit and a pair of gloves (no gauntlets) as it was only a quick 'in and out' took the roof off and thought 'these bees are very noisy for a windy wet day' lifted the super and was developed in a cloud of very p!ssed off bees that had been trapped in the supers all night 'foam plugs in rhombus exits' had to grit my teeth and sort it out, close them back up for a visit tomorrow, take the supers off the other hive and 'thin out' next hive (who are never very good when there is a load of honey on and the weathers cr@p) decided to join in the fight - exit Jenkins and three supers stage left pursued by bees - a lot of bees and 'deep joy' they cried 'no gauntlets'. Fifteen minutes -and standing like a fool in the front garden in full bee suit - later I got out of my suit and back to the house. Not my most stings in a session but a good dozen and a half to the forearms. Which just goes to show you -

'You can never have enough crownboards'​

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Oy, Jenkinsbrynmair!


You get your own strap lines.


Stop nicking mine.

Dusty.

P.s. Sorry about the stings.
You should have had more crownboards.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Oy, Jenkinsbrynmair!


You get your own strap lines.


Stop nicking mine.

Dusty.

P.s. Sorry about the stings.
You should have had more crownboards.

I meant to attribute the quote to you - sorry!

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Ouch. Hope you don't react badly.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

No, thankfully not even itching etc. although this lot looks a bit red.
My grandfather always taught me it's part and parcel of being a beekeeper - on good days you just get stung less than usual! I still chuckle at my grandmother's telling of the arrival of his first package of bees in 1939

 

[pargyle]

Ha ... that's a lesson learned ... I was in the garden on Sunday with 'er indoors helping to sort out the proliferation of tubs and troughs we seem to have accumulated over thirty years of living here ... and now that she knows that the two huge boxes sat in the hall are bee related I figured it was time to introduce her to the fact that there were THREE hives in the garden and not one .. So, as my bees are so well mannered I suggested she come round to the apiary and have a look at the little darlings. She's not that keen on buzzy insects generally and ones that sting particularly. So there was I stood in my shirt sleeves with no bee suit or anything in the front of the hive with bees quite happily flying around me demonstrating how there was no danger of being stung ... with 'er indoors watching (in admiiration ... well - I think it was admiration - either that or perplexed amusement at my stupidity - it's difficult to tell with women ?) and there was I telling her how completely harmless they were and bugger me a WASP ... yes a blasted WASP, lands on my arm and stings me ! She saw me flinch .. "Did a bee sting you ?" ... "No no of course not ... it was just a drone that landed on me - they can't sting" I said through gritted teeth with a searing pain in my arm - I dared not admit that ANYTHING had actually stung me ... but my forearm's been like a rugby ball for the last two days and I've had to keep it covered up with long sleeved shirts so she doesn't notice... But three hives are now the accepted norm ... what we go through for the sake of our bees ....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think mine has accepted the fact now that the eleven behind the garden aren't the only ones - and that there are at least two out apiaries!

 

[Torq]

I think mine has accepted the fact now that the eleven behind the garden aren't the only ones - and that there are at least two out apiaries!

Sounds like my bmw collection. 3 at our house, 2 at my mothers, 3 at another site and one hidden at a friends house!

 

[Teemore]

Birds of a feather flock together.... I'll admit to four apiaries (plus "guests" at another) and 7 land rovers. A 2002 BMWTii would be nice though!

 

[Torq]

A 2002 BMWTii would be nice though!

Up to a couple of years ago I had a '75 2002tii lux with 56k on the clock. From 20 feet away she looked lovely but every panel had serious corrosion issues, there were more holes in it than a sieve so I let it go for a song as I didn't have the time or enthusiasm to restore her.

 

[enrico]

Good story JB, I must spend a few days in the workshop! You wouldn't think that you need so many crown boards!
E

 

[madasafish]

Up to a couple of years ago I had a '75 2002tii lux with 56k on the clock. From 20 feet away she looked lovely but every panel had serious corrosion issues, there were more holes in it than a sieve so I let it go for a song as I didn't have the time or enthusiasm to restore her.

Always fancied one. When I had the enthusiasm to rebuild one, I did not have the cash. Now I have neither enthusiasm or cash...

 

[midnight sun]

Nice one JB. At least it shows that even the experienced keepers have the 'off day'.
Gives us 'newbees' hope (and a bit of a laugh) to know it's not just us.
Glad you can laugh with us.
Regards.