Badly stung today

[madasafish]

The good news is this:

you only need a few more regular stings this year and next year for your body to become accustomed to bee venom.. Stings will still hurt but your body won't react as much..

(Yes: I realise it's no consolation)

 

[Cuckmere couple]

confession time?

was strimming at bottom of garden today and had a quick strim around 2-3 colonies....they've all been v calm so took chance

went ok

within 15 mins I walked towards hives and within 3 feet, got dive bombed and stung on face

only 1 bee but reminded me i was showing complacency

 

[Wingy]

Some of this makes me think I need to take note as I am quite complacent around my bees. Over the last couple of days I've been on hands and knees weeding in front of the hives head on a level with the entrance and at times less that 1 foot away. I've seen my dog sat with her nose at the hive entrance and bees queueing up waiting to get in. Used angle grinder, petrol strimmer and chain saw within feet of the hive and they just don't seem to get upset. I've only ever suited up to inspect and sometimes only a veil along with shorts and tee shirt never noticed colour being an issue either as I usually have a black or red tee shirt on, my scruffy allotment gear.
Have I just been lucky or selected the right bees? I don't know but like them how they are.

 

[Clemcook]

Yes, I could do all the above until about August/September time last year and at this time I reckon they had stopped feasting off of the local Flow and decided to start on the garden flowers, it was then that we started to get randomly stung while minding our own business and that was it they were off to the farm!

Most fun time of my life moving them lol

 

[Hachi]

I have two hives in my garden on a housing estate, I would love half an acre. My bees I work round no problems until for a few hours last week when I requeened one.

Bee's do not like being Q- as a rule. The weather is getting better so wait til then before you go in again and sort the Q- out and peace and calm will return

 

[madasafish]

Some of this makes me think I need to take note as I am quite complacent around my bees. Over the last couple of days I've been on hands and knees weeding in front of the hives head on a level with the entrance and at times less that 1 foot away. I've seen my dog sat with her nose at the hive entrance and bees queueing up waiting to get in. Used angle grinder, petrol strimmer and chain saw within feet of the hive and they just don't seem to get upset. I've only ever suited up to inspect and sometimes only a veil along with shorts and tee shirt never noticed colour being an issue either as I usually have a black or red tee shirt on, my scruffy allotment gear.
Have I just been lucky or selected the right bees? I don't know but like them how they are.

Selected the right bees.
I do the same.
Take visitors round - at back of - hives w/o protection. (Good days only)..

Occasional nasty hive objects to strimming under hive.. regicide follows.

 

[HoopersHouse]

Thanks everyone for your responses and sharing your own experiences. The advice & encouragement on here is so valuable.

Please can I have your bees Wingy they sound delightful. Our boxer got stung a couple of months ago chasing a cat passed our original hive (currently being moved down the garden to sit with the other 2), anyway, it was a trip to the vets as his neck swelled up twice the size and it was rock solid with all the venom. Vet was a bit angry with me when I told her we keep bees. That's when the fence went up to stop him going near them again.

Jeez ShinySideUp that sting looks excruciatingly painful. Hope you recovered quickly. Sounds like you felt the same as me about carrying on beekeeping!! It's good to hear that you continued though which gives me confidence that my current feelings towards them will subside and not be too hasty to write them off. After all they were just being bees.

So, after a sleepless night of pain in my legs (I was convinced that I wouldn't have any feeling in them come morning) I plucked up the courage this afternoon to put on my bee suit & visit the bees. I didn't have any intention of opening the hives, just wanted to see how I felt being around them. I swear I could feel I was being stung but not a singe bee took any notice of me or landed on me. I wandered around them, stood at the sides of them and all was calm....phew.

I'll now give it another week before I do any inspections. But, I'll be remembering to be ultra respectful of them, check for signs of mood and be mindful of my actions. Bee suit to be worn at ALL times when passing the fence to the hives.

Thanks everyone



Eileen

 

[Bakerbee]

But you got back on the horse! well done. Our pup got stung no where near the bees just chasing one as pups do. She reacted badly. Swelling( shes a frenchie but swelling turned her into a sharpè) hives vomiting diarrhea. A rushed vet trip for antihistsmines a shot of adrenelin and steroids later and our vet has given us meds to keep at home for immediate treatment if it happens again. Since she runs in opposite direction if she hears buzzing.

 

[Beefriendly]

I'll now give it another week before I do any inspections. But, I'll be remembering to be ultra respectful of them, c

Good news indeed
.......but a quick question...do you use leather gloves? I ask because they can be a cause of bee attacks due to you not noticing the stings in them and alarm pheromone building up and attracting more bees to attack your gloves.

 

[Wingy]

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=15680&stc=1&d=1529259634

This is my 8 year old picking up the bees and letting them crawl on her hand. As can be seen one hive only a few feet away and short sleeves. When the hive is open we don’t wear gloves and my daughter loves picking up drones from the frames, practicing handling them for next year when we have a go at rearing a few queens.

 

[HoopersHouse]

Good news indeed
.......but a quick question...do you use leather gloves? I ask because they can be a cause of bee attacks due to you not noticing the stings in them and alarm pheromone building up and attracting more bees to attack your gloves.

No I don't, I did buy some but found them too thick & clumsy so when I'm inspecting I use clean marigolds.

At the time I was stung though, I was wearing those thick rubber type gardening gloves so, I could have inadvertently grabbed at a bee when pruning...who knows. Something I did certainly set them off

 

[HoopersHouse]

But you got back on the horse! well done. Our pup got stung no where near the bees just chasing one as pups do. She reacted badly. Swelling( shes a frenchie but swelling turned her into a sharpè) hives vomiting diarrhea. A rushed vet trip for antihistsmines a shot of adrenelin and steroids later and our vet has given us meds to keep at home for immediate treatment if it happens again. Since she runs in opposite direction if she hears buzzing.

Thank you.

Oh no, that was really worrying, bless her, I bet she does. I love frenchie dogs, such little characters.

 

[enrico]

Being in the flight path is the most likely. I had three macho builders refuse to carry on with a flat roof after stripping it off because they were between a hive and a field of beans. I tried to warn them but ..... They knew best...,. My bees won! They came back two weeks later all wearing complete cover up clothes and balaclavas on a hot day!!!!!
E

 

[Millet]

Thank you.

Oh no, that was really worrying, bless her, I bet she does. I love frenchie dogs, such little characters.

If the Staffy x whippet gets near the hive she munches the bees for fun.. she will stand at the entrance chomping away, the more she gets stung the more determined she gets, needless to say she is not allowed near them anymore once the crazy behavior was seen, no reaction to stings what so ever and the same with every lurcher x i have seen getting stung, maybe the pure breeds suffer more than the curs.. regardless of that ramble good to hear you put your head down and got on with it..

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

But you got back on the horse! well done. Our pup got stung no where near the bees just chasing one as pups do. She reacted badly. Swelling( shes a frenchie but swelling turned her into a sharpè) hives vomiting diarrhea. A rushed vet trip for antihistsmines a shot of adrenelin and steroids later and our vet has given us meds to keep at home for immediate treatment if it happens again. Since she runs in opposite direction if she hears buzzing.

Never seen a hive vomiting diarrhoea! Sounds awful

 

[psafloyd]

And don't go up eating a banana or after having raw onion for lunch. A packet of mints can be useful for beekeeping.

I think it's easy to get a little blase around the hives if they're generally well natured. But every hive can have a bad day for a number of reasons, though I'd suggestvthat 50 stings is unusually bad.

Here are a few things that might make them grumpier than usual :

June gap - lack of nectar will make them more defensive than normal
Stormy weather
Bumping or knocking the hive whilst cutting the bushes
Standing in the flight path and getting a bee or bees tangled in your hair/clothes
Strong perfume (I've not experienced this myself but apparently it can happen)

If you do go back up today, make sure you're well washed and wearing different clothes, so that there is no odour of stings left on you.

It would be interesting to see what response you get from your colonies next time you go up.

Hope you recover quickly from your experience.

 

[psafloyd]

Often on a humid day, there can be storms we may never see, which they are attuned to.

Had a normally calm hive go mental yesterday on first opening, and I think it was weather related.

Thanks for replying so quickly Tim, think you can feel my despair.

I was probably 2-3 feet away from the queenless hive entrance so yes I could have been in their flight path although when I've been watching they usually come out, up & fly off the opposite way but maybe today that wasn't the case. I also had dark blue leggings on, so sounds like that didn't help either.

I have to say, it's knocked my confidence now....big time.

 

[Bakerbee]

Poot in somerset thats hilarious. So funny when read that way, i literally nearly spat a mouthful of tea out laughing!

 

[HoopersHouse]

So I'm now 5 days on from being stung & this morning, the stings have somehow returned & the pain is horrendous.

I've also noticed stings that I didn't realise I had so, I guess I've reacted?!

As this is probably going to be how my body deals with stings in the future, I'm going to give in before it gets more serious. I'm not just thinking of me but my family too as the hives are in the garden.

Very sad decision as I was really enjoying the hobby but for me it isn't worth the pain or worry.

Thanks to you all for your help & advice.

Eileen

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

 

[Magwat]

When I started I reacted like that but after the first couple of years it got less and less and now I don't react at all apart from the first sting of the season.