enrico
Queen Bee
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2011
- Messages
- 12,035
- Reaction score
- 3,327
- Location
- Somerset levels
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 5
I tell you this as some may learn and some may wince and some may even laugh!
My apiary has seven hives. Today I wanted to check a couple. My stands are built for two hives but not all have two on so I use the spare space to put supers etc on. I took of a super and a brood box packed full if stores off one hive and put it on a stand behind me which already had one hive on. I turned to pick up my smoker and at that point the stand behind me collapsed. The super and brood box fell onto the hive I was inspecting and knocked that over so another brood box spilled its frames out, the hive that was already on the stand that collapsed also tipped over and spilled the frames out of all box's so I now have six box's of bees from two hives on their sides and frames everywhere. There is a really really strong smell of almonds (wonder why!!!) and then the air fills with a million bees intent on one thing. Me! At that point my old bee suit that is 25 years old decides that it will give enough of a gap between the hat and the veil to allow entry and I take 6 quick stings to the face, neck and head. My lips immediately begin to tingle and swell. I shout to my wife to go in the house and stay there. I retreat to sort the veil out but the bees will not leave me to let me take it off. My wife dons her suit and I go inside and we kill enough bees to allow me to deveil and make emergency repairs with good old gaffa tape. Back into the fray and put the hives back together. I could hardly see for flying, angry bees, I was covered from head to foot in bees that found their way down my wellies, into pockets, back into my veil, up my right nostril!
Grit my teeth and carry on, bees being squashed and killed everywhere. Sickening smell of almonds making the other hives join in.
I know not if I killed queens or where they are in the hive. To be honest my main concern was to put them back together now as I knew I would not be able to return if I failed! I'll be honest, even after thirty years this amount of angry bees was scary!
Succeeded after a fashion and retired to lick my wounds. My top lip is an interesting shape but luckily I don't react too badly to stings so I got away fairly lightly.
What have I learnt? That I need to check my stands and make them stronger.
What am I afraid of? That the bees will never forgive me!
Just though I would share the worst day of my beekeeping experience with you all. Not after sympathy, well not much anyway
E
My apiary has seven hives. Today I wanted to check a couple. My stands are built for two hives but not all have two on so I use the spare space to put supers etc on. I took of a super and a brood box packed full if stores off one hive and put it on a stand behind me which already had one hive on. I turned to pick up my smoker and at that point the stand behind me collapsed. The super and brood box fell onto the hive I was inspecting and knocked that over so another brood box spilled its frames out, the hive that was already on the stand that collapsed also tipped over and spilled the frames out of all box's so I now have six box's of bees from two hives on their sides and frames everywhere. There is a really really strong smell of almonds (wonder why!!!) and then the air fills with a million bees intent on one thing. Me! At that point my old bee suit that is 25 years old decides that it will give enough of a gap between the hat and the veil to allow entry and I take 6 quick stings to the face, neck and head. My lips immediately begin to tingle and swell. I shout to my wife to go in the house and stay there. I retreat to sort the veil out but the bees will not leave me to let me take it off. My wife dons her suit and I go inside and we kill enough bees to allow me to deveil and make emergency repairs with good old gaffa tape. Back into the fray and put the hives back together. I could hardly see for flying, angry bees, I was covered from head to foot in bees that found their way down my wellies, into pockets, back into my veil, up my right nostril!
Grit my teeth and carry on, bees being squashed and killed everywhere. Sickening smell of almonds making the other hives join in.
I know not if I killed queens or where they are in the hive. To be honest my main concern was to put them back together now as I knew I would not be able to return if I failed! I'll be honest, even after thirty years this amount of angry bees was scary!
Succeeded after a fashion and retired to lick my wounds. My top lip is an interesting shape but luckily I don't react too badly to stings so I got away fairly lightly.
What have I learnt? That I need to check my stands and make them stronger.
What am I afraid of? That the bees will never forgive me!
Just though I would share the worst day of my beekeeping experience with you all. Not after sympathy, well not much anyway
E
