Organising to Wear a Suit of Bees

[Phayze]

I saw a guy on tv doing this he said he used a pheromone to atract the bees he was an expert though and American if that makes any difference I've seen the bee beard done with a queen in a cage though less bees and maybe easier rather you than me though good luck and keep calm if poss

 

[Sir Quej]

Thanks Bobster

All your points are very good and very valid points and I appreciate them and will bear them in mind. As I said though, this isnt something i intend to do lightly and without gaining plenty of knowledge and experience first.

I know there are other ways of raising money for charity and as i said, i already do some of them but this is what I have chosen to do so obviously the best thing for me to do is to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible.

And Brut 33 ???? I mean....come on.... The bees wouldnt go anywhere near someone wearing Brut...

 

[susbees]

As for playing with fire, if the cavemen hadnt played with fire all them years ago, wouldnt we all bee eating raw meat nowadays....lol

Thanks for the advice though.

Um, no. Vegetarians don't eat meat.

Don't ignore the advice. If you were an experienced beekeeper with docile bees then your choice, but risking your life isn't worth it. The BCC and other organisations have LOADS of fund-raising events to go on. Have a look...

 

[newportbuzz]

i met a man who has done this.

if i rember correctly he said he used about a dozen hives . Which he had drained from flying bees over a number of weeks so only young bees (less inclined to sting / fight) were left. these hives were shook out infront of him and climbed him to get to the queen/pheremone(cant remebr)
He had about a dozen beekeepers on standby and also was standing on a low platform so he could jump out of the suit of bees.

Some notible things he said was that he got stung on his belly and hey put stuff on it which drove the bees away from the site
also heat exaugstion and not being able to move for over 4 hours

insurance is a huge problem as no company in their right mind will take the risk. also half a milion bees in a park somewhere dont go down well with the local athoritys eiter.

anyway the fella is philip mc cabe he is a big name in ireland and you should find contact details fairly easily be warned if you rang me about this id tell you to find a better way of doing it.

all the best

 

[Sir Quej]

susbees...maybe you should read some of my earlier posts

The small bit of my post that you quote was a joke (Obviously lost on you a little). If I was intending to ignore the advice given, I wouldnt have posted on here would I?

As for being an experienced beekeeper, I will again refer you to my earlier posts.

Thanks for your invaluable advice though.

 

[Sir Quej]

Thanks V.Much Newportbuzz

All very helpful and informative advice and very much appreciated.

 

[grahambee]

3) it's a good "high profile" way to raise money and highlight the charity in

not if you die

 

[tkwinston4]

Can I just say good on you Sir Quej! You have said SEVERAL TIMES now that you are going to learn everything there is to learn about wearing a beard of bees and I am sure that people on here are not the only ones to try and put you off but you are clearly determined so I wish you luck in your cause.

Surely its up to the individual if they want to risk their life and you are clearly of sound mind so go for it and keep us updated how you get on.

Its also nice to meet a fellow tarantula keeper, mind you I never got bitten by my girls; cant say the same for my bees tho!

 

[Sir Quej]

Thanks tkwinston4

i knew this idea would not be universally popular but i really do appreciate the advice and concerns expressed by the many experienced keepers on here. As you say, i have said that it is not my intention to go into this without first becoming a beekeeper myself, and who knows, after keeping bees myself i may decide this is a really bad idea. Thats is exactly the reason that I am on here, asking for opinions and advice.

Who better to ask and get advice from than the ones who know? You just cant get the required knowledge from books no matter how good they are.

i do have an attitude in life in general that you cant go through life being "Safe" and not taking risks, but I can assure everyone on here that i'm not planning on being stung to death and while I appreciate and realise this is a risk, EVERY possible step would be taken to minimise this risk.

This is though in the VERY early stages of planning and is quite some time and quite some experince away.

 

[AnotherNewBee]

Here's hoping he'll learn enough on his bee-keeping course(s) to decide to play it safe and jump out of a plane instead.

If the bee stunt goes wrong in any way it will be very high profile for all the wrong reasons, and give bee-keeping a very bad reputation which will be close to impossible to shake off.

 

[tonybloke]

you need to ask Finman, as I'm sure he's had a 'bee-beard'.

 

[Sir Quej]

Thanks AnotherNewBee

i have already done 4 Parachute jumps and your statement that this is "Playing it safe", while loaded with sarcasm is very far wide of the mark. Fun, but not safe.

I dont believe it would damage the image of bee keeping as badly as you fear EVEN if it did go wrong. People and animals die of bee attacks all over the world each year just the same as people die from Parachuting accidents each year. People would see it for what it was, someone doing something with risk and lucking out....

Everyone knows bees sting and everyone knows that beekeeping and doing other things with bees comes with risks, just like many other ventures. If i did another Parachute jump and my shute didnt open, do you think everyone would suddenly realise that Parachuting was dangerous? No, because everyone already knows it's dangerous.

In the same way that I wouldnt have done a jump without first being trained and gaining knowledge, I wont do this without first being trained and gaining knowledge and experience of Bees, and as you say, and i said earlier, this knowledge/experience may well lead me to realise this is a bad idea.

 

[Sir Quej]

tkwinston4 - What Spiders do you have? I have a Chilean Rose, A Mexican RedKnee and an Indian Ornamental. Suprisingly, it was the Rose (the most Docile) that bit me. Not very pleasant but I'm glad it wasnt the Ornamental.....

 

[AnotherNewBee]

Most of the people killed or seriously injured by bees and other insects didn't have the press and anything from a few to a few hundred spectators present.

Similarly, while many hundreds of people have parachutists living next door they are fully aware that those parachutists are (usually) very predictable and almost entirely harmless. Parachutists rarely harm anyone but themselves when their 'chute doesn't open. Conversely, many people with bees living next door will already be a little nervous about the situation. It will take very little for the press to get them riled up enough (especially Sun and Daily Wail readers) to cause problems for many beeks.

My personal belief is that bee stunts are at best silly, and at worst irresponsible.

 

[newportbuzz]

Thanks AnotherNewBee

i have already done 4 Parachute jumps and your statement that this is "Playing it safe", while loaded with sarcasm is very far wide of the mark. Fun, but not safe.

I dont believe it would damage the image of bee keeping as badly as you fear EVEN if it did go wrong. People and animals die of bee attacks all over the world each year just the same as people die from Parachuting accidents each year. People would see it for what it was, someone doing something with risk and lucking out....

Everyone knows bees sting and everyone knows that beekeeping and doing other things with bees comes with risks, just like many other ventures. If i did another Parachute jump and my shute didnt open, do you think everyone would suddenly realise that Parachuting was dangerous? No, because everyone already knows it's dangerous.

In the same way that I wouldnt have done a jump without first being trained and gaining knowledge, I wont do this without first being trained and gaining knowledge and experience of Bees, and as you say, and i said earlier, this knowledge/experience may well lead me to realise this is a bad idea.

I think you are a bit off the mark to compare the dangers involved
i for one would rank a suit of bees a lot more letal than a paracute jump.

Id put it on par with geting shot by blanks loaded by someone who hates me.

id have a ambulance wearing beesuits on standby anyway.

 

[Excession]

I respect you are trying to do the right thing, learning the facts first etc.

And when you understand how dangerous it could be, you may change your mind.

Things to consider...

Friends and family, and a massive swarm of bees.
Spectators, and a massive swarm of bees.
Medical experts on standby, and a massive swarm of bees.
You needing to hydrate/relieve yourself, and a massive swarm of bees.
Local government/council and a massive swarm of bees.
Unaware bypassers, and a massive swarm of bees.
Orifices, and a massive swarm of bees.
Breathing, and a massive swarm of bees.
Communicating, and a massive swarm of bees.
And once you have finished you will still have a massive swarm of bees!

You dont need beekeepers advice, you need bee suit wearers advice!
(or psychological help!)

 

[newportbuzz]

Orifices, and a massive swarm of bees.

)

hard not to smile at that one

 

[AnotherNewBee]

I think you are a bit off the mark to compare the dangers involved
i for one would rank a suit of bees a lot more letal than a paracute jump.

Id put it on par with geting shot by blanks loaded by someone who hates me.

id have a ambulance wearing beesuits on standby anyway.

1) They're not firing blanks.

2) Once one of them pulls the trigger, there's no-one in command to shout "Oi, you 'orrible little lot - CEASE FIRE"

 

[Sir Quej]

newportbuzz and Anothernewbee, your points are very well made and well received. i dont necessarily agree with all of them but I have been known to be wrong in the past....lol

i dont understand how being stung to death can possibly be more lethal than dying in a parachute accident but maybe i'm missing your meaning ?? More painful no doubt, but both are just as lethal...

AnothernewBee, your point about people living next door to hives is well made and I must admit, I had not considered this ellement but I'm sure these neighbours are already aware of the risks and I dont think one incident, regardless of how much it is publicised would suddenly make them storm round to your house and demand you remove the hives despite them having lived next door to them for a period of time. Maybe i'm wrong (as I said. It has been known)

And in response to Excessions points above. A very good list of concerns (most of which i had already considered) and if you knew me for any length of time, you would never again doubt that i DO need psychological help....And a few corks by the sound of it....lol

 

[newportbuzz]

newportbuzz and Anothernewbee, your points are very well made and well received. i dont necessarily agree with all of them but I have been known to be wrong in the past....lol

i dont understand how being stung to death can possibly be more lethal than dying in a parachute accident but maybe i'm missing your meaning ?? More painful no doubt, but both are just as lethal...

l

My bad.
I was hinting at your odds of it being lethal.
Not one killing you more than the other.
sorry for confusion