Pinged?

[idg]

Hi all, this may be a daft question, but what do people mean when they say they got pinged? Is it actually stung?
Recent threads on here say "that their bees were angry today and they got pinged from 25 yards" etc. This really concerns me as I have my bees on an area of family allotment land. It is basically a small orchard and allotment but it is a very communal area where the extended family congregate on a Saturday. The kids play and the parents plant. The kids all know to give the bees a bit of a wide berth, but the thought that one day they could be stinging from 25 yards really concerns me.
I have not had a problem with the bees, but I have only had them since last May.
Is it common for bees to turn angry?

 

[Bosleeu]

If your bees are in a situation like that I thinkyou need to keep an eye on their temperament.

My first colony were very defensive and I thought I was not handling them well, till I split them and requeened one of the resulting colonies. I have only requeened from the friendliest colonies since then and touch wood never had a problem, except for the odd swarm, and those I requeened very promptly.

I could never have bees that take any notice of you whatsoever at 25 yards They live in my garden and share it with chickens, dogs and children.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi all, this may be a daft question, but what do people mean when they say they got pinged? Is it actually stung?
Recent threads on here say "that their bees were angry today and they got pinged from 25 yards" etc. This really concerns me as I have my bees on an area of family allotment land. It is basically a small orchard and allotment but it is a very communal area where the extended family congregate on a Saturday. The kids play and the parents plant. The kids all know to give the bees a bit of a wide berth, but the thought that one day they could be stinging from 25 yards really concerns me.
I have not had a problem with the bees, but I have only had them since last May.
Is it common for bees to turn angry?

Sometimes bees bounce off you without stinging. It's a warning!
Anybody with a "garden" apiary should have another site where the bees can be taken at a moments notice. It's nice to keep bees where you can easily watch them but there may come a time when they become aggressive and you will have to relocate them.

 

[Magwat]

When people refer to pinging they mean bees throwing themselves at you and bouncing off your veil. It can sound and feel like hailstones on your head. I daresay that many would be in stinging mood if the veil wasn't there. You need always to be aware of conditions that might make your bees defensive.