sting

[Bo66y]

Hi all
Took home my first Nuke three weeks ago had been fine. I checked and found the outer frames had been drawn out and there was honey in some of them . Stopped feeding them and added a supper. all fine so far, The leather gloves I was using to open the hive got wet. I hung them on the washing line 30 yards from the hive. My wife went to hang her washing the next day and was stung by a bee who attacked her. Is there a link ?
I have turned the entrance 180 degrees so they will fly in the other direction.
should I need to move the washing line ?
Can anyone help on this as I would not want an other incident.

 

[Polyanwood]

If you were stung on the leather gloves and they smell of sting pheromone, they are likely to attract cross bees coming to investigate. You could try wearing nitrile or latex gloves over your gauntlets to reduce this problem. (Or you could stop wearing gauntlets altogether, but I have been told off for saying that, so I didn't!)

I have moved my bees becuase the family kept getting stung, especially around the washing line. They were drinking from the clothes. Might be worth checking your bees have an alternative water source.

 

[susbees]

The blue "stingproof" gloves from Maisemore and no doubt other places at c£7/8 are worth it for building up confidence etc, handling grouchy bees, and are machine washable, allow reasonable dexterity and don't seem to keep the pheromone in (clove or peppermint oil - couple of drops in a small bottle of water) masks the smell if you or your glove IS stung.

We get the odd bee on our washing when it's wet. There's loads of water sources and our bees are several hundred yards away so it's just a bee thing sometimes. Like taking one home on the back of your suit .

 

[Bo66y]

Thanks it is helpfull will try.
By the way I just put the washing out and walked over to towards the hive within about
10 meters and a bee went for me !!! I am wondering is it the strong smell of fabrick softener ( my wife uses loads) as I was up there early on and no problems

 

[merylvingien]

The blue "stingproof" gloves from Maisemore and no doubt other places at c£7/8 are worth it for building up confidence etc, handling grouchy bees, and are machine washable, allow reasonable dexterity and don't seem to keep the pheromone in (clove or peppermint oil - couple of drops in a small bottle of water) masks the smell if you or your glove IS stung.

We get the odd bee on our washing when it's wet. There's loads of water sources and our bees are several hundred yards away so it's just a bee thing sometimes. Like taking one home on the back of your suit .

Thanks for that, i have just ordered some

If i get stung through the gloves, as you reccomended them, i will be in touch through my solicitor

 

[Bo66y]

As I am new to bee keeping would like to make contact with other bee keepers local to me. I am trying to get training but all booked up till next year.
I live in Geddington just outside Kettering. Is there any way I cam=n make contact with local keepers ?

 

[m100]

The leather gloves I was using

Reserve the leather gloves for the bees from hell that you hope you'll never have, and change to something thinner and closer fitting for inspecting your own colonies. No need to spend 8 quid on gloves, nitrile disposables costing just a few pence/ tens of pence do the job and make it easier to manipulate frames.

 

[Bo66y]

Thanks Martin

Will try them hope it helps, the wife had a bad reaction to the sting her face swelling up
(Cheap botox job) joking aside if I cannot sort this they will have to go
As stated have turned the hive entrance 180 degrees, they are still struggeling to to find the entrance after 2 days. Will have to wait and see

Bob

 

[susbees]

Reserve the leather gloves for the bees from hell that you hope you'll never have, and change to something thinner and closer fitting for inspecting your own colonies. No need to spend 8 quid on gloves, nitrile disposables costing just a few pence/ tens of pence do the job and make it easier to manipulate frames.

We did, that's why we bought them. They were an 8-9 on the bombing and following and kamikaze was nothing on them. Boxed and sent to the "bad bees apiary" of a dear and very experienced friend. We didn't breed them and going through the process of requeening with children and footpaths sensibly far away but too close for this amount of aggression was not on.

Mind the ones we swapped them for have an absconded queen so been zapping and mininuc'ing excess capped cells. This was all on Sunday night so be a little while to bring them back to happiness. Mind, they are nice bees . Washing up gloves with this lot.

 

[oliver90owner]

still struggeling to to find the entrance after 2 days

No wonder, if you turned it 180 in one go! I think you need to take advice, or read up on procedure, before you do many more insensitive-to-the-bees manipulations. Little wonder some of them are a little miffed now.

Swelling up is not a bad reaction, just a reaction, even quite a normal reaction for some. I usually swell up when stung (although the last two stings this last week or so seemed a lot better than some in the past).

Do you have any indication, from the supplier, of the likely temperament of these bees? They may well become defensive over the next couple of weeks as the OSR nectar diminishes and if the colony is expanding rapidly.

Your local BKA is your first port of call. It may be Northampton BKA and if not they will be able to advise another contact. Details are on the net.

I take it you have not been on a beekeeping course? That is advisable, I think.

RAB

 

[Roy S]

Always best to face hives away from any movement or activity. Or even better to not have them around places where conflicts are possible.

You could always try some six foot high trellis with netting on it, planted maybe with sweetpeas or something similar around the hive too, to get the bees up and above people, and that way avoiding bees flying into people on the way out of or into the hive.

Also, was your wife wearing perfume?, some can attract the unwelcome attention of bees.

 

[Bo66y]

Thanks
Rab is correct I have not been trained as yet all courses full 2010. I will be on the 2011 one. I turned the hive for the very reason Roy recomended to face open fields after the attack on my wife. Hopefully they will settle. In the mean time the area will be restricted access untill they settle. (I will not be moving them again)
I got the nucleus from maismore they seem good people (I am sure they would not nowingly sell me bad bees).
Thanks again everone

 

[Poly Hive]

Bo66Y?

I am going to suggest plan "B".

Namely move the bees off your property on to an out apiary. The runes are cast, the omens are not good.... I am not kidding here. One swollen face is well not so problematic it can be laughed off but... what next?

Safety first please.

PH

 

[MathJ]

Try talking to your local farmers. I spoke to 2 and both were more than happy to find me some space on their land. I now have my hives 2 minutes down the road and the farmer is going to take up beekeeping too!

 

[Bo66y]

Update

Thanks everyone for your help and support.

They seem to have settled to the new position still the odd one tried to get in through the back wall, as I stated no problems with them in the first 3 weeks. I have been walking around them in the day with no attacks.
Plan of action
a) move washing line out of orchard
b) make orchard a no go area for now (watch how they settle)
c) use rubber gloves and wash after use
d) get some training ASAP and advice on position of hive only move over winter

If this fails then it will be Plan B

Safety in my main concern and I will take no risks
or do anything further to agrivate the situation
Thanks again

 

[Cazza]

Good plan.
Can you wean your wife off the fabric conditioner too? Bees never seem to like it.
Cazza

 

[Bo66y]

That could be much more challanging

Bob

 

[BKF Admin]

Good plan.
Can you wean your wife off the fabric conditioner too? Bees never seem to like it.
Cazza

I only ever wash my beesuite in washing powder,they have told me a few times over the years to stop using the softner.

Washing powder only is fine,add a little softner and houston we have a problem.

 

[Bo66y]

Washing bee suit no problem without sofener.
The best solution is to move washing line. am planning to move it 100 meters from hive

Thanks for that

 

[susbees]

Good plan.
Can you wean your wife off the fabric conditioner too? Bees never seem to like it.
Cazza

Horrible stuff. It wears clothes out faster too. Clever, eh?