Very tolerant bees

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kazmcc

Queen Bee
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Messages
3,147
Reaction score
3
Location
Longsight, Manchester, UK
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
None, although I have my eye on one ( Just don't tell Dusty ;) )
So. Now our bees are on fondant. I moaned until I got my way. They also have the entrance block taken out ( which they had stuck down well and truely ) and a mouse guard fitted on the front. I am useless with drawing pins so took to banging them in with a bit of wood. The bees were very tolerant of my unruly behaviour. They are quite active today as the weather has warmed up a bit, although they look yellower than they used to to my eye, and they must be new bees as they seem fluffier than usual too. Small amouts of pollen coming in still, baskets hardly filled at all. OMF open, cb hole sealed, hive well and truely strapped down. Anything else? My mentor reckons they would be fine without the fondant, but he is only teaching me for a year so they will get things done to them that probably aren't really necessary, just so I get experience. I feel pretty bad about that but I have no other way of learning these things and doing them with an experienced eye watching me. Today was the first time I wasn't nervous and wasn't trembling afterwards. Hooray! I'm getting there.
 
Considering that you were terrified of them for quite some time, I think you ought to be pretty damned pleased with yourself, and I hope that you have a flourishing family of bees next season....

three cheers for KAZ..:party:
 
Considering that you were terrified of them for quite some time, I think you ought to be pretty damned pleased with yourself, and I hope that you have a flourishing family of bees next season....

three cheers for KAZ..:party:

lol, my mentor started the email as Dear Mrs Beekeeper lol, who'd have thought it. Still members of my family who haven't seen me do it think I'm being sarcastic when I tell them I've been looking after bees. Fingers crossed now.....it's all down to the girls themselves. Hope they get through to spring, I will be gutted if they don't. They are a very healthy colony though so I'd be surprised if they didn't and mentor reckons they are good to go.
 
Kaz,

Just a question- have you been stung yet?


Ben P

Errr, no lol. i got an old dried out one in my arm, but there was no pain.....felt very ill for a day though so not looking forward to a direct hit to be honest.....on the other hand, I would like to get it out of the way as I've never been stung by anything ever.
 
I'm sure that will change. As you begin to manage more colonies it becomes almost inevitable.
 
I found getting stung on different parts of the body, I get a differing reaction. Also, I don't react nearly so bad as the very first time.
 
I got my first sting on a finger three days ago.
Half an hour late there was just a little pin prick so I thought, "hey, got away with that one :) :)"
Half way through the night that finger was a sausage on fire and the swelling is only just subsiding.
 
Errmmmm...thanks guys....you know how to instill confidence in a person lol. I know it won't be nearly as bad as I think it will be. If I carry on banging pins into hives with a piece of wood I'm sure I'll get my wish sooner rather than later lol
 
A lot of experienced beekeepers have told me that the sooner you get stung the better. It helps you gauge what your normal reaction is. Until you have been stung I would recommend that there is always someone around when you open the hives, anaphalaxis can set in within fifteen minutes. Until I determined that my reaction to bee stings is minimal (by being stung of course) I always made sure my wife was in when I opened the hives in the garden.
 
It's alright Kaz , I haven't been stung yet neither. Well i have been stung a few times but not since i have taken up beekeeping lol.
 
I am feeling VERY SMUG as this is the first year ever, ever I have not been stung.........pride comes before a fall..........

Cazza
 
lol, yeah. I intend to be the first ever bee keeper to have never been stung...EVER! I doubt I'll ever be alone with these bees anyway. I have to arrrange a whole big meeting everytime we do even the slightest procedure with the bees. I spent 3 days arranging a meeting to put in a feeder. Bit of a pain, but I can understand everyone wanting to be there. It's just a pain having to go back and forth when I could just pop in after I drop the kids off at school....takes two mins. On the plus side, if I do react badly I will have plenty of people around. I doubt I'll have any adverse reaction though. I don't have any allergies and from what I hear, anaphylaxis is very rare. I'm not worried. Although I expect I'll be a bit ill from it judging from the dried sting. When I noticed it in my arm and took it out, a little clear liquid came out too, only a tiny drop. Half an hour later I was sweating, had racing heart and felt like you do when you've not eaten and your blood sugar crashes, only more extreme. I can handle that though, I slept it off lol ( after eating a large donut as that's what I thought was wrong ) If it means I can keep playing with my bees then I'll put up with it lol
 
lo I'm not worried. Although I expect I'll be a bit ill from it judging from the dried sting. When I noticed it in my arm and took it out, a little clear liquid came out too, only a tiny drop. Half an hour later I was sweating, had racing heart and felt like you do when you've not eaten and your blood sugar crashes, only more extreme. I can handle that though, I slept it off lol ( after eating a large donut as that's what I thought was wrong ) If it means I can keep playing with my bees then I'll put up with it lol[/QUOTE/]

Ive never had a reation like that before, i get the swelling and itching tho. if i had a reation like that i would look into it closer as it does not sound normal to me, however i maybe wrong lets hope i am .
 
Ha, alright for some,

On my first dabble into beekeeping, as a 12 year old helping a friend inspect his colony, I wore a boiler suit which was full of holes and got stung 15+ times on my legs! At least since then I have never been afraid of getting stung. With my aggressive girls I expect to get stung but thankfully after three seasons I don't swell up too bad (unless I'm stung on the face).

Getting stung isn't nice, but don't worry Kaz, it's not that bad.

Ben P
 
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l . . . I have to arrrange a whole big meeting everytime we do even the slightest procedure with the bees. I spent 3 days arranging a meeting to put in a feeder. Bit of a pain, but I can understand everyone wanting to be there. It's just a pain having to go back and forth when I could just pop in after I drop the kids off at school....takes two mins.l

Kaz, I think that you might have a lot of fun when the bees decide that it's time to think about multiplying and going forth next year.

3 days to come and see and approve more kit, bees gone before it arrives etc.

I can't remember if you said that you have spare kit, but I think you will take charge and instead of consulting, start informing your colleagues what is required and when. Tell them when it's all happening and to be there or not to see it happening.

And you will love it.
 

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