Who breaks 'the rules' then?

[victor meldrew]

i won't be goin anywhere for sympathy i'm a grown man, i've been stung a few times and its my own fault

If you have but one colony I would say your luck may be running out .
I wear surgical type gloves plus a veil .
Even the mildest of bees can kick off grand style
" I have been stung a few times" wont help when multiple stinging takes place and the air is full of sting/alarm pheromone !
Bravado Brownie points wont be of much use to you under those circumstances my macho friend !
Never take liberties with bees !
This post is more for the newbies than yourself
You are obviously brimming with misplaced confidence !!

VM

 

[mexbigshow]

theres no over confidence with me, i only have a cast swarm that i am building up, they seem too busy to bother with what i am doing when they start to get snappy i close them up slowly and walk away, and i am a newbie

 

[victor meldrew]

theres no over confidence with me, i only have a cast swarm that i am building up, they seem too busy to bother with what i am doing when they start to get snappy i close them up slowly and walk away, and i am a newbie

Your greenness shows

VM

 

[dpearce4]

I have my smoker lit but tend not to use it. the bees seem to be quite enough but i like to have it there just incase. when i have used it i find that they fly up at me not go into the hive. why would that be?

i still wear gloves but i have changed from the original ones i bought i found were to thick and didnt give me the sense of feeling i wanted and needed so changed to some thinner marigolds, the only issue i have with them is they are not quite long enough in the arm for me so i think i will use some tape to seal them up. havent been stung yet and dont want to be just yet.

 

[Sugar Water]

A lot of the "rules" are sound guidance for beginners.

When people feel a bit more confident, and that can take years for some, then the boundaries can be challenged.

There are some rules which are safer for them with but one or two colonies to keep too, and some which I now frankly drive a coach and horses through.

However do bear in mind experience counts here in knowing how far you can go.

If in doubt then be conventional.

PH

WoW!!...I do like a broad-minded lady!!

 

[MrB]

WoW!!...I do like a broad-minded lady!!

PH a Lady!! Hmmm

 

[kazmcc]

I don't like using smoke. I've only used it about 3 times. Suppose I've been lucky and not had too, but I'm going to make sure it's handy over then next few inspections for when the new bees emerge from the new queen. I just feel bad and it seems to me that it's causing more disruption every time I go to them. I like to cause as little disruption as possible. Scranning all the honey every time I stick my head in isn't going to be very good for them in my eyes.

I await the bollocking.

 

[xgeordie]

I do quite often lift the lid off the hive to have a peek, with nothing on.
Er, no beekeeping suit or veil, I mean!

Utter madness. Mend your ways before you lose an eye!!

 

[kazmcc]

i'm a bit slack with ppe i just wear shorts n vest but i do wear gloves for some reason

Hi Mex. I'm not having a go, each to their own, but why do you choose to wear as little as possible? I understand some people like to tempt fate.....that's what all this parachuting off tall buildings is about lol. Is it like that?

Do you ever wear trousers and a jumper instead lol ( just playing )

You would never suggest a beginner to inspect with no protection though would you? Our mentor didn't wear a suit when he first took our group to a hive. One of my group then thought that if Mentor could do it, then so could he. He was always trying to get away with as little protection as possible, but I run a school hive, and insist that everyone is seen to be fully protected so the children are not lulled into a false sense of security around them. I thought maybe he got a kick out of the danger.

Anyway, he got his own bees recently and was stung quite a lot. He had to borrow a school suit while he ordered one lol. He's very upfront about it, and says it was his own daft fault, but lesson learnt now I think

 

[Sugar Water]

PH a Lady!! Hmmm

Ooops!

 

[tonybloke]

theres no over confidence with me, i only have a cast swarm that i am building up, they seem too busy to bother with what i am doing when they start to get snappy i close them up slowly and walk away, and i am a newbie

it can take just one sting to the eye to cause permanent blindness in that eye!!

 

[madasafish]

There are some rules I don't break:
Veil
Check zips - twice.
Always covered up - no bare flesh except for hands.
Someone knows where I am at all times when handling bees.
Water spray, hive tool and manipulating cloth always available..

Anyone taking chances will one day open a normally good tempered hive and have them fly at you. Been there, done it. seen it and don't want to go there agian..

 

[Poly Hive]

Kazmcc smoking is done for a very good reason, and some colonies I agree do not respond that well to it but the vast majority do.

I use smoke for the simple reason it works.

PH (who is very male his wife says!)

 

[richardbees]

mexbigshow

- just bear in mind that one day you may lift out a frame, one of the lugs breaks and it falls and crushes enough bees to fill the air with "sting that *******" pheromone!!

I'm ex RAF and 99% of flying training was to prepare for the worst case.....

 

[freethorpe bees]

I approach my hive, smoker lit and look at the entrance for a few seconds. (fully suited). If the girls ignore me I will open up without smoking the entrance. I can then usually get through the whole inspection with minimal smoke. Long may it continue!

 

[Crg]

it can take just one sting to the eye to cause permanent blindness in that eye!!

Have you got any evidence that is the case?

 

[Crg]

mexbigshow

- just bear in mind that one day you may lift out a frame, one of the lugs breaks and it falls and crushes enough bees to fill the air with "sting that *******" pheromone!!

I'm ex RAF and 99% of flying training was to prepare for the worst case.....

Then using a hive with short lugs that are less likely to break would be better preparation?

 

[viridens]

I have been keeping bees for long enough to not feel guilty very often when I don't do things the 'right way'
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Many of the useful advances in beekeeping equipment and management of colonies were and are made by folks who break 'the rules' to see what happens.

 

[beeatshellards]

You can break as many rules as you like but remember you have to be able to afford the consequences of your mistake if that is the end result.

rules are there for a reason , if you can question them thats fine , bending them is fine too, but have a good reason to break them

 

[kazmcc]

Kazmcc smoking is done for a very good reason, and some colonies I agree do not respond that well to it but the vast majority do.

I use smoke for the simple reason it works.

PH (who is very male his wife says!)

At the very beginning, with our first queen, they just didn't need it. I think they may have been blind bees because they didn't seem to notice us ever! lol. Then they requeened and at the start of the year they were a bit pingy, but went loopy when we smoked them. I let the smoke drift into the entrance by running the smoker slowly along, then a couple of small puffs under the CB. Then leave for a min or two, so I think I'm doing it right. They just hated me for it, then they settled a bit so I stopped doing it again.

I do always have the smoker, but it just goes out after a couple of mins. I usually give it to my assistant to keep it going but she just holds it and watches me, forgets to give it a puff.