Adventures in Beekeeping - Journey To Liquid Gold - Pics

[GOOGLE NIKOLA TESLA]

I think we need an official bee thread! I have some questions, but don't want to hijack this one.

I got stung the other day, too, for the first time- I was out to put syrup in the jar feeder I use and I was in my bare feet. Normally I just go out and add to the jar and no one bothers me. Unfortunately I stepped on a bee! I felt so bad. I couldn't think what I was stepping on, maybe a blackberry bush runner that are all around there. But, no. It was a bee. Poor thing.

Aww me too! I hate when i accidentally squish one!!! There to amazing, i try so hard to keep the cover from squishing them if i open the hive. I dont mind if they sting me when i open the hive cause im causing trouble, but most of the time they dont sting, and i dont use any smoke or stuff when i casually open the hive. I dont even open them now because you can tell the strenght of the hives now by the number of bees at the entrance. There is sooo many . The best hive i ever had!! The other is weaker... Lol

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I think we need an official bee thread! I have some questions, but don't want to hijack this one.

I got stung the other day, too, for the first time- I was out to put syrup in the jar feeder I use and I was in my bare feet. Normally I just go out and add to the jar and no one bothers me. Unfortunately I stepped on a bee! I felt so bad. I couldn't think what I was stepping on, maybe a blackberry bush runner that are all around there. But, no. It was a bee. Poor thing.

Good idea! wonder if Nifty would give us a beek area on the boards if we asked....

 

[R2D2]

I would think a SS forum should have an area for the topic of honeybees,after all they pollinate our food crops and provide a very healthy and healing food for humans. I've been beeking for 8 yrs, and one thing i've learned is, a hive of honeybees can be suddenly agressive when your not use to them being that way.If a hive that is normally pretty mellow, get agressive it can be several things.The season my be entering a dearth, which means, they can't find much to work on, pollen or necter. This can make a hive very protective of thier stores.If they were harassed by a honey/larva seeking critter during the night, they will not be in a good mood the following morning.I've read on Beesource.com of people tending bees in just underware, because they wee so confindent, thats not to smart.To be sure, honeybees do not have to be Africanized, to be defensive of the hive.Italians,Russians , mutts, whatever will go after you and sting your butt if you make the wrong moves at the wrong time.Thats a simple fact of beekeeping.IMO, it is a good idea to wear a full hooded suit, at least until you have a good feel for you bees.Some things to consider are, do you get a bad reaction from be stings..? Do you have a eppie pen to save your own life or a friends if a pissed off hive gives you big numbers of stings and you find your airways closings..? Honeybees are beautiful and needed, but command respect and caution.Many people are into honeybee venom theraphy,said to help arthritis, its an actual business.This amounts to only a few honeybee stings in the affected area, not 20,000 pissed off bees trying to kill you. Believe me when i say a strong hive of 50,000 girls or more can be very deadly. Every year people die for mutilple bee stings, while its true most deaths are from Africanied honeybees, Italians, ussians, mutts are very capable in numbers of killing humans.I say this not to scare people, but so they are aware of the possible danger.Not all honeybees hives are created equal, some are more agressive than others.Thats why requeening a hive is a common practice in bekeeping.( i'm not just talking aficanized) My point, treat your girls with respect/caution, suit up and move slowly.Learn the tempermant of the hive,what they did yesterday, may not be true the next day.Honeybees are beautiful and moody.Beesource.com is a very informative honeybee site.I love my honeybees, and after recieving up to 40 stings in the learning curve in one shot,i hope my post is of some help to those seeking.! We need honeybees, i love and respect honeybees.IMO,never think it won't happen to you, that you may know your bees so well, you can find yourself in trouble faster than you think...I speak from my personal experience from the last 8 yrs.Happy beeking and good luck.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Good point regarding the proper use of the epipen, but many docs and patients abuse it. I can show you people I know personally that think they are allergic to bee stings and take a dose just to treat the redness, swelling that came from a single sting, when the drug is intended for the emergency you described...blocked airway. I keep an airway in my emergency supplies, but I don't have an epipen. What many doctors don't think about when they diagnosis a person with allergies to bees, is that puffiness and redness is a normal reaction to a bee sting and that even if the reaction is somewhat severe, unless it becomes dangerous, it should be left alone. Bees don't follow the same rules as other things we can develope allergies to, such as meds, where each encounter will be worse than the former. No, with bees, we can develope immunities to them by being exposed to the stings. So long as its not too many. I can easily take 20 stings at one go with no meds at all. I would think if I get stung 40 times, I might take benedryl, just in case, but after being stung so many times for extracting bees from walls, I really think even 40 might not hurt me.

 

[Dawn419]

Thanks a million QA, for doing this post! We'll be getting our first bees together next spring and I've got a lot of learning to do and have found much useful information here!

Does anyone here use top bar hives? That's the direction that doc and I want to head since I'll be the main care taker. Pro's?/ con's?

 

[Dawn419]

R2D2: I would think a SS forum should have an area for the topic of honeybees,after all they pollinate our food crops and provide a very healthy and healing food for humans.

This is a "sister" forum of BYC and we have a thread going for changes we'd like to see here: http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9898. Please add your input as it adds to what's already there and as much I don't like changes, there are times when it's good and this is one of them! Don't let the title get in the way, at the time I was thinking about what was lacking here and it was my first thought.

 

[keljonma]

Thanks a million QA, for doing this post! We'll be getting our first bees together next spring and I've got a lot of learning to do and have found much useful information here!

Does anyone here use top bar hives? That's the direction that doc and I want to head since I'll be the main care taker. Pro's?/ con's?

the simple life and Pam'sPride use top bar hives. There are others, I know, just can't think of them off the top of my head. Actually, last I read, the simple life was using both Langstroth and top bar.

Hey, Natalie, are you out there?

There are a number of "new beek" threads on the forum, and a search will probably bring you lots of contacts for top bar discussion.

 

[R2D2]

Thanks Dawn for the link.. Rhoda_bruce i had my benedryl handy, but didn't need it.I keep the liquid one handy as i sometimes have a bad reaction from eating store bought beef.At the time i caught those 40 stings i was fully suited up.It was a hot day, and i was only wearing shorts under my beesuit.I was putting a robbing screen at the entrance, which got the girls a bit angry.I got most of the stings on my legs, through the beesuit..! Thats when i learned that just a cotton/poly beesuit is NOT sting proof.I don't know how much venom i got, but because of the beesuit i had no stingers in my flesh, and likely much less venom than if i had no suit on.Since then, i always wear a full suit.they do make better beesuits that are cooler to work in and beesting proof, but they are expensive.
Rhoda_bruce where can i get a airway pipe that you mentioned...? Last week i had a very severe reaction to beef(i've decided to stick with fish and chicken now) the liquid benedryl saved my life, as my airway was closing and m heart was pounding fast, very scary..If i get the benedryl in me at the first sign of an impending reaction, i have been able to lay in bed calmy and ride it out.The pills take way to long.Its funny,i bought that two pack of epipens in case of a bee emergency, and almost used it last week from a beef reaction..! No more beef for me, and beesuit on...lol

 

[keljonma]

We should probably remember that this *is* Quail_Antwerp's thread for her beeking experiences and not run off with it.

Sorry, QA, for the mini thread hijack!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I don't mind the hijack! It's nice get more info!

I would like to address the issue of suiting up to R2D2 - if they don't mind

Right now, I do not have a veil or jacket to wear to work my hive. I wear a long sleeved white shirt (that my SIL just gave me) and long pants, and I usually wear my gloves (didn't last time because i thought I'm just putting in a feeder...sigh) and my smoker right now is my best friend (until I get a veil!)

I was not ready for my bees when I got them, and keljonma and her husband came to my aid and helped me get the first hive set up, and made sure I had the basic things I'd need to work my hive. THEY ARE WONDERFUL FRIENDS. It was kind of a I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine situation

The only reason I have the bees I have now is because both of my mom's hives swarmed back in May - mostly because she hadn't taken care of them at all like she should have been and the hives were over crowded. She had said too bad you aren't ready for bees, I'd give you one of my swarms! Um yea, I wasn't ready, but with the help of friends we muddled through, and I had a crash course in beeking in 1 day

I'm going to pick up new frames today, in prep for checking my hive tomorrow. Hoping to put the second deep super on with it's 10 frames tomorrow.

I'm also attending my first Beek Club meeting July 9 - they did tell us to bring veils because they are hoping to look in a hive. I won't be part of that, since I don't have my veil yet, but I'm still looking forward to my first Beek meeting!

I have also already picked which veil/jacket I want from Dandant's catalog, and my hubby who wasn't into bees at first, is now wanting a veil and jacket for himself!

and we do have an EPI for Dh, but we have to renew it due to I think it's expired!

Happy Tuesday everyone!