Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Am I a beekeeper now?  (Read 4705 times)

Offline oblib

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 131
  • Gender: Male
Am I a beekeeper now?
« on: April 06, 2012, 11:06:36 pm »
My bees arrived early :-D.  I go a call tonight that they would be here in 45 minutes instead of tomorrow. As it was about 2hrs until dark and a 30 minute drive to pick them up I went into hurry mode and it seems I tried to see just how many mistakes I could make. Lets check them off...

First, his help didn't arrive to help unload so I volunteered to help. Forgot to go grab gloves out of my truck and the first set of 5 packages I picked up let me know that bare fingers crushing bees have a price. One sting the the ring finger ,check.

Didn't have my hive tool as I was just picking up packages so instead of asking to borrow his I grabbed the stinger and pulled it out. Take full dose of venom for no reason, check.

Got home and hurried the bees to the apiary with my daughter after the great preparation of only throwing on the jacket. Realize there is hole in the knee of my jeans that is right at the level of the top of hive. Over the course of shaking in the packages pay for that slip with no less than 5 stings to the side of my knee, Check.

Not bother to make sure the belt is tight for all the bending over I'm doing and taking 2 stings to the plumbers crack area, Check.


Pick up syrup cans after it is so dark you can barely see the cans let alone the bees and take sting to palm of other hand , Check.

Create a memory that will last long after the stings are forgotten by having daughter running around saying there is a bee in her hoodie for 30 seconds only to realize it was only her phone set to vibrate, CHECK.

We laughed and had fun together and that right there makes all the cost of my bees worth it to me if I never got to see the bees again, Final tally was I installed 6 packages and got stung at least 10 times, daughter installed 4 and got NO stings. :roll:

Offline splitrock

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 301
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2012, 11:14:29 pm »
Dang!!!

Quite an episode!

Joel

Offline Riggs

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 174
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2012, 11:23:00 pm »
The phone on vibrate is great....I'm still laughing over that, the stings I can sympathise with. I got stung 6 times with 2 packages. I forgot to take off my watch and took 3 on my wrist, under the watch.
Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. ~
Ernest Hemingway

Offline G3farms

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1598
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2012, 12:23:37 am »
Just hope you remembered to pull the cork out of the candy end.

bee packages $1,000
new hives and frames $1,200
memories with your daughter priceless

Sounds good, and the phone on vibe was a good one.
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline JackM

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 708
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2012, 09:19:36 am »
Thanks for the laugh
Jack of all trades
Master of none.

Offline oblib

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 131
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2012, 09:23:25 am »
I woke up this morning expecting to be swollen and sore. Not the case, the side of my knee that took at least 5 hits is just a little tender but no swelling and really no soreness anywhere :yippiechick:

Offline CBEE

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 353
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2012, 10:38:59 am »
Bees don't like being dumped in a box in the dark.. Well, They just flat dont like beeing messed with after dark period. Trust me ... Dont ever take the top off a hive and shine a flashlight down in there after dark :shock:
Note for the future:  You dont have to hive your package the instant you get them. As long as they have some syrup you can wait until the next day or several days if need be.

Offline oblib

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 131
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2012, 10:44:19 am »
Yeah I knew I could have waited to hive them, also knew that by the time I had 4 installed that I should have waited for the rest. But I just couldn't. I'm pretty sure if I evrer need more packages I will be able to wait but this first time I was just so excited they just had to go into those hives :)

Offline mikecva

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 983
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #8 on: April 07, 2012, 01:33:56 pm »
 :lau: :lau: :lau: :lau: Thanks, I needed that story.
After years of working with bees I still get excited about starting a new hive. I hope that never stops.  -Mike
.
Listen to others but make your own decisions. That way you own the results.
.
Please remember to read labels.

Offline jmblakeney

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 484
  • Gender: Male
  • James
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #9 on: April 07, 2012, 01:57:09 pm »
Some video of that story would have been awesome.

James
"I believe the best social program is a job...." - Ronald Reagan

Offline G3farms

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1598
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #10 on: April 07, 2012, 01:58:15 pm »
Some video of that story would have been awesome.

James

..............and probably could have been your initiation video as well!! :-D
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline oblib

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 131
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #11 on: April 07, 2012, 02:05:47 pm »
The GF took vidio of the first package only. I seem to have done it all right on that one so no initiation there :-P Can't post it because she was only about 15ft away and was freaking out about the bees in the air. There was a lot of choice words when one landed in her hair  :lol: Pretty much from the first shake, when about 20 bees went into the air, until she ran from the apiary is not family friendly.

Offline Rurification

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 826
  • Gender: Female
    • Rurification
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #12 on: April 07, 2012, 05:06:38 pm »
What a great story!   Congratulations on your new hives! 

My husband and I were checking the hives today and after a half hour I noiticed that he had quite a plumbers crack showing.   I told him he had to be careful.   When I read your story to him, he just said, "oooowww."   I'm betting he'll be more careful next time. 
Robin Edmundson
www.rurification.com

Beekeeping since 2012

Offline Sparky

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 804
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #13 on: April 07, 2012, 09:44:39 pm »
Good story to share. You may want to make a video of your daughter doing a package to be a tutoral for you. Sounds like she did a good job.  ;)

Offline stella

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 199
  • Gender: Female
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #14 on: April 07, 2012, 10:04:54 pm »
He he he...pretty comical. Found myself grinning as I read your post.
Yup, your a beekeeper now.  X:X
“The hum of bees is the voice of the garden.” — Elizabeth Lawrence

Offline oblib

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 131
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #15 on: April 07, 2012, 10:13:46 pm »
I figured I might as well tell the bad. I might actually do something great one day and who would believe it if I wasn't honest about somewhat screwing up my first installations.

Offline divemaster1963

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Queen Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 1354
  • Gender: Male
  • God Protect and watch over our sons and daughters.
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #16 on: April 07, 2012, 11:48:39 pm »
 :buttkick: :lau: :lau: :needhelp: ah you got the beeking bug in you now. leterally.

have fun.

john

Offline rbinhood

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 278
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #17 on: April 08, 2012, 11:33:41 am »
"Not bother to make sure the belt is tight for all the bending over I'm doing and taking 2 stings to the plumbers crack area, Check"

Always remember when you are doing crack don't mess with the ladies....LOL!
Only God can make these two things.....Blood and Honey!

Offline yockey5

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 677
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #18 on: April 08, 2012, 12:19:48 pm »
Lots of chuckles with this one, thanks!

Offline oblib

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 131
  • Gender: Male
Re: Am I a beekeeper now?
« Reply #19 on: April 08, 2012, 01:48:03 pm »
Just came in from the apiary for lunch. 7 of the 10 are bringing in some pollen. Thats got to be a good sign for those 7 right? they wouldnt be bringing in pollen if they didnt think they were soon to have brood to feed?