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Author Topic: How often do you get stung?  (Read 14182 times)

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #20 on: June 18, 2008, 10:22:30 pm »
I get stung  pretty often. I once had a bee in my nose and since his butt was the last to go in I couldnt pick it out. I had to blow it!!...She came shooting right out like a booger!!!...A booger with black and yellow stripes! :-D She didnt get to sting me but this action of hers really had me worried this time!
Also I'm afraid of one getting into my ear hole!
I got stung between the eyes last summer too!...THAT was FUNNY!!!
 For me though, Stings dont really bother me....The itchy time is the most bothersome.
 If I get stung on the face, however, it really doesnt bother me because it makes people laff!!
 I kind of feel like when my face looks funny from a beesting, its kind of like me wearing a badge that says "Hi, I'm Johnny the Beekeeper! See what I can do?"....( My wife calls me Stewart, from MAD TV)
I usually dont wear protective stuff though as it gets too hot for me. I will if I go to catch a swarm. After seeing a show on TV with the Africanized bees I will definitely wear the stuff If I go to catch a swarm where they have started making a home!

your friend,
john

Offline SgtMaj

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #21 on: June 18, 2008, 10:42:49 pm »
I'm hearing a lot of "I get stung because it's too hot to wear the suit"... is it really worth it?  I know it wouldn't be for me... a few minutes in the suit sweating it out, vs. an hour of pain/itching...

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #22 on: June 18, 2008, 11:10:42 pm »
I always start, thinking "It'll just take a minute".....Then I'm prying lids....Scraping burr comb,......Messing with my smoker.....Lookin' at frames and more frames...Picking bugs out of feeders..Carrying syrup from my house, to the hives and back again to make more syrup then back to the hives, usually 2 times at least, sometimes 3...Oh yeh,..The phone decides to ring and delays my progress. And I only have 5 hives.
 Now, for me, 90 degrees and over is HOT to me, in a bee suit or even a veil.
But now that I take a mess of medicines for A-fib and some other stuff, roasting in a bee jacket( I only have a bee jacket, my wife has the full suit) Is definitely A DRAG. :(
Then, I have to wear glasses....Salty sweat inside the lenses makes it to where I cant see any more. As a matter of fact, I wont wear my glasses if I remember to take them off..Even if I'm not wearing glasses and am wearing my veil I cant reach up to wipe my sweat off my eyes :(
  Anyways, for me, its worth it.
 Oh yeh,...My itching lasts at least a whole day, maybe 2 :)
 And I do recommend people using protection.( That sounds like a TROJAN commercial! :-D)
your friend,
john

Offline asciibaron

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #23 on: June 18, 2008, 11:45:20 pm »
first year - twice so far when i was installing the package - both stings were within 2 inches and they both were no big deal.  i wear a jacket with attached veil and work barehanded.  kinda glad i got the fear out of the way - now i just do my thing in the hive and try to be gentle.  each time i inspect i feel more confident, but not cocky.  i give the bees plenty of respect and praise them for the fine job they are doing. 

-Steve  :mrgreen:

Offline knob21

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #24 on: June 18, 2008, 11:59:45 pm »
3 hives 1 sting this year-my fault- Thought I would go remove the entrance reducer without smoking, no veil, dark blue shirt on....neighbors and wife had good laugh watching the big guy run from the itty bitty bees!

Offline Amanda

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #25 on: June 19, 2008, 12:03:00 am »
I started my first two hives this year at the end of May.  I've been stung twice so far.  Yesterday, I was walking around the yard barefoot and stepped on a bee--my fault.  Today, I inspected the hives in shorts and a tee-shirt without veil or gloves (I had them with me but didn't wear them).  I bee flew up my shorts and stung my finger when I tried to brush it out.  That was probably my fault, too.
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Offline annette

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #26 on: June 19, 2008, 12:10:25 am »
Probably twice a year, due to being careless and not wearing proper protection at the time. Right now nursing a bee sting under my eye. (opened a hive without anything on, not even a veil- duh!!)

Annette

Offline NWIN Beekeeper

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #27 on: June 19, 2008, 12:35:36 am »
I'm probably stung daily.

But then again, I'm probably inspecting 5 to 10 hives or nucs, doing some grafting or shaking a swarm in box.

When you compare that to the guy that has one hive and inspects every couple weeks, I'm probably on target risk-for-risk day-for-day.

I prefer to work only in a veil, so that also attributes to a few stings in the hands or an occasional bee that flies up the sleeve of your shirt or gets caught at your waist line and stings when crushed.

Since moving hives on to pallets, I also tend not to wear shorts when inspecting hives. It is tough scraping stingers out of 'boy parts' without the neighbors thinking you are doing something perverse.

Most stings do not react badly anymore.
Reactions vary month to month, as nutrition and venom strength varies.
Facial stings (eye area) and side-way stings tend to hurt worse then straight into muscle stings.

The fewer the stings the better, but I don't equate fewer sting to necessarily mean better beekeeping skill, sometimes it just means you have less work or less opportunity to be stung. (IE, I don't suit up in full armor to work my bees either).

If I were single, and I was worried about being stung up and facially swollen on Friday night $3/drafts and dart tournaments, then maybe my attitude might change a little bit about it.
Bee stings aren't a big turn on for most chicks - suppose that's why I had to marry a doctor that could find it interesting (even if just in a medical way).
There is nothing new under the sun. Only your perspective changes to see it anew.

Offline Kimbrell

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #28 on: June 19, 2008, 12:37:26 am »
I started with two hives three years ago.  I was stung once the first year.  Now I have twelve hives.  I've been stung six times this year.  I just hate to wear boots in hot weather.  So I'm always getting stung on my ankles and legs where the bees crawl up the suit.(The ankles of my suit aren't quite snug enough, apparently.)  The reaction always seems worse when I'm stung in the early spring.  I was stung on my ankle last week.  It was completely gone in two days versus almost a week for an early spring sting.
I agree with Annette.  When I'm careless or in a hurry I usually get stung.

Offline dpence

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #29 on: June 19, 2008, 12:39:28 am »
I've been doing it for four years now.  In that time period I have been stung probably 20 - 30 times.  Of course the greatest amount of those were from removals or cutouts.  As far as my inspections, I rarely get stung.  This year I have been stung twice since I started working the bees back in February.  Generally I am checking the hives at least once a week, sometimes more.  I have ten hives.  Just my .02.

David  

Offline JP

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #30 on: June 19, 2008, 12:47:10 am »
Like Jeff above, most of my stings are on my hands, and a lot of these are actually accidental stings whereby I go to pick up a tool or something and there's a bee on the handle I don't see.

As far as boy's parts, I had that happen once, heck I even posted about it on here! Didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would.


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Offline Two Bees

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #31 on: June 19, 2008, 08:43:47 am »
First year
Installed two packages on April 20
Inspect hives weekly
So far........no stings!

Knock on a wooden hive!
"Don't know what I'd do without that boy......but I'm sure willin' to give it a try!"
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Offline GaryMinckler

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #32 on: June 19, 2008, 09:11:44 am »
Second year of beekeeping and have been stung only 3 times.  only on my hands, and usually my fault. 

Offline eri

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #33 on: June 19, 2008, 09:37:05 am »
First year, 1 package, 3 stings.

1: Day 1, installing the package. Got overconfident from watching all the beeks without equipment. Bee flew up under the rim of my baseball cap (tan on top, black under the front rim of the cap) and started buzzing in my hair. Just about had her out when another bee flew to the same spot as the hair-bee. The supposed 'rescuer' got me right under the eye. I stopped and put on veil, jacket & gloves for the remainder of the install. Hurt just a little when it happened but within 24 hours and for a few days the side of my face was swollen and itchy.

2: An inspection. Was squatting down to get a tool or something. She got me on the knee through my jeans. Next day swelling, gone the day after.

3: Almost dusk, not a good bee time. Lifted the outer cover to see if the bees had made it up to the top board after I'd put a super on the day before. No equipment, of course. "Just a quick peek."  Zapped on the soft part of my right thumb. This was 2 days ago and is the worst so far -- my right fist is a third again as big as the left and man, does it itch! At the moment, though, I have several bug bites on my neck, shoulder, back, butt and a tick removed yesterday from the panty-line area so I have multiple itches.

Shrug. It's summer in the South. I attract insects, always have. Eat more garlic?



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Offline BeeHopper

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #34 on: June 19, 2008, 09:38:57 am »
Not enough  :evil:

Offline KONASDAD

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #35 on: June 19, 2008, 11:08:19 am »
Bees really really like me. I get stung at least 3 days a week, usaaly once or twice each time. They go after my face like no ones business. The most i was stung at elast 125 times. Lost count. No fun, but i am tougher for it. i just want them to leave my face alone. My eyelids get hit about 3 times a year and the swelling is tremendous.
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Offline SgtMaj

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #36 on: June 19, 2008, 10:17:13 pm »
As far as boy's parts, I had that happen once, heck I even posted about it on here!

I'm beginning to see why beekeeping isn't as popular as it once was...  :-D

Offline asprince

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #37 on: June 19, 2008, 10:27:08 pm »
I don't get stung very often. Usually when I get careless...don't lite my smoker and not tie my veil properly. They got in my veil and stung me twice around the eye.

Steve 
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Offline Draginol

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #38 on: June 20, 2008, 12:09:50 am »
Free tip: Don't mow around 8 hives in shorts, bare feet, and no shirt. 

Offline qa33010

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Re: How often do you get stung?
« Reply #39 on: June 20, 2008, 02:20:53 am »
>I'm hearing a lot of "I get stung because it's too hot to wear the suit"... is it really worth it?  I know it wouldn't be for me... a few minutes in the suit sweating it out, vs. an hour of pain/itching... <

   To me it's a little better than full chem gear, except I don't have limited breathing from the mask. ;)
Everyone said it couldn't be done. But he with a chuckle replied, "I won't be one to say it is so, until I give it a try."  So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin.  If he had a worry he hid it and he started to sing as he tackled that thing that couldn't be done, and he did it.  (unknown)