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Author Topic: Bee Stings  (Read 3715 times)

Offline Tom K-B

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Bee Stings
« on: May 18, 2013, 05:07:23 pm »
So, my wife decided to work in the bee yard this morning sans protective veil or gloves . . . or smoker. She said it would have been fine if she'd just stuck to what she'd planned to do which was to remove the top feeder. But she couldn't resist the urge to look at a couple of frames. BAM! She got stung on the ring finger of her right hand and in the middle of her left eye brow. Her dad used to say, "If you can't listen, you have to feel." She said she kept hearing his voice repeating this.

That was about four hours ago. Her finger is a little swollen, and there's some slight swelling around her eye (not much, really). She is complaining of fatigue and upset stomach. Would these two be symptoms of the bee sting? Are there any things we need to be doing to treat her? I will say, she HATES to take medicine.

Offline iddee

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2013, 05:24:54 pm »
It is most likely stress. An anti-histamine would likely help.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Moots

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2013, 05:49:11 pm »
So, my wife decided to work in the bee yard this morning sans protective veil or gloves . . . or smoker.

Personally, I prefer wearing a veil and no gloves, but consider both of those as optional equipment, a smoker in my opinion isn't optional, but a must. Honestly, sounds like she got off pretty easy, that could have gotten real ugly.

Offline duck

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2013, 08:09:56 pm »
It is most likely stress. An bottle of wine and a foot rub would likely help.

fixed.  :-D

Offline dprater

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2013, 10:51:24 pm »
Hope shes ok. My bees were nasty today, some rain in the area, cloudy skys but I felt I needed to go in and see if they had made a queen cell from the frame of eggs I put in 11 days ago and bingo they do have 3 Q cells. But they were pi#@$ and stung me 3 times. Just a veil on, wish I had put more on :)

Danny

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2013, 10:52:49 pm »
i was going to pull supers yesterday or today and they were pissy with the weather. had to walk away.  some days are like that.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Beeboy01

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2013, 11:43:06 pm »
Got one of the girls in my veil today while tearing a hive all the way down to replace a SBB. Got a good sting on the neck, there's nothing wrong with wearing gloves and a veil, stings will happen no matter what you wear.

Offline 10framer

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2013, 12:10:03 am »
you pays your money and you takes your chances.  a serious reaction wouldn't take 4 hours.
i'll pop the top without a veil and i never wear gloves.  i generally like to wear a veil and use a little smoke, though.

Offline zzzzzzzzpr

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2013, 02:24:58 am »
2 weeks ago i got nailed 4 times. i wasnt wearing any protection or use of a smoker since i have a tbh.
my bees didnt like that day. i got it twice on the ring finger which swelled up for a few days. once on the tip of the nose
and once on the leg. i was wearing shorts ( never again). i felt sick for a day or so. i feel better now but im much more
afraid of my bees. I need to invest in a beesuit or jacket.

Offline iddee

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2013, 09:57:46 am »
Why are you afraid of the bees? It sounds like the beekeeper you should be afraid of. The bees did as they should. The beekeeper didn't.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline JackM

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2013, 10:33:11 am »
Even a newbee should realize that a queenless hive will be hot and one should suit up well if messing with it at all.

To not have protective gear leads one to believe someone wants to have a very bad experience.

Then to those of you where there are AHB, to go into a hive without protection could be suicide.
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Offline Psparr

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #11 on: May 19, 2013, 11:38:51 am »


If you show fear you'll get stung. My kids are fearless and the bees respect that.

Moots

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #12 on: May 19, 2013, 12:14:45 pm »

If you show fear you'll get stung. My kids are fearless and the bees respect that.

I know a whole bunch of experienced Beeks who are skilled and fearless....And get stung all the time.  :-D

Trust me, if your girls keep hanging around bees, they'll get stung, It's part of being a Beek!

Offline Psparr

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #13 on: May 19, 2013, 01:15:49 pm »

If you show fear you'll get stung. My kids are fearless and the bees respect that.

I know a whole bunch of experienced Beeks who are skilled and fearless....And get stung all the time.  :-D

Trust me, if your girls keep hanging around bees, they'll get stung, It's part of being a Beek!
Agreed, but it goes a long way.

Offline Tom K-B

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #14 on: May 19, 2013, 04:24:18 pm »
OK, all of that said about bee stings, I do want to give a report on our girls' progress so far. This is our first year at keeping bees. We installed them from a 3 lb. package on March 23rd. So, yesterday marked eight weeks that they've been at it. We are using eight frame wooden ware. They have filled one deep box and one medium box with brood. We started with the deep box on bottom, but my wife reversed them last Wednesday when she found that all the frames in the medium box were drawn out and the queen was up there laying brood. At that time all the deep frames were filled with capped brood. I checked a couple of the deep frames yesterday and found that the outer frames were empty of brood and they were filling those with nectar. The inner frames were still filled with capped brood. When my wife reversed the brood boxes on Wednesday she also added a second medium super on top. Yesterday I checked that super and found four frames fully drawn out, two frames half drawn and two frames still untouched. It didn't look like they'd started filling any of those frames with anything yet. I'm thinking that if they are able to continue working the next few days at the same rate as the past few days, we will need to be adding another super before the end of this coming week. This is very exciting.

Offline sterling

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Re: Bee Stings
« Reply #15 on: May 20, 2013, 01:24:58 pm »

If you show fear you'll get stung. My kids are fearless and the bees respect that.

I know a whole bunch of experienced Beeks who are skilled and fearless....And get stung all the time.  :-D

Trust me, if your girls keep hanging around bees, they'll get stung, It's part of being a Beek!

I agree with Moots here. This time of year you can get away with stuff you can't get away with year round. If that was my granddaughter I would buy her a veil or jacket. Cause I can imagine her standing there holding a frame like that and a single bee flying off the frame and stinging her in the eye, she drops the frame and a bunch of bees sting her. The bees have taught me to always wear a veil and have a smoker smoking weather I need them or not..

 

anything