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Author Topic: Unprovoked Sting Question  (Read 5948 times)

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Unprovoked Sting Question
« on: May 01, 2008, 08:21:54 pm »
So friends, it is a beautiful day, my DH and I are working diligently in the dahlia patch putting in irrigation...I am a bit sweaty...

At around 3pm I notice the swarm colony doing their swarmy whatever they are doing, mating whatever...and noticing all the bees pretty active going in and out of the hives...

I walk up,and around the little beeyard, and commence to walk back down to the dahlia patch which is maybe 80 feet down the gentle slope...approx half way down, I take a hit to the side of my head...and before long another bee has gotten caught in my hair on the other side of my head.  Thank God I got that one out..I am not in the house after taking some benadryl and icing the site...

My husband was still in the patch and he said that a bee landed on his sleeve and was assuming the position when he got her...he said 2 bees were bumped his hat!

What the heck is going on? ??

I had just drunk coffee and a blue jay has been picking bees off the sides of the hives, that was kinda why I walked in that direction...

Any ideas...the stung is pretty painful, and if my eye swells up I will need to stay home from work tomorrow!!

Offline Dane Bramage

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2008, 09:37:13 pm »
Hi!  :)

Sorry to hear of your sting!  When you "took one to the head", how did it happen?  Did one land on you and then you rolled or otherwise rubbed it?  Bees are landing on me all day everyday - the only time I've been stung is when I've trapped one against my skin, which is really rare.  I learned early on to fight that reflex to brush them off.  Now I always verify that they are something other than bee before I do that.  Only bees get a free ride!  ;)  My last mistake was when one got in the crease behind my ear - tickled and, with out thinking (of course) I reach up, trapped it there momentarily & - zing!

Anyways - not sure that was much help but I've just not experienced unprovoked aggressive behaviour in my bees.  Even if I'm sitting in their flight path they'll head-butt me first.  I don't stick around after those 'subtle' hints.  Maybe you have Apis mellifera kamikaze?  :-D

I hope you don't have too sever a reaction!  :shock:

Cheers,
Dane

Offline jimmyo

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2008, 10:02:30 pm »
My guess is that the bluejay did the provoking.
Jim

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2008, 10:58:46 pm »
HHMMM thank you both for your comments...I don' recall swatting at it, I think it might have gone to head butt me and got tangled in my hair...I must remember to wear a hat near the bees I guess...I am begining to swell, and itch..for joy for joy!

That bluejay is becoming very tame...prolly cuz he has free eats!

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2008, 12:32:25 am »
Hi Sharon!
 I dont have anything to offer you here as I'm not too concerned about the "Whys" of it happening.....I want to see the "Ending Results" :-D
Didja get any pics this time?? :)
your friend,
john

Offline Cindi

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2008, 01:03:07 am »
John, oh we are evil!!!  Yep, I was thinking the same thing as you, I wanna see pictures, especially if Sharon is so bad that she can't go to work, hee, hee.  Oh dear, I wonder why I get a charge out of seeing bee stung people, all swelled up and looking mighty strange.  I know that some people can't understand that, but oh, well, it doesn't matter one little hooot, bring on the face swelled.  I am surprised that I am not getting some face swelling, a bee got inside my veil and stung me under the chin, that was a very painful one, probably just the place, lucky I don't swell.  One of my colonies was a little annoyed with some stuff I was doing to them.....beautiful and great day, good luck Sharon, I have no answer to your question.  But I know bees get stuck in the fuzzy hair that is below my ponytail.  Sometimes they get into my ponytail too, now that is a weird feeling and is a very loud sound.  I inevitably get stung then.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline annette

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2008, 01:20:32 am »
I agree it was the bird that got them annoyed. Many times I can be walking by the beehives or just watching them on the side, when they will give me a warning bump. Usually in the head or neck to get out of there. They do not sting, just bump me.

Hope it doesn't continue. Feel better
Annette

Offline JP

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2008, 09:25:42 am »
Sharon, they may have been in a bad mood, who knows for sure. You say they are from a swarm, keep an eye on them as they build. How long have you had them again?

If they continue to be hot, requeen them.


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Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2008, 10:39:22 am »
Gosh,

I am not sure which hive the bees came from, I am going to inspect the swarm colony on Saurday to look for brood...if there is no brood...hhhmmm looks like I may get to attempt the queening thing...hhhmmm  yikes

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2008, 10:54:36 am »
Oh...I look SO horrid, my ego will not allow me to take a photo...even my upper teeth hurt...sheesh

Offline Cindi

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2008, 11:02:28 am »
Sharon, oh no!!!  Look what you have done, now you have all your forum friends imagining the very worst looking face on earth, and you have such a normally pretty one, hee, hee, oh you make me wanna laugh too!!!  Have the best of this wonderful, beautiful day, groove on our life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline JP

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #11 on: May 02, 2008, 11:04:03 am »
Oh...I look SO horrid, my ego will not allow me to take a photo...even my upper teeth hurt...sheesh

How bout some pics???? Pretty please with sugar/honey on top!!!


...JP
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Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #12 on: May 02, 2008, 11:47:16 am »
I'm telling you , it is bad...I am staying home from work...Could youimagine your nurse with a fat swollen face coming at you with a needle???

Offline BMAC

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #13 on: May 02, 2008, 12:18:22 pm »
Not with a needle in hand  :).

That would be too funny.  I got a sting on my eyebrow while working in Texas.  It swelled pretty good.  In fact I haven't had a sting swell that much since early last year. 

It looked like I went into a local pub and come out sorry.

Maybe the queen in your swarm is a crappy old queen and the bees are bugged by it.  They do get fiesty when mom starts going downhill....
God Bless all the troops
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Offline Barbara

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #14 on: May 02, 2008, 12:42:11 pm »
Okay, I have to tell a story.  Once you get to know me, you'll see that I love to tell stories.  Luckily this is one of the short ones.

Way back in the olden days, when I was about 8, I was sitting out on my front porch in the middle of a quiet suburban neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah.   I noticed an unusual noise coming from across the street. When I looked over there, I saw a huge swarm of honey bees hanging from the branch of an old tree.  It was probably larger than a basketball, and wow were they loud.

Unfortunately, I was not the only one that had noticed the swarm.  Several of the neighborhood boys, being boys and the brats that they were, noticed the swarm and rushed up to see what kind of trouble they could cause.  They deciding that throwing rocks at the swarm would be an excellent way to spend the afternoon.  The bees did not agree with them.  The bees started buzzing louder, and spreading out, flying all over the place.

Now, mind you, being a proper young lady, I did not participate in the antics of young boys, so I stayed on my porch and minded my own business.  So you can understand my surprise when one of those aggitated bees decided to land on the end of my nose and sting me!  I'm sure the neighbors several streets over heard my yelp, as did my mother, who rushed out to see what the problem was.  I'm not exactly sure what happened to the boys after that, I was a bit focused on the problem at hand.  My nose was swelling at a rapid rate, and soon it was so large I could barely see anthing past it.  My mother gave me a pill, which I assume was Benedryl.  My father was extremely allergic to bees, so she had some on hand, even though in those days it required a prescription. 

It was several days before my nose returned to its normal size, and obviously, since I can remember it so well, it was a very tramatic experience for me.  :-D
Barbara

Offline Dane Bramage

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #15 on: May 02, 2008, 01:17:06 pm »
I'm telling you , it is bad...I am staying home from work...Could youimagine your nurse with a fat swollen face coming at you with a needle???



 :-D

Offline DaveKow

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #16 on: May 02, 2008, 01:44:14 pm »
Dane, could this be the nurse from "One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest"?  Nurse Ratchet, I believe.

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #17 on: May 02, 2008, 02:33:07 pm »
To get back to the topic.... :roll:

You mentioned swarmy thing, indicating that there was a cloud of bees by the hive.  Was there by any chance robbing going on?  I find that they get real cranky when that happens.  Just curious...
Rick

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #18 on: May 02, 2008, 03:19:34 pm »
face/head hits..are the pits!

well i guess pit hits hurt too...

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Unprovoked Sting Question
« Reply #19 on: May 03, 2008, 01:26:10 am »
Yep....Cindi, there must be something wrong with us, eh'?
 Have you guys noticed that summer stings burn more than winter stings??
 Oh, yeh, Dane...That was GREAT!

your friend,
john

 

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