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Author Topic: WOO HOO My first sting!!!  (Read 6522 times)

Offline Bee Happy

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WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« on: May 25, 2009, 04:52:50 pm »
I promised I'd tell you right away.
Yup, it just happened, just now. I was pulling baby oaks out from under the hive. a psycho bee jumped on my arm behind my watch and zapped me - she wasn't terribly committed because she couldn't seem to dig that stinger in very well. I gave her a minute to either dig in or get out and she couldn't do either so I flicked her away - stinger intact. so she came back for seconds. tried to get me in the armpit.
 - what's all the fuss about - it didn't hurt much - it did sting for a bit but nothing compared to a wasp attack. maybe next time I'll let the offending bee dig in so I can understand a little better.
(I was a bit sweaty and had been doing other stuff when I decided that the little oaks needed to go.)
anyway - one sting is not such a big deal, I don't seem to be reacting either.
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Offline jeremy_c

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2009, 05:08:45 pm »
I have been stung twice this year while at my hives. The first one was cake. I was able to get the stinger out very quickly and it really had no pain. The second one was in the top tip of my ear and I had all sorts of problems finding and getting the stinger out. When I got stung both times, I started to count one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand.... The first one was out by 2 second mark, the 2nd one was out around the 12 second mark. That one hurt. I was not in dire pain rolling on the ground calling 911 or anything, but it sure was a lot worse than the first one! I knew it had to be because of that much more bee venom in my system, but I wasn't expecting how much more.

Anyway, with the 2nd one it was pretty cool because the stinger was on my finger (after I scraped it out of course) and you could see the poison sack still pumping! I'm not sure I'd go get stung just to see this, but it was fun watching it once the sting was done. Might have been more fun if it were a stinger out of someone else :-D

How long was the stinger in before you got it out?

Jeremy
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Offline Bee Happy

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2009, 05:52:07 pm »
I guess I gave her about four seconds to do something with it, she just couldn't manage. - so I flicked her away stinger and all - I guess my arm was a little tough there because she couldn't dig it in and couldn't pull herself away either. - this hive has seems a little jumpy lately since they mobbed the dog twice during my inspection.
be happy and make others happy.

Offline Natalie

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2009, 06:06:01 pm »
You didn't "really" get stung then if the stinger was not left behind and you did not get any venom.
The venom is what causes the pain.
I think when you hear of people complaining on here about getting stung their stories are usually of more than one sting and they usually get the stinger left in them, thats the fuss you hear about.
Congratulations on your first almost sting. :-D

Offline G3farms

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2009, 06:37:32 pm »
Got my first one on friday when I was doing the cut-out. One popped me in the back of the head as we were setting up the scaffolding, just barely got me.

one up the pant leg yesterday got me on the side of the calf.

one this morning really dug in on my arm, swelled up and tender.

oh well thats part of playing the game.

G3
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 Rebel Rose Apiary

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2009, 07:23:25 pm »
As grandad used to say..."Play with fire, expect to get burned."

Keep bees, you will get stung.

Brenda

Offline Beaver Dam

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2009, 08:36:12 pm »
When I play with the girls, if I dont get stung 3-4 times I'm not playing ruff enoung. 7 hives here.

Offline jeremy_c

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2009, 08:44:04 pm »
When I play with the girls, if I dont get stung 3-4 times I'm not playing ruff enoung. 7 hives here.

You get stung 3-4 times each time you visit your bees? I started in April and have been stung twice through the whole thing and one was totally my fault, the other I am not so sure of but still, twice and my hives are about 150 yards from my house. I visit them daily (not inspect) to observe and have done weekly inspections on them all (6 of them).

I am wondering how many times the average person gets stung while bee keeping. Is it really 3-4 times each visit?

Jeremy
Bee section of my blog: http://jeremy.lifewithchrist.org/category/bee-keeping.html ... has stories, pictures and videos of a new beekeeper.

Offline WOB419

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #8 on: May 25, 2009, 10:53:47 pm »
Getting stung becomes a nonevent for most people.  My experience was that my first stings hurt when they happened, then almost exactly 12 hours later it would really itch.  So stung at 2:00pm meant I would wake up at 2:00am and be scratching the heck out of my finger (or where ever I got stung).  Eventually my body got used to it and before long it only hurts when the sting happens, not too bad but I can feel it.  I get a little local swelling but not much and not for long. 

Each year the first sting is a little worse than the rest but still not bad. 

I work the hives bare handed and now with short sleeves.  I get stung (unintentionally) only every once in a while (probably every 3rd inspection or so).  I do smoke my hands and arms a lot which really helps.  I smoke the hive a little, mostly I smoke my hands and arms.

I have a problem with my wrist (it is similar to carpal tunnel) so I do sting myself intentionally and it really helps my condition.  I usually give myself a sting in each wrist (see my avatar) each week for several weeks then I don't need it again for quite a while.  I understand the the venom causes your body to release a natural cortizone that your body produces which lubricates (and does other things) for the problem area.  I know folks that use the stings for arthritis.  You can search Apitherapy (might have spelled it wrong) and find a lot of interesting stuff about it.  I like, it works for me.

Offline Bee Happy

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #9 on: May 25, 2009, 10:59:27 pm »
I have heard that their stings are beneficial (Unofficially, of course).
I had a little itch about two hours later but apparently I really didn't get much venom.
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Offline beedad

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2009, 11:35:22 pm »
i rarely get stung.  i dont even use smoke most of the time.  i work my hives very slowly.  i get stung i guess about twice a year.  but this year a was installing a package and got stung about 15 times in the face and arms.  the only real bad one was under my watch band.  i  think my watch pressed all the venom in.  my wrist was bruised for a couple days.

Offline luvin honey

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #11 on: May 26, 2009, 01:11:44 am »
I never get stung while working the hives (only about 4 times with 2 hives) but have gotten all of mine (about 5) while just feeding or observing. I end up doing something dumb like leaning up on a bee or ticking them off by bumping the cover around too much.

While elbow deep in the hive, scraping junk off the bottom, I don't get a single sting. Go figure :) I DO smoke my hands really well, though.
The pedigree of honey
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Offline ITCHI

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #12 on: May 26, 2009, 03:14:39 am »
Just over a month ago I was visiting a local beek who works between 200 and 700 hives, he sells nucs, packages and queens.
He also doesn't smoke most of the time and wears no protective clothing.
So any way while we were walking and talking I got a nice sting on the arm, didn't bother me much and thought it was nice to get that part over with.
Seemly thousands of bees flying everywhere and one decides to climb up my nose and sting it on the inside.
I teared up kinda like a yawn tear if you know what I mean but tried so hard not to let this old timer beekeeper see my pain.
No swelling and such but dang what a nice surprise for a newbie.
I guess one of the hardest things for a new beekeeper to learn is not to panic and freak out when bees are flying all around you and you use to swat them away.

Offline 1reb

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #13 on: May 26, 2009, 09:14:04 am »
I glad you did not have a bad allergic reaction to the sting


Johnny

Offline dgc1961

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #14 on: May 26, 2009, 09:20:28 am »
The itching is what bothers me the most.  The most painfull sting I had was on the tip of my index finger.  That one throb and caused me to say a few "expletives deleted".
David C.

Offline Natalie

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #15 on: May 26, 2009, 10:01:22 am »
Does anyone else here use vicks vapor rub on their wrists and back of the hands before they work the bees.
I have done this ever since someone recommended it to me and it seems to work.
There are times that I have bees crawling all over my hands and I don't want to crush one and set them off but they seem to avoid them when I use the vick's.
I also use it when I am working a hive that requires me to wear gloves because the rub covers the spot where your wrist can get exposed between the glove and your sleeve.
I also use baby powder on my hands before I put on nitrile gloves so they don't sweat as much and they go on easier and I have heard that helps mask your scent as well.
I have been told that you can just rub baby powder all over your hands and it will work.
I don't have any idea if that is true or not but I do notice the difference when I am not wearing gloves and use nothing on my hands as opposed to using the rub.
My husband use to complain that the bees were always on his hands when he was trying to work so he started using the vicks around his wrists and the back of his hands and they stopped landing on his hands.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #16 on: May 28, 2009, 02:58:02 pm »
In the book, "Keeper of the Bees," the old beemaster would crush fresh flowers in his hands before going into his hives, that works too.  Just crush to flowers like it was soap while handwashing, don't forget to "wash" up to the elbows to keep the bees out of the sleeves.
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Offline Bee Happy

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #17 on: May 28, 2009, 03:20:59 pm »
In the book, "Keeper of the Bees," the old beemaster would crush fresh flowers in his hands before going into his hives, that works too.  Just crush to flowers like it was soap while handwashing, don't forget to "wash" up to the elbows to keep the bees out of the sleeves.

bee 1: "We're being visited by a flower, does anyone else find that unusual?"
bee 2: "It's about time, if we can get them all to do that, consider the flight hours we could save..."
be happy and make others happy.

Offline NasalSponge

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #18 on: May 28, 2009, 05:12:48 pm »
LOL!!

Seems my girls must be practicing somewhere because so far not a single "glancing blow". Today after I upset them by taking to long I took one to the left cheek and two to the back of the hand....all buried to the hilt I would say!! :-D But it was my fault...they are very calm ladies usually.

Offline Bee Happy

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Re: WOO HOO My first sting!!!
« Reply #19 on: July 04, 2009, 08:58:21 pm »
thought I'd just resuscitate this post instead of starting a new one. 
I finally got my first REAL sting today. I went honey robbing. - I only took 2 out of 10 frames. They'll have another flow in the fall and they can have that - I left them about 7 1/2 frames to get through the August dearth. (I'm told we get a dearth here in august.)
anyway, I felt a tickle crawling up my pantleg but my hands were full. Sure enough one mad bee gave me a sting at the top of my shin. - she got me as I carried the 2 stolen frames of honey off and was about to inspect the other hives and do a honey check. pulled up the pantleg and found a little stinger in there waiting for a scrape. I had a little irritation and a bit of a burning. Not a big deal in all; the honey still tastes very buttery.
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