Month: April 2018

This is not something I understand, and certainly my bees do not understand it, either. Mother Nature is nuts this year! It is April 18 and we are getting snow for the umpteenth time! Go away, winter! My bees are ready to play!

Last year at this time, my happy bees were getting ready to swarm (a good thing if you are a bee, a bad thing if you are a beekeeper). Last week, I put my first bucket of sugar water on the hives and I bet it is thick and not too yummy right now.

Last week I also took off my bee quilt, the black plastic insulated cover that keeps the colony a bit warmer in Iowa winters, but who expected Old Man Winter to stick around this long!?

To add insult to injury, the same day last week that tornadic winds whipped through our county, the top blew off one of our hives. We did not notice, having also lost a big tree that was blocking our driveway. We discovered the mishap about two days – and two 22-degree nights – later. Luckily,  there were a few hardy bees still on the hive. Let’s hope we did not lose too many of my gals.

Still, in all this unseasonable weather, My bees fly whenever they can, and it is my hope they get lots more flying weather soon!

Here are my essentials when I do stupid things around my beehives:

• ice
• meat tenderizer and
• Vitamin C.

When I do stupid things, I usually get stung.

And when I get stung, these are the first things that I reach for.

Here is my treatment for bee stings. It usually works quite well, taking away the initial pain, and it seems to prevent a lot of swelling the next day. Usually all I have are a couple red bumps and a little itching after the first few hours.

To begin with, I swallow a couple Vitamin C tablets. Then I crush a couple Vitamin C tablets and add a drop or two of water to make a poultice. I sprinkle on a little bit of meat tenderizer and spread the poultice over the place where I have been stung. On top of that goes a little ice, and I sit in a chair for about 15 minutes to review what I did wrong around the bees.

I have been told that Vitamin C helps your body react and heal, and the meat tenderizer breaks down protein in the bee sting. The ice, of course, helps bring blood flow to the wound and dull the pain.

People always ask if beekeepers get stung. I know that I do. And it’s usually when I have done something stupid around my bees like swatting at them (they go ballistic when you swat), failing to use my smoker (the smoke confuses them and interrupts their own pheromone-based communication system), or drop a frame of bees on the ground. I have been guilty of all these things, and my bees have been quick to respond.

I like to think that often times my “ladies” are pretty reasonable and that if I am reasonable around them, they will be reasonable around me. We respect each other, and try to act accordingly.

Of course, you always will come across a colony that has an attitude problem, or maybe is a bit over-protective and easily agitated. Then you know you need to be extra careful, and count your blessings (or lack of stings) when you are done tending that hive.

My first time into the hives this spring I failed to use my smoker or check my bee veil, which had not been used all winter. What a mistake! The netting on my veil had come loose in the front, and a bee easily crawled inside my head gear. Without a smoker to keep the bees calm, I had no choice but to leave the bee yard in a panic. I ended up with three stings around my face, and boy, did they hurt! I learned my lesson early this year!

I am still counting my blessings that I did not get any more stings, and that I have not had an allergic reaction to them. And I this is my last sting of the season, I will consider myself very lucky indeed.