I am now a Beekeeper!!
Discussion
It doesn’t happen often, usually just a couple of times a year for me, and you build up a bit of tolerance. Last year only the one sting (and it was someone else’s bee and I was nowhere near the hives!). Today was the worst I’ve had: six stings, five to one wrist, one to the other. Only noticed the first one or two and that was surprise more than anything as they’ve never got me there before.
The bees don’t usually want to sting you and it tends to happen when you make a mistake that worries them (being a bit too quick or heavy handed). Try to be pretty chilled around them but still usually suit up except if just feeding the quieter ones.
The bees don’t usually want to sting you and it tends to happen when you make a mistake that worries them (being a bit too quick or heavy handed). Try to be pretty chilled around them but still usually suit up except if just feeding the quieter ones.
LooneyTunes said:
It doesn’t happen often, usually just a couple of times a year for me, and you build up a bit of tolerance. Last year only the one sting (and it was someone else’s bee and I was nowhere near the hives!). Today was the worst I’ve had: six stings, five to one wrist, one to the other. Only noticed the first one or two and that was surprise more than anything as they’ve never got me there before.
The bees don’t usually want to sting you and it tends to happen when you make a mistake that worries them (being a bit too quick or heavy handed). Try to be pretty chilled around them but still usually suit up except if just feeding the quieter ones.
Similar here with the stings. Only had 5 or 6 since I started keeping and only to my hands through nitrile gloves. I switched to these...........The bees don’t usually want to sting you and it tends to happen when you make a mistake that worries them (being a bit too quick or heavy handed). Try to be pretty chilled around them but still usually suit up except if just feeding the quieter ones.
Which are good as long as you order a tight fit so they don't get snagged under the frame lugs. I've just ordered a box of these to try next as I've heard good reviews as they're thicker than most nitrile................
https://gwenyngruffydd.co.uk/products/nitrile-heav...
I tend to double nitrile, and have only ever been stung once through those, but the long cuff versions have been unobtainable since the start of covid (which forced a switch to the shorter ones). The leather ones are too thick and unwieldy.
Out of interest, where did you get the ones in your pic? They look like they might be a decent compromise until I can get some longer nitriles again.
Out of interest, where did you get the ones in your pic? They look like they might be a decent compromise until I can get some longer nitriles again.
LooneyTunes said:
I tend to double nitrile, and have only ever been stung once through those, but the long cuff versions have been unobtainable since the start of covid (which forced a switch to the shorter ones). The leather ones are too thick and unwieldy.
Out of interest, where did you get the ones in your pic? They look like they might be a decent compromise until I can get some longer nitriles again.
https://beekeeping.co.uk/products/latex-glovesOut of interest, where did you get the ones in your pic? They look like they might be a decent compromise until I can get some longer nitriles again.
They are good - available in loads of different sizes not just the usual small, medium and large. I can't find the site but there is one that shows you how to size them. I'd suggest go for one size lower for a tight fit. The other big plus with these are they have a thin cotton lining in the hands that helps with sweat.
Jambo85 said:
My condolences Dicky, a sad day indeed. I always find the bees a nice place to escape to when things are tough.
LooneyTunes said:
Likewise, my condolences too. Hopefully many fond memories, and I’m sure the opportunities for contemplation that bees give will allow you to reflect on them.
Thanks guys and yes my bees are a great comfort 
Here's an update of the Flowhive that I'm trying to use minimal inspection and relying on its sensors and data. So far this year I've only done 3 full inspections. It came through the winter as a single brood box very strong. It's still on single brood and rammed. I put their Flow super on quite early 23th May to give them space and in the hope to take their mind off swarming.
There has been no swarm activity according to the audio data.................
Weight data shows they are in full flow (probably Brambles) since ten days ago and have packed in a whopping 16kg in that short time!!
This video along with pulling out a couple of frames a couple of days ago shows their super is almost full and just needs capping
To put this into perspective each frame holds around 3kg of honey and this is a 7 frame Flow super. At the risk of counting my chickens I need to buy 90 8oz jars and quick
Still looking like a big year, made bigger by having more bees than we expected.
The small swarm we caught a few weeks ago is now living happily in a new hive and establishing itself nicely. Not expecting to take anything from them this year.
The unexpected one was a large swarm moving into a bait hive in my garden last weekend. I usually set bait hives up in nucs with one or two frames of foundation and the rest foundationless (the bees seem to like them configured like this). The 2022 marked queen and her crew have almost finished building all the comb and lots of laying going on. They don’t know it yet but they’re moving a couple of miles away to a hive in a new apiary we’re setting up. Going to be really interesting to compare the honey.
Just about run out of supers so getting ready for first extraction of this year… expecting somewhere between 200-300 jars (5-6 supers) off three hives. Not bad from hives that were split this year. Two of the new hives we set up got their first supers today so we might be in for an even larger session next time round.
Having invested in a radial extractor towards the end of last season I’m really interested to see how much more we get through the season as a result of being able to reuse frames (used to be able to reuse very few with the tangential we used to borrow) and allowin the bees to focus on making honey instead of drawing comb.
The small swarm we caught a few weeks ago is now living happily in a new hive and establishing itself nicely. Not expecting to take anything from them this year.
The unexpected one was a large swarm moving into a bait hive in my garden last weekend. I usually set bait hives up in nucs with one or two frames of foundation and the rest foundationless (the bees seem to like them configured like this). The 2022 marked queen and her crew have almost finished building all the comb and lots of laying going on. They don’t know it yet but they’re moving a couple of miles away to a hive in a new apiary we’re setting up. Going to be really interesting to compare the honey.
Just about run out of supers so getting ready for first extraction of this year… expecting somewhere between 200-300 jars (5-6 supers) off three hives. Not bad from hives that were split this year. Two of the new hives we set up got their first supers today so we might be in for an even larger session next time round.
Having invested in a radial extractor towards the end of last season I’m really interested to see how much more we get through the season as a result of being able to reuse frames (used to be able to reuse very few with the tangential we used to borrow) and allowin the bees to focus on making honey instead of drawing comb.
LooneyTunes said:
Still looking like a big year, made bigger by having more bees than we expected.
The small swarm we caught a few weeks ago is now living happily in a new hive and establishing itself nicely. Not expecting to take anything from them this year.
The unexpected one was a large swarm moving into a bait hive in my garden last weekend. I usually set bait hives up in nucs with one or two frames of foundation and the rest foundationless (the bees seem to like them configured like this). The 2022 marked queen and her crew have almost finished building all the comb and lots of laying going on. They don’t know it yet but they’re moving a couple of miles away to a hive in a new apiary we’re setting up. Going to be really interesting to compare the honey.
Just about run out of supers so getting ready for first extraction of this year… expecting somewhere between 200-300 jars (5-6 supers) off three hives. Not bad from hives that were split this year. Two of the new hives we set up got their first supers today so we might be in for an even larger session next time round.
Having invested in a radial extractor towards the end of last season I’m really interested to see how much more we get through the season as a result of being able to reuse frames (used to be able to reuse very few with the tangential we used to borrow) and allowin the bees to focus on making honey instead of drawing comb.
That's cracking figures, very well done especially with the prime swarm with this years queen as a bonus. The small swarm we caught a few weeks ago is now living happily in a new hive and establishing itself nicely. Not expecting to take anything from them this year.
The unexpected one was a large swarm moving into a bait hive in my garden last weekend. I usually set bait hives up in nucs with one or two frames of foundation and the rest foundationless (the bees seem to like them configured like this). The 2022 marked queen and her crew have almost finished building all the comb and lots of laying going on. They don’t know it yet but they’re moving a couple of miles away to a hive in a new apiary we’re setting up. Going to be really interesting to compare the honey.
Just about run out of supers so getting ready for first extraction of this year… expecting somewhere between 200-300 jars (5-6 supers) off three hives. Not bad from hives that were split this year. Two of the new hives we set up got their first supers today so we might be in for an even larger session next time round.
Having invested in a radial extractor towards the end of last season I’m really interested to see how much more we get through the season as a result of being able to reuse frames (used to be able to reuse very few with the tangential we used to borrow) and allowin the bees to focus on making honey instead of drawing comb.
Not too much going on here this past week. 5kg increase in weight on my strongest Flowhive. The other is still not fully recovered from it swarming but in theory should be seeing a lot of orientation flights anytime now. My third hive (WBC on brood and a half) has just about filled one super and needs another put on this week. To be honest I want to close this one down as it's a pain the arse having to run incompatible systems!
Spotted this the other day just over my fence at the bottom of my garden............
Himalayan Balsam which will almost certainly give me a second full harvest......late swarming still to be avoided though
Scolmore said:
Not posted before, but as a maybe-one-day future beekeeper I enjoy reading this thread.
So very sorry to read of your loss.
Thank you Scol all is well So very sorry to read of your loss.
Don't delay with the bees. It took me over thirty years to actually get started which I now deeply regret as I'm not exactly in my prime now dickymint said:
That's cracking figures, very well done especially with the prime swarm with this years queen as a bonus.
Not too much going on here this past week. 5kg increase in weight on my strongest Flowhive. The other is still not fully recovered from it swarming but in theory should be seeing a lot of orientation flights anytime now. My third hive (WBC on brood and a half) has just about filled one super and needs another put on this week. To be honest I want to close this one down as it's a pain the arse having to run incompatible systems!
Spotted this the other day just over my fence at the bottom of my garden............
Himalayan Balsam which will almost certainly give me a second full harvest......late swarming still to be avoided though
Yes, we’re pretty pleased too but I think we have it a bit easier than others when it comes to food potential for the bees. Both home and the new apiary site are a good distance away from any other beekeepers which means our bees aren’t really competing as much for food as they might otherwise be. Not too much going on here this past week. 5kg increase in weight on my strongest Flowhive. The other is still not fully recovered from it swarming but in theory should be seeing a lot of orientation flights anytime now. My third hive (WBC on brood and a half) has just about filled one super and needs another put on this week. To be honest I want to close this one down as it's a pain the arse having to run incompatible systems!
Spotted this the other day just over my fence at the bottom of my garden............
Himalayan Balsam which will almost certainly give me a second full harvest......late swarming still to be avoided though
Know what you mean about compatibility. If I had my time again I’d run deep national broods but we’re too invested in standard nationals now to make the switch. Likewise the first poly hives I bought are now just used as bait/emergency hives because the supers that fit those are not compatible with the rest of them (any new polys are now Swienty to avoid this problem!).
Having split a few hives, we’re expecting to do an early final harvest this year to make sure that we get all of them onto brood and a half before winter. We obviously feed over winter but they seem to like having the space to take in/down anything they can recover from the extracted frames. Now that we’re up to 8 hives we’re definitely going to have to plan for winter a bit more than in previous years, if only to make sure we get enough fondant in.
LooneyTunes said:
Oh dear. Did you manage to catch the swarm?
Nope they spent about an hour up the fir tree way out of reach even with my bucket on a 20 foot pole!! went inside to get a can of ice cold cider and it all kicked off again......last seen heading towards the Cricket Club! Plenty of bees left in there (according to the scales) and I've just come indoors after harvesting 15Kg of honey from the FlowSuper - they must have gorged themselves from the broodbox stores. I'll look inside tomorrow if I need to squash any queen cells to avoid cast swarming.
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