Tip of my day..or... Lazy Beekeeper

So it has come time to add another super box to the Beehive. Actually, I should have put the next super frame on a month ago. Donning head to toe garb in 100 degree weather was my lack of motivation. Today I decided I would at least peek inside to see how things were coming along before I dragged everything out. I mean, it is their first year. Maybe they wont need that 5th box?

Yeah. My tip of the day? Yoga pants with rubber bands around the ankles and a tight sleeve shirt might cover the body but without a face net you are left vulnerable to all dive bombing Bee's. It also helps to not go in their space unless armed with the smoker.

I did not even have the interior cover off before one of the lil bugger's flew straight out the lid hole & right INTO my temple. A death blow to it. A throbbing reminder to me.

My Dear Captain was left laughing as I come out from behind the hive yelling "Get it out! Get it out!", motioning for him to scrape the stinger out of my temple. In case ya didn't know, Never squeeze the stinger with fingers or tweezers. ALWAYS scrape it out otherwise you can squeeze the venom sack, releasing more through the stinger, into your skin. That causes more pain and the intense swelling some experience when stung- not the same as an allergic reaction degree of course. My poor Z ,{5 yr old daughter}, was stung while playing & decided to "catch a bee with her hands". It did not end as well as she thought it would. Those little fingers were fat sausages for 2 days. People who are NOT allergic to bee's can experience drastic swelling in the area where they are stung. The difference is that those whom are allergic, experience swelling in spots NOT in the sting area as well their airways constricting & much worse.

Anyway, I quickly made my way back to the house for some tobacco to place on the sting site. The tobacco helps draw out the poison that was injected when a Bee stings you. I have found if you IMMEDIATELY apply slightly moistened tobacco to the site and use medical tape to hold it in place for 30 minutes, it reduces swelling & pain drastically in comparison to even waiting 5 minutes after being stung. Yep. We get stung here a lot, so it's a proven method in our house.

I grabbed my smoker and headed back out with white tape on the side of my forehead. I still managed to get hurt, but this time it was burning my fore arm on the smoker. {I just can't win!}

The final super is now in place. The Bee's have calmed down. And I swear to never be a lazy Beekeeper again... Maybe. Can I reserve the right to strike my last sentence?

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie