Repeated Nose Stings

[SurprisingWoman]

I had bees last year that died over the winter because I put up a wind surround (I live in the mouth of a canyon) that kept them in the shade too much. I loved them to death. I worked them allll the time with no protection. If I was really going to be pulling a lot of frames or doing major things I would wear a hood. No problems at all. It was wonderful.

This year I got two packages because I LOVE having bees. I am not afraid, the honey is wonderful and they make me feel good.

We installed our first (four pound) package with no problems mid-April. We installed our second package with no problems. I was not in protective gear because that was how I did it last year and things were fine.

After the packages were installed and we were standing apart from the hive about 10 feet away. There were quite a few girls flying around after installing both packages but things were fairly mellow. Then BANG! there was a bee IN MY NOSE. I had a few bees landing here and there through the process but I wasn't ever bothered by them but then I got stung in my nose. It was maddening.

The next time was about 10 days later. We were checking on the hives and again, I didn't wear gear because they didn't really have much to protect and even though it was a 10 frame, medium box, they hadn't had much time to get protective.

I checked the first hive to make sure the queen was released and things were good (it had been wicked cold) closed it up no problem. Pulled the second hive and checked it and it was fine. Closed it up and they started getting a little hot. I put the hive back together and started walking away and BOOM, back in the nose. No problems with any looky loo's around my face, just a straight shot to the nose. Bizarre.

Today I was working my friend's hives. He is out of the country and I am checking on his hives. He has about nine hives so I wore my hood and my husband was with me wearing a jacket with full hood. The first four hives were okay. We smoked them, confirmed larvae on two of the new hives, added a box and frames to the other new hive.


The problem started on the fourth hive we opened. It was already five boxes and he was worried it was going to swarm while he was out of town so he wanted a box added. We opened the hive and the bees were not overly thick in the boxes but they were just NOT friendly bees. We had the additional box ready to add but before we could get it on there a bee got inside my hood and WENT STRAIGHT FOR MY NOSE. My husband was wearing the zip jacket/hood combo and he was being bombarded but he was safe. I pulled my hood off, snorted out the bee (I am becoming an expert) and we left the hive to cool down while we cooled down too. I was followed by several girls, one got me on my hand and we waited 10 minutes for the hive to settle. We suited back up, put the hive back together with the new box and left.

I have never had a problem before but now there are bees that LOVE MY NOSE.

I don't eat bananas before we work the hives. I brush my teeth, I am showered and clean but not with perfumed body washes (I have sensitive skin)

I have not had this problem the whole last year and I almost never wore gear. Shorts and tshirts were fine.

Now, THEY LOVE MY NOSE.

Why? Should I suck on lemon drops while I work my bees?

I am kind of getting freaked out, which is also not good.

Anyone have a nose thang going on?

[Katharina]

Not sure why they love your nose, but I would say take it as a warning. They can get your eye or worse your eye ball. I don't like the hats and veils they make commercially. They are large uncomfortable and so on. I've started to make my own. I wear a wide rim ventilated camping hat and the veil is made to fit perfectly with roping sewn in to have it stay away from my face. Here is an image: veil3.jpg

[jrbbees]

You need to solve the access issue. One sting in the mouth near the back is often fatal within minutes. Because you never know what you will find when you go to your bees you owe it to those you love to always protect yourself.
I know it looks and seems cool to walk up to your bees without anything on. I have seen alot of people do it. But, life and bees is changing and it does seem that bees are getting more defensive even the non-Africans. Make sure they can not get in your veil! One day you hit a really hot hive, it could save your life!

The bees in africa are known to go for body opening, eyes, mouth, ears. It has much stronger effect than on the hand or arm. That is why they butt the face.

[Michael Bush]

Always wear a veil...

[WI-beek]

I am not sure exactly of the timeliness here but you had ten between first and second, and how long between the second and third? I have a feeling that there was still pheromone in your nose being that you cant really wash off the inside of your nose and not to be gross but there may be some gunk in your nose that may hold that smell for a while if you know what I mean. If not you have very bad luck lately.

The first time I got stung by a honeybee was on the tip of my nose. The bee gave me that furious buzz to the face that scares the daylight out of you and I swatted it off before its stinger could penetrate far enough to stick and be torn out. We had just robbed honey and a few bees followed the wheel barrel when we took honey by the garage and being inexperienced we left it outside instead of bringing it inside where the bees would not have access to it. It did not seem to serious but once I got it in the nose that bee was relentless and would come back for that same spot every time and it was a contest of who was quicker me swatting or the bee stinging. I was chased about a hundred yards and when I got back near the house it came right back for me and right to the nose. I went in the octagon sun room that had a screen window open on each wall. There were chairs backed to each window and that bee could smell be through the window screen and if I moved to another chair it would buzz that screen. Everyone was laughing cause they were not being bothered outside. I waited ten or fifteen minutes and thought I was safe and in less than a minute that bee or another (Im sure it was the same one) would find me and go right for the nose. This went on for a good hour or more before I just gave up being outside with everyone else. My point is once you are marked, they got your number and go for that same spot.

I suggest you plug your nose with something until you are sure there is no way for pheromone to remain. I wonder how long that can take? If you cant wash the area, maybe it takes months. Hopefully someone will chime in on that fact.

[Michael Bush]

Once you're marked it takes a while to wear off... but that's why they keep coming if it's the same day especially...

[toomanyhandles]

My experience is that alarm pheromone can persist for weeks on clothing. The components are all pretty volatile and I would have thought that time would let them dissipate/degrade, but the acetates may stick around better than the other components.

Some medications or medical conditions can change how your breath smells (even slightly) and bees are pretty responsive to some classes of organic solvents.

Re: veils:
I've been tempted to not wear a veil, I'm not paranoid about the bees and I work them I think gently, although I don't dawdle.

I've only been stung once in 5 years of doing this, though that time though I excited 2 deeps as I wasn't paying attention to the warning signs (they aren't flying at me, it must still be OK... until it wasn't...) and was pretty much covered - received only stings on ankles as I had jacket/hood and painter pants.

All it takes is one screw up and you are in serious and potentially lethal hurt without safety gear. And one screwup early on for me was a good teacher- I'll skip some gear depending on what I'm doing and the time of year, but I'll never skip a veil.

[beemandan]

One other possibility...although somewhat remote....do you wear glasses?
Dark or tinted glasses will attract defending bees. Or if not dark, might there be something in the design of your glasses that make a 'target' of your nose?
Remember, carbon dioxide will attract a defending bee. So, if it's already in the area of your nose and you exhale....guess where she goes?

[catbackr]

I heard this once and it makes great sense to me. I'd rather put on my veil than say, boy I wish I had put on my veil.

[Rick 1456]

Better to wear it and not need it, than to need it and not have worn it.

[alpha6]

One sting in the mouth near the back is often fatal within minutes.

Say what???

[SurprisingWoman]

Thanks, I am wearing a veil but I may have to buy a new jacket/zipper hood combo for myself. I am having my husband us that one and I was doing the veil. It doesn't take much space for them to get in and they know they need to be in there to really get you!

The first time I think it was an accident. I was through dumping the packages, the hives were closed and we were standing apart from them watching them. There were a lot in the air but the 'work" was done. This was April 16. On April 23, a week later actually, we pulled the queen cages and I got hit the second time. On April 28 we added second boxes (wearing veil) and I didn't get stung. Yesterday we were at my friend's and I got popped again. This hive was particularly nasty and seemed aggressive. I have used smoke on all but the initial dump. I love using my smoker.

I have gotten a misc sting here and there when I moved wrong or picked up a frame and didn't see someone there. I have always been able to tell myself what I did wrong and "learn" from the experience. I got popped on my hand yesterday when I was walking away to let them calm down and that's not a concern.

This nose thing is just freaky to me. I was hoping someone could tell me if they had seen this before and how it was resolved.

Better clothing and always wearing gear has already been addressed. We were also talking about specific nose protection. Right now I think leading the list is a nose cover similar to a bee guard on a nectar feeder. It would look like a mesh Bozo nose so I could still breathe. We're keeping our sense of humor; we are just trying to figure it out.

[Katharina]

One beekeeper in our club tells us to use liquid smoke and spray it onto the clothing/gear. He said they hate the smell and will avoid you. I have not tried that, but I was considering liquid smoke for summer when everything turns brown here and we have to worry about forest fires. We have beekeepers that use that instead of the smoker. Walmart has it in the BBQ sauce isle for $1.88 and you dilute it with water in a spray bottle. Now the hardest part is deciding which flavor mesquite or hickory.

[Shazam]

A local beek does the same... liquid smoke diluted heavily with water (she said 10:1) and then rubbed into hands and on skin near eyes, etc. Dunno how effective.

[Katharina]

I have never used things like insect repellents. Something like Off. I still wonder if that would work just as good, or if it doesn't work on bees at all. One of our commercial beek in the club puffs smoke onto his skin. He said to do that especially after a sting to mask the scent and to prevent more stings. He has about 150 hives and trucks them around. Amazing undertaking!

[HONEYDEW]

Say what???

this is true, but should probably say could be fatal. I worked with an adult for years who was "slow" and one day I asked him why, He told me he was stung in the back of the throat as a child and it cut off the oxygen for just a few of minutes till the medics got there and the rest is history. I will never do bees without a veil since that talk....

[Edcrosbys]

This is my first year, but I learned a few things when i picked up my nuc. When brushing the bees off the closed nuc to put them in the van (for a 13 hour trip) a few decided to be become unhappy with the bush. I stepped back and swung the brush around to attempt to remove them. The very nice, intelligent fellow tried to warn me against that right as I got stung.

The other little nugget he gave was not to try and blow them away. He said they might sting you in the lip. Sounds like a hot hive (for whatever reason), one got trapped in you veil, maybe you were breathing heavy and she got you?

[mac]

Not sure how they get in your veil. Wear a shirt with a collar and turn it up then pull the strings snug, wrap the strings around your chest and tie in front. Never had one inside the veil. Smoke your hat, veil, shirt, pants, shoes, sox, hands, arms, face, then smoke the bees. Every one smells like a campfire. If ya do get stung smoke the sting area with a lot of smoke and rub the spot as you smoke it. They won’t hit it again.

[Pilgarlic56]

I have been convinced since 1966 that our bodies have triggers or targets that connect somehow to bees. In 1966 at the age of ten I was stung twice within ten minutes by two separate bees an inch beneath my navel. Coincidence? I could never bring myself to think so. The last time I was stung I got it twice, on the inside of each ankle, precisely the same spot on each ankle. Coincidence? Not in my mind, not when there are sooooo many things we don't understand. A nose that attracts repeated stings? Coincidence?

[Acebird]

I brush my teeth, I am showered and clean but not with perfumed body washes (I have sensitive skin)

If you are showered and clean you smell like a human. It is better to smell earthy. I am not saying you should roll in the grass or climb pine trees but at least smoke yourself and your clothing. Work your garden not your dishes before you work your bees.

At least for the time being ware a dust mask that will comfortable cover your mouth and nose. Did I mention smoking the mask first? I know it is going to stink but a human looses sensitivity for smells very quickly.

I have to admit lately I don't use protection but seeing what can happen I think I will put the vail and jacket on from now on. Maybe I can get away with a mask and safety glasses. What do you think?