The stupidest thing I did while beeping was...

[BigGun]

Well the dumb thing I did was not getting some good help. I fell in a ditch with a pretty good sized swarm in a large tub. Not my fault completely. Had an injured sciatic nerve that messes with my stability. Was lucky to set the swarm off to the side as I was going down. I actually have video. Lol

[tsmullins]

Mine happened the other day,

My uncle told me he had a very mean hive. My cousin, verified the story, stating he would requeen the hive ASAP. We needed to go into the hive, but I did not heed my family's advice.

After work, I show up ready to work the hive. Work for me is very casual in the summer, shorts and casual dress shirt are the norm. So, I show up in my shorts, and over my shorts throw on a thin tyvek painters suit and my excellent bee jacket (from Brushy Mountain). Since I am very tall, the suit leaves my ankles exposed (covered by a thin pair of socks, no bare skin - thank goodness). Not really worried about this, I have worked my bees like this all summer.

So, smoke the hive as I always do mine. Nothing remarkable. Do notice, that when I put a few puffs on the entrance, it did not faze the bees. Should have been my first sign. Take the half full super off, no big deal. TOUCH a brood frame, and the bees literally explode on me. My ankles get tore up. My uncle, had forgotten to latch the velcro on his suit, he gets lit up. So I go to help him out. Then we reassemble the hive and get out. Well, we forgot to put the super on.....

[jadell]

Had a couple of beers (well, that's my story) last spring at our annual neighborhood Memorial Day party. Then I thought, man it's awfully hot, I should see what the bees are up to. Walked over to look at them. They were Bearding something fierce. I then decided it was a great idea to take the entrance reducers out of my two small hives. After several stings and swearing, I now know it's never a good idea to drink my homebrew and try to do something with the bees. At least I didn't get any to the face! No video, but all my neighbors were entertained.

[Intheswamp]

<chuckle> Oh I'm glad to help out, Mark...here's your cane...no, this way...that's a closet.

bird...it's been over two weeks since he's posted. Are you missin' him? I hope ain't nothing happened to him. Haven't seen him on beemaster.

Don't forget your prune juice.

Ed

[bevy's honeybees]

It was the start of my 2nd year of beekeeping. I had done a large cut out under a raised house trailer and hadn't gotten all the bees including the queen the first trip. I then worked 4-12hr night shifts and on my last one before work I put a deep box with a couple drawn frames and empty frames into my trunk to go back in the morning, hoping the rest were still there. I have a small 2 door car and transport bees in my trunk.

Get there in the morning and a very nice size bundle of bees were at their original spot rebuilding. The man who owned the property was there, no more than 20 ft away with a front scoop construction machine and he was demolishing a bus. Needless to say, I worked in a hurry. Brushed and scooped the larger than a basketball size swarm into the hive and put the lid, the kind with 4 sides nailed to the lid. Transport screen on front. Put it in my trunk (how many of you know where this is going?) I have a basic economy car.

Everything ok for the first part of the trip to the yard, but when I was about 7 miles away I noticed an increase of not just a few bees in the back window. I was on a road that had traffic lights and a couple school zones to get through for 2 miles before I got out into the country where I could drive nonstop til I got to my bee yard.

I was getting nervous as more and more bees were coming into the car. I had both windows open to keep the bees in back with the air pressure. When I had to stop or slow, they flew around and some in the front of the car. Finally I was out in the country. At the last stop light in town, I picked up a state patrol driving behind me. I"m not sure if he could see what was going on in my car--which by this time the back window was loaded with flying bees. They were moving up the side windows (remember 2-door) and as they got to the front window got sucked out. State patrol behind me, and I have a bumper sticker that says "got bees?". I did not have my protection on.

I get to the yard, throw the door open and bail out and all the bees did too. I am quite sure the entire remaining colony was inside my car. They swarmed around in the air and then were gone. Very few left in the box or trunk. I cried. (Am I the only one who has cried over their dumb and dumber story?) I put the box out anyway and went home. I didn't have the lid on tight.

What really amazed me is that I went back 2 days later and there was a colony of bees in the box. I suspected it was the same colony, only because it was their comb and where else did they have to go? I still have that colony. I now use straps and tape, and I have a large piece of lanai screen that I put over boxes of bees when I'm moving them.

On my way home the morning it happened I called my son and told him about it and he said, "That is just so creepy. Like a scary movie."

[dnichols]

Well the dumb thing I did was not getting some good help. I fell in a ditch with a pretty good sized swarm in a large tub. Not my fault completely. Had an injured sciatic nerve that messes with my stability. Was lucky to set the swarm off to the side as I was going down. I actually have video. Lol

Ok BigGun, you opened a can of worms on this one. Where's the video? Cough it up and nobody gets hurt.

[dnichols]

Had a couple of beers (well, that's my story) last spring at our annual neighborhood Memorial Day party. Then I thought, man it's awfully hot, I should see what the bees are up to. Walked over to look at them. They were Bearding something fierce. I then decided it was a great idea to take the entrance reducers out of my two small hives. After several stings and swearing, I now know it's never a good idea to drink my homebrew and try to do something with the bees. At least I didn't get any to the face! No video, but all my neighbors were entertained.

Jadell, I am sure they were just miffed you didn't share the homebrew. I brew myself. You have anything going now?

[mac]

Dumbest thing I did was start beekeeping THINKING it would be easy HA HA.

[New Ky Beekeeper]

When I got home, I skated down the hallway thru a puddle of honey. I cleaned up all I saw in the attic, and on the ceiling. For the last 4 days the hallway drips honey. Im glad I have a wife who loves me!

Now that is funny!

[New Ky Beekeeper]

OK. I have been working with a friend of mine who operates a local winery. He was wanting to start a line of mead and wanted to include 5 gallons of our honey as a "interesting aspect" or "nitch" for his mead. I had communicated the agreement with local media (friends of mine too) and to the state office of farm direct sales (known as Kentucky Proud) since I am certified. Bottom line: On a Sunday afternoon they would cover the event of the first 5 gallons of honey being poured into a vat and starting a mead.

Without thinking the evening before, I was walking through a bee yard and found one of my hives were not active. As the other 5 bee hives were very active, but this one only had one or two bees coming and going. I wondered if the hive was dead or gone so I openned the lid just to peak in. Now, I can work these hives with just a vale. However, every bee in that hive was waiting on me and when I cracked open the lid to take a peak, they hit me above my left eye...... I believe I was stung 5 times. By morning my eye looked like I was hit with a baseball bat. All the loose skin around my eye was puffy (i am not alergic) In church I wore sunglasses and I was lucky my youngest daughter came home from college that day for the presss release photos.....

PS- The bees were fine......
Phil

[Acebird]

bird...it's been over two weeks since he's posted. Are you missin' him?

Sounds like you are Ed.

I am back now. 42 years ago we took a trip to PEI that included Bar harbor, Maine, Bay of Fundy and the Cabot Trail. We just completed that same trip in reverse order to revive the childhood memories. There is some beautiful country side in Canada and Maine.

Now that I have an interest in bees I was looking everywhere for them and was sadden that they are not that plentiful where we went. There was plenty of blooming golden rod but their vegetables were far behind ours. I wondered if they would even bear fruit. It has got to be hard to garden there. Fresh wild blueberry pies were awesome though.

Now as far as the topic goes I don't think this forum needs to hear the list of stupid things I do beekeeping.

[dnichols]

Oh come on Acebird. The least you can do is entertain us with a little faux pas...

[dnichols]

Did I mention my wife is a writer and English fanatic? She just let me know that stupidest is not a word. When you have a word with multiple syllables you can't add est. It should have read the most stupid or I could have said dumbest. Now I really feel stupid. She still loves me though. ;-)

[Lauri]

First (of many)mistakes, trying to take one last sip of my morning coffee and realizing you can't do that after you have already zipped up your veil...

[oblib]

First (of many)mistakes, trying to take one last sip of my morning coffee and realizing you can't do that after you have already zipped up your veil...

I've tried that too

[dnichols]

Hey Laurie, yes I was waiting for that one! thanks for sharing!

[sqkcrk]

Shoot, that's nothin'. I know guys who chew tobacco and forget their veil is on. If you know what I mean.

And you can't drink through a veil? Practice. But thanks for the image.

[Lauri]

[QUOTE=sqkcrk;834928]Shoot, that's nothin'. I know guys who chew tobacco and forget their veil is on. If you know what I mean.


Now THAT is funny! Now I don't feel quite so stupid

[sqkcrk]

Glad I could help. I know guys who smoke who have done so w/ the cigarette inside the veil. Never mistake whose veil is whose. The one w/ the hole in it is the smokers. heh,heh

[Intheswamp]

Sounds like you are Ed.

No it's more like walking along, knowing there's guineas on the property and afraid they're gonna come out of the tree branches at ya.

I am back now. 42 years ago we took a trip...<snip>

I'm disappointed, I was expecting something more along the lines of this trip...


ETA: I forgot to mention....that was one LONG TRIP!!!!!