[Adam Foster Collins]

My grandfather was retrieving a swarm from a tree and dropped it on himself coming down. He returned home from the woods in his underwear, badly stung and was in bed for days. I wasn't around then, for it was before I was born.

Has anything like this happened that you know of?

Adam

 

[Beethinking]

I have a friend here in Portland who did a similar thing -- he wasn't wearing a suit, miscalculated the trajectory of the swarm when he attempted to drop it into the box and instead dropped it on his face. He got stung numerous times. Doesn't sound as bad as your grandfather's story, however!

This is why I generally wear a suit if the swarm is hanging above me! If they are low enough that there is no chance that they will land on me I usually go suit less.

Cheers,
Matt

 

[hemichuck]

I just posted a good one under beekeeping 101 titled "Swarm from H**L on back of semi" Check it out

 

[cow pollinater]

I dropped a huge one right on top of myself without a single sting last year.
This year I sneezed on a small one(swarm season is allergy season) and got stung about ten times in the face.

 

[Mike Gillmore]

I always wear at least a veil and jacket with swarms, better safe than sorry in my opinion. When you find out you have a bad one, it's too late.

A few years ago I received a swarm call from a resident who said a swarm had just landed on their apple tree in their back yard. After arriving I climbed up a ladder, held the box under the swarm with one arm, and shook the limb with my other hand. As the bees dropped into the box I got a glimpse of a few large sections of comb falling with the bees, and then in two seconds my veil and suit was covered with angry bees doing their best to teach me a lesson.

A few got me on the shoulders, but had I not been wearing a suit, I would have looked like a monster with stings head to toe. That was the last time I ever considered chasing swarms without gear.

 

[dcross]

First one I caught put me in the ER. Was wearing a suit/veil but no gloves.

 

[Countryboy]

I retrieved a swarm last Monday. They were in a tight cluster, and on a small branch that I could clip easily, so I didn't bother putting on a veil or suit. There was a tiny twig sticking in the back of the swarm that I didn't see, and the twig had a couple leaves hidden inside the swarm. I clipped the branch the swarm was on, and as I pulled the swarm down, the twig and leaves pulled a nice chunk of bees away from the swarm, and they fell down on top of me. I got stuck a couple times in one arm, once in the other arm, one or two on my shoulders through my t-shirt, and the worst one was a bee that nailed me on the back of the neck at the hairline.

I climbed down the ladder and put them in a box. That's the way it goes sometimes.