Backyard beekeeping - splitting a hive
Amateur beekeeper Jason Striegel asked his friend Chris to take photos of a hive splitting operation. Here's Chris' experience:
But my attitude did a 180 when a bee got stuck between my eyebrow and the eyepiece of my camera and it stung me like crazy. Then another one swooped into my eye and got tangled in my lashes buzzing like crazy. I lost it and shook them off violently..staying calm and moving slow went right out the window. I sprinted my ass off back to the safety of the house. I'd like to say that was the worst of it. But later, when the queen was found and the hive splitting was a success, the bees weren't done being pissed off. I was just standing there minding my own business and one mean bastard worker bee flew right directly into my right ear. DEEP! And it started trying to get deeper! I completely lost my shit. I started dancing all around making all kinds of girly noises. My heart rate was probably 200. The buzzing was unbelievable, it sounded and felt like it was almost into my brain before I finally got a grip on the little shit and yanked him out and threw him. Incredibly I didn't get stung.Link (via Make)My takeaways from the evening: Beehives are awesome. It's hard to find a queen. Don't go near a beehive when it's being split without protection. Having a bee in your ear is about the most terrifying thing that can happen to you.
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You went near angry Bees without protection?
Think of it as evolution in action.
Ballsy sir.
Wow. That passage completely reminded me of the experience, while young, of having a large housefly zoom right up my nostril. To this day I have a fear of flies. The inevitable inhallation when something startling happens, making the problem much, much worse. The feeling of its wings vibrating the nose hairs as it wriggled farther up.
/shudders.
babies! Try keeping your cool when you feel teredoes boring your axons.
Love the post! We have to encourage amateur apiary or face pollination Armageddon.
Why do insects love our crevices so much?
MRSCIENCE: A bee flew up my nose while I was cycling home from work in heavy traffic. It did sting me, and I nearly got run over. It felt like I was going to lose the sight in one eye. I didn't, and I still like bees.
In an unrelated incident, a wasp stung me in my sleep, while I was having nightmares about being stung by a wasp - it was late summer: I saw the wretched creature in its death throes, and in my sleep every bead of sweat felt like a wasp. Especially the one that was, in fact a wasp.
I had one land on my eye once... my OPEN eye. It's amazaing how very, very still you can be.
Worker bees are all female so calling them "bastards" or "he" only makes them more pissed off. Are we still losing bees BTW?
A bee in the ear, eh? I wonder if the folks down in Gitmo have used that one.
Come on, "girly noises"? I know plenty of girls who are smart enough to not do what you did without a bee suit. You made "scared shitless" noises, or you "cried like a baby", dude.
Just reading the ear episode gave me a minor anxiety attack.
Yo Chris, if your buddy invites you on other adventures - like skydiving, only he has a 'chute and you don't, or scuba diving, and he has a tank and you don't, you might want to reconsider the friendship.
Some of my relatives used to keep bees- they always used smoke to calm the bees when opening hives. I have very fond memories of the combined smell of smoke, bees and honey.
Seems appropriate to give a link to a picture of a Bee Beard.
I was on a rickety bus on the way home from camp when a fly got bugsplattered into my eye on account of no windows. It survived for a moment then squished and I was freaked the hell out, blinking bug guts and trying to see again and realizing that flies aren't cute and fuzzy- that fuzz is like tiny little daggers.
I never told anyone or said a thing just sat there trying not to sob and trying to get the fly out of my eye. I count it as one of the worst experiences of my life.
bee beard bah! show me a bee merkin and I'll be impressed
Takuan
Searching for a bee merkin
Got me Googlowned in a way not involving bees and involving lots and lots of fecal matter.
I hate you.
Actually, I can relate. I am a beekeeper and over the years have become allergic to bees (nobody said I was smart). Through a series of foibles (mainly a small opening in my bee suit) I also had a bee in my ear canal! A quick trip to the ER and their clever use of a mini vacuum thingy finally got it out. A couple of shots (benedryl & cortisone) later, the hives dissipated and I was nearly as good as new. Ear still hurts though. I can relate to Mark's "girly noises," only I was more "howling like a banshee." It was horrible --- I can still hear and feel that thing... ACK!!!!