She got me through a pair of thin Hello Kitty socks -- hand-me-ups from my daughter. Next time I crack open the hive I'm wearing my daughter's hand-me-up high-top boots.
The stings never hurt that much. Just a quick sharp pain at the site and then I ignore it and don't think about it much. Until about 24 hours later, when it starts to itch. So then I scratch it, and it swells and gets red and itches all the more. I've read that some beekeepers get more, not less, sensitive to the venom the longer they keep hives. (I don't necessarily believe it, but I did read it somewhere. You read a whole lot of sh*t about a whole lot of everything these days and I'm getting more and more skeptical about all of it. Sorry for the sidebar rant.)
So since I'm still a bit conflicted about this bee business, maybe I'll have to give it up because my body will rebel. Speaking of conflicted, here's a comment about bees that appeared recently on Garden Rant. It expresses so well why I'm conflicted about this wonderful, fascinating, life-enhancing hobby I've chosen:
I hate to be a pooh bear, but I hate my neighbors bees. I live in typical urban southern city with small residential lots. My neighbor has 6 active hives in his backyard. We have bees everywhere! My kids are constantly getting stung to the point they are afraid to go out. If the door is left open, bees swarm inside looking for water. I thought I would love them but, I now I just want his hives gone.
4 comments:
I find that the sting area is sore and itchy the first day. Then it's fine, then about two days later it's hot and itchy and swollen all over again. The one on my jaw (when she got inside my veil) was the worst.
Stay with it Pam! At least until we can harvest some honey. Six hives? No wonder. I think the two we've got going in Arlington is way enough. Nobody's complaining anyway.
Sorry to hear about your sting. You're not really thinking of giving up the bees are you?? The kids and the stings is part of the reason I haven't taken it up yet. Six hives is a lot. Maybe I'll start with one and put it in the farthest corner of the lot.
Bee-keeping books and baby books all have a lot in common--EVERY single bit of advice is contradicted in at least two other references. Basically, it means you can do whatever you want and claim to be backed by experts!
BTW, six hives on one small piece of property is too many. No wonder they're in the neighbors' homes looking for water. I had a neighbor once with six kids, who, incidentally, be(e)haved in a similar manner!
Wheee! Hope it's not too itchy. I react the same way, except for the sting on my lower lip a week before I got married. I had quite the movie-star pout for a few days.
I agree, six hives is too many for an urban yard. Two is the maximum allowed here, but even with one I worry a little about angry neighbors.
I'd hate to see you give it up, though.
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