Just thought I'd share a newbie moment I had recently.
I found I had a few extra minutes mid-day last week, so decided to put escape boards on the last two hives I had not yet harvested. I thought about putting all of my gear on, but decided just my pullover w/veil and gloves would be fine - I left my worn out blue jeans on, rather than taking an extra minute to change into my white pants. I pulled a couple of mediums off, placed the escape board on, and noticed a bee stinging me on the thigh. I pulled the stinger out, and smoked the area, reaching for a super, and noticed another bee in exactly the same spot. I repeated the process, and picked up the super. By now there were several other bees on this obviously marked spot, all stinging me in good shape. I managed to gently fend off the offenders, and put the other super in place. I switched to the other hive next to it, and noticed more volunteers stinging me on the other leg. I managed to get the escape board on, and the supers on, and noticed a tickling sensation in the groin area...
Did I mention that these old jeans were a tad on the short side? By the time I walked five feet toward the house, I felt that sensation that I hoped I would not feel. Fortunately, ms. bee hadn't quite made it to the nether regions, so I was fortunate that she only stung me on the inner thigh. In all, I guess I got stung about 8-10 times. Legs were a bit stiff the next day, and I hobbled a bit...
I think in the future, I'll stick with my white painter's pants.
Todd.
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