At 09:35 AM 7/8/2004 -0500, you wrote:

>Hi!
>
>I had the most unpleasant experience in five years of beekeeping last
>weekend.  I was checking my two hives (one Carniolan, one Italian) at a
>friend's farm, and the bees attacked me like I've never experienced
>before.  They CLUNG to me, I was stung nearly a dozen


Yes, experienced somewhat the same thing. I'm new to beekeeping and it
almost made me think again about this job.

We went to prep 5 hives for moving. The bee's are kept on the owner's
brothers property and because of some quirks in the brother's personality,
it has been difficult for the beekeeper I replaced to service them.

The first hive went OK, honey super's pulled off and an empty Western put
on. New bottom board, tie down installed.

Second hive was a little more aggressive, perhaps alarmed by the first
hive. I managed to get whacked about 10 times and it seemed that no amount
of smoking myself could mask me. Same deal, pull the honey supers off, new
bottom board, tie down.

The third hive, located about 20 feet from the other two, was a nightmare.
When I started to pull the honey super's off, they weren't happy about it
and let me know. When I pulled the top brood box, they went nuts. Instead
of guzzling nectar and honey, like they should, I became their target and
got whacked about 30 to 40 more times in about 5 minutes. By the time I
started on the this hive, I was sweating, so the suit clung to the skin and
the stings came right through (I'm in a tropical climate, so it's short's
and T-shirt's under the suit). Setting the deep down, I did the though the
bushes, zigging and zagging, but they wouldn't leave.

After they calmed down, even after removing the stingers and smoking
myself, I couldn't get within 30 feet of the hive. Every time I got with in
range, they'd come after me en masse.

The other beekeeper got whacked only 3 times. But she's more experienced,
doesn't carry the extra weight I do and I was doing the work.

We stopped after buttoning up the third hive. I'd become light headed,
possibly from so much venom in so little time, perhaps a little from heat
exhaustion and adrenalin rush.

We finished up a few days later. Double socks, jeans, two long sleeve
shirts and wouldn't you know it - the two remaining hives weren't
aggressive. The actual move had a little excitement when one of the doors
opened (the hives had to be carried up some stairs, over and down a hill)
but the extra clothing helped.

We moved 4 of the hives, left the pissy one behind for now. Of the 4 moved,
3 are much gentler, however the 4th one still is pissy and probably a
candidate to be requeened. I'll be keeping my eye on that hive.

Howard

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