Hi: Sorry to see this article, bad publicity. Fortunately, the
speculation about hair gel diverted attention away from the basic issue:
the reporter was stung, not once, but many times.
Over the last 20 years, we have had many television reporters and
photographers in our beeyards. Only two have ever been stung, and they
did not get more than one sting each. The first was my mistake and was
similar to the Washington case. The second was the reporter's, and he
knew it.
While doing a story in Tacoma, I took a television crew to the home of a
hobbiest with three colonies in a suburban neighborhood. The bees were
in the back yard, down a hill, on the shore of the bay. The hives were
barely visible from the front driveway. We pulled up in the car, got
out, and a bee immediately got caught in the hair of the reporter. Since
he had longish hair, he probably would have been okay if he had let me
pinch her, but he started swatting, freightening the bee even more, and
she let him have it. I got him immediately back into the car and
removed the stinger. His hair had a strong floral smell - turns out he
was into "herbal shampoos".
I never take a television crew into a beeyard without first setting them
down and briefing them on what to expect, how to act, how to dress, and
what not to do (the most important part). I also keep a good eye on them
and the bees and choose yards where I have a reasonable chance of
predicting the behavior of the bees.
My rules are:
Do not wear perfume, scented hair products, or other scents
Wear loose fitting, light colored clothing
Wear shoes that cover your ankles
When buzzed by a bee, act like a post
Don't swat, jump around, etc.
If you get a bee in your hair, clothing, etc. - ask me to remove it.
If you get a bee in your veil, turn towards the sun so that the bee will
fly against the veil, not at you.
Keep your vehicle close by and leave the windows and doors closed - if
something goes wrong, jump in the car (the number of bees in the car with
you will surely be fewer than the number outside)
I also warn the camera person that the black or dark parts of the camera
may draw bees. Most camera folks have to work without gloves, so I make
sure that their sleeves are secured with a band and instruct them to
"grin and bear it" when a bee walks over their hand - which almost always
happens.
Which brings me to the second person ever stung while doing a story on
our work. It happened two weeks ago. This photographer was in the yard
for three hours while we re-queened, inspected hives, etc. Shot lots of
35 mm film. Just as he was finishing, I saw a bee light on his hand.
Sure enough, he swatted it. And she got him. I called out - don't do
that, but too late. We then rinsed off his sting and got him out of the
yard - the x marks of the spot pheromone would have drawn more bees.
He was a good sport, kind of grinned, and said, "guess I shouldn't have
done that."
My point is:
I always tell reporters and camera persons that I can't guarantee that no
one will get stung, but no one should ever get more than one sting, and
the odds of getting stung are very low. Ever since Tacoma, I make them
suit up while still well outside of the main flight path.
My impression is that my instructions not only prepare them for being
around bees, but also helps them feel more comfortable. I "preach"
respect, not fear.
Finally, I usually smoke the reporters and camera operators - to help
cancel any scents that might attract/agitate the bees. I keep an old
white lab coat handy - you can toss it over someone (e.g. such as the
fellow that got all the bees in his hair) as a shield. A mist any sting
areas with alcohol. We carry alcohol in spray bottles to disinfect and
to remove propolis from gloves, etc. May not be a real good
disinfectant, but it helps keep things cleaner. It also seems to reduce
the amount of alarm pheromone on gloves, sting sites, etc. I don't think
it totally removes the pheromone, but it certainly seems to reduce the
odor and cools down the bees.
Cheers
Jerry J. Bromenshenk
The University of Montana
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