Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The trouble with bees

is that they sting.

Currently I am nursing four stings on my left arm and one sting on my inner thigh. This is a direct result of putting the Porter bee escapes in and having to separate out the supers in order to lift them. All was well and I was feeling superior until the heaviest two stuck together. I had to lift and several of the frames came out. This annoyed the bees who guessed correctly that all their lovely stores were about to depleted.

I decided the better part of valour was not to take the supers and simply to put on the bee escapes. I should be able to get the supers on Thursday after they have cleared of bees. In a strange way, it is all rather exciting. The danger time of beekeeping. Luckily I am not allergic (or not very)

It is not exactly ideal BUT the weather has turned colder and I will need to treat for varroa soon rather than later. So the supers will have to come off and the honey harvested BEFORE I go to London. The words having no time to breathe come to mind.

Thus far, it looks a decent honey harvest but nowhere near as much as last year. This is good as about 50 lbs remaining from last year.

But oh how bee stings sting.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I might have been able to brave it out before this summer but now. I have never been stung before and I have now find I am alergic. Not deathly so but enough to be swollen for a week!

Good luck :-)

Nell Dixon said...

Ouchy, ouchy ouch. Please be careful, allergies build over time with exposure. Hugs.

Jen Black said...

That's a lot of bee stings in one go, Michelle and just when you face a long train journey to a glam party! Sympathy oozing your way!
Jen

Unknown said...

Ah but what is life for if not to get stung once in a while. Swelling is not an allergic reaction. Out here in western US I am on same task, take honey and treat bees. This morn I will leave California for Kansas where bees have been for summer. It was summer three weeks ago but now ... chilly nights and lowering light of autumn. But how much more wonderful to be tied to the seasons than confined in a flourescent cubicle.