A Bazillion Bees - No Drama, No Fire, No Panic

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - A Bazillion Bees - No Drama, No Fire, No Panic

Posted: 4/18/2010 2:29:10 PM EDT

I spent the day in a beekeeping field class. Thought I would share a few photos from it. I wore no gloves, handled many thousands of bees with no drama. Some folks didn't bother to wear veils. No bees died in the filming of this class

Tasting some honey:

I apologize for the lack of drama in this thread.

Posted: 4/18/2010 2:32:12 PM EDT

[#1]

I could suddenly go for a cup of tea.....with honey of course

Posted: 4/18/2010 2:37:54 PM EDT

[#2]

Cool!

Posted: 4/18/2010 2:46:23 PM EDT

[#3]

That whole area needs to be nuked from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

Too many bees, not enough fire.

Posted: 4/18/2010 2:49:06 PM EDT

[#4]

Apparently 1 part ivory liquid to 12 parts water will take care of that problem

Posted: 4/18/2010 2:50:54 PM EDT

[#5]

You're crazy. And not in a good way.

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:01:57 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
You're crazy. And not in a good way.

Three hours, no gloves, lots of handling and no-one of 25 or so people were stung.

Crazy how?

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:06:07 PM EDT

[#7]

I spy the queen in that 6th pic!

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:08:47 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
I spy the queen in that 6th pic!

Damn good eyes!

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:10:33 PM EDT

[#9]

Them things look big.

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:12:53 PM EDT

[#10]

My neighbor used to always have bees and they were very friendly like that. Never bothered anyone. A few years ago they died off and he ordered replacements, and those were really aggressive for some reason. He finally sent them off to a farm where they wouldn't be around anyone who wasn't suited up. They used to attack me 20' away from their hive for no reason when I was working in my garden.

Oh yeah, which one is you CWO? (Person, not bee.)

ETA: Fixed confusing wording.

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:13:53 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I spy the queen in that 6th pic!

Damn good eyes!

I've been in a couple of hives myself, back in the day.

Cool pics!

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:14:34 PM EDT

[#12]

Kinda Jealous...... I would love to go to an event like that

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:16:18 PM EDT

[#13]

Man, where can I find some honey in the comb right now. Tasty!

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:19:20 PM EDT

[#14]

you should find a program that enlarges those picture sizes...not quite big enough.....

(microsoft picture resizer powertoy....)

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:22:51 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

you should find a program that enlarges those picture sizes...not quite big enough.....

(microsoft picture resizer powertoy....)

Right Click > View Image...

You'll thank me later!

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:26:32 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Man, where can I find some honey in the comb right now. Tasty!

MMMMMMMmmmmm!!! Fresh honeycomb on toast!!!!!!!!!

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:27:33 PM EDT

[#17]

Calling out a moderator? tsk-tsk

Do you at least leave with some honey?

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:29:57 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
I spy the queen in that 6th pic!

you're right

Great pics, thanks

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:31:18 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

That whole area needs to be nuked from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

Too many bees, not enough fire.

he wasn't miking rattle snakes.....

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:38:19 PM EDT

[#20]

My brother was over yesterday and told me that they just had 12,000 bees taken out of an exterior wall of their house. Apparently they had noticed bees all over the place and after they learned they could hear them buzzing in the wall figured out there was a problem.

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:47:37 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:

Quoted:

You're crazy. And not in a good way.

Three hours, no gloves, lots of handling and no-one of 25 or so people were stung.

Crazy how?

Pussy bees!!

Mmm, honeycomb.

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:55:12 PM EDT

[#22]

Find the Queen in one of the pics, I did !!!

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:56:51 PM EDT

[#23]

Damn and I just killed a few thousand of them today in my yard. I thought about seeing if any beekeepers wanted them but they all wanted to charge me $$. So I burned them out. Only cost me about .50

Posted: 4/18/2010 3:58:21 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Man, where can I find some honey in the comb right now. Tasty!

When they pulled the cover off that one (full) hive that had comb attached to it - folks were carving off pieces of whole comb and honey with their hive tools so fast - it was gone in less than a minute.

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:01:35 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:

Oh yeah, which one is you CWO? (Person, not bee.)

I was behind the camera.

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:07:40 PM EDT

[#26]

Can you post info about the class please?

Thanks

Roy

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:10:46 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Can you post info about the class please?

Thanks

Roy

Montgomery County Md. Class Info (Maryland)

Keep in mind that there are 3-4 classes in different Maryland counties - held by different county associations.

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:18:59 PM EDT

[#28]

So... is there a bee shortage in Maryland?

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:30:33 PM EDT

[#29]

Hands up everybody who thought the rows of hives looked like wooden ammo boxes

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:31:55 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
So... is there a bee shortage in Maryland?

Maryland has felt the effect of Colony Collapse Disorder like many other places nationwide. I read a local Listserve and a fair number of beekeepers in the area lost some of their hives in February-March and are looking to replace them.

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:45:10 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:

Quoted:
So... is there a bee shortage in Maryland?

Maryland has felt the effect of Colony Collapse Disorder like many other places nationwide. I read a local Listserve and a fair number of beekeepers in the area lost some of their hives in February-March and are looking to replace them.

If you have several hives and lose the population of one of them to the disorder, how long before the vacant hive re-populates naturally? How long before it is back to max size? When you re-populate, do you just buy(?) a queen and several hundred workers? How long does re-population that way take?

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:50:04 PM EDT

[#32]

No Fire? that's why I clicked on this thread to tell you that I'm not gonna click on this thread.

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:51:20 PM EDT

[#33]

Every time one of these threads pop up, I immediately think of that Simpsons episode where Homer steals all that sugar...

Beekeeper 1: Well, sure is quiet in here today.
Beekeeper 2: Yes, a little too quiet, if you know what I mean.
Beekeeper 1: Hmm... I'm afraid I don't.
Beekeeper 2: You see, bees usually make a lot of noise. No noise - suggests no bees!
Beekeeper 1: Oh, I understand now.
(a bee flies by)
Beekeeper 1: Oh look, there goes one now.
Beekeeper 2: To the Beemobile!
Beekeeper 1: You mean your Chevy?
Beekeeper 2: (pause) Yes.

Someone please find video –– I searched but couldn't. I love that clip

_MaH

Posted: 4/18/2010 4:51:46 PM EDT

[#34]

Very cool!

One day I'd love to raise bees.

Posted: 4/18/2010 5:04:48 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:

Quoted:
So... is there a bee shortage in Maryland?

Maryland has felt the effect of Colony Collapse Disorder like many other places nationwide. I read a local Listserve and a fair number of beekeepers in the area lost some of their hives in February-March and are looking to replace them.

If you have several hives and lose the population of one of them to the disorder, how long before the vacant hive re-populates naturally? How long before it is back to max size? When you re-populate, do you just buy(?) a queen and several hundred workers? How long does re-population that way take?

It is unlikely that a hive will naturally repopulate itself - unless a feral (wild) swarm discovers it and moves in... or if one of your other hives swarms and moves in. In other words - very unlikely. Once of the full size (Langstroth) hives we opened today had a major problem - no queen in the hive and very few bees huddled in one of the honey supers.

If the queen dies or has a major problem - the bees will realize this and convert some larval cells to queen cells to re-queen the hive.

The normal method to re-establish a hive is to order bees and a queen - but it is late for that and they would be hard to find right now. I understand that postal workers can get unnerved when a 5 pound screened box of bees arrives at the post office for pickup.

Posted: 4/18/2010 5:06:27 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

The normal method to re-establish a hive is to order bees and a queen - but it is late for that and they would be hard to find right now. I understand that postal workers can get unnerved when a 5 pound screened box of bees arrives at the post office for pickup.

We used to order ours through Sears and Roebuck. No shit!

Posted: 4/18/2010 5:08:14 PM EDT

[#37]

Great Photos, and Thanks for sharing.

It seems there are plenty of Arfcommers who are into it. This is my 5th year and I am still enjoying it.

Posted: 4/18/2010 5:12:03 PM EDT

[#38]

<–– mead

Posted: 4/18/2010 5:20:51 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:

Quoted:
The normal method to re-establish a hive is to order bees and a queen - but it is late for that and they would be hard to find right now. I understand that postal workers can get unnerved when a 5 pound screened box of bees arrives at the post office for pickup.

We used to order ours through Sears and Roebuck. No shit!

Then again - you could buy a full auto Thompson from Sears for $175.

Posted: 4/18/2010 6:10:27 PM EDT

[#40]

Obviously a strain of Quaker bees.

Posted: 4/18/2010 7:00:02 PM EDT

[#41]

No gloves, ok, I get that. One bee sting isn't so bad (spoken as a guy who had to pull a half-drowned bee out of his swim shorts AFTER the sting

)
But I'd be worried that one sting might cause me to flinch and drop the frame with all bee-hell breaking loose (plus a damaged frame and loss of contents)

How do you guys handle that? (controlling the involuntary 'twitch' that must accompany a bee sting.

Also, do they do the pheromone thing like hornets where pissing one off caused the whole swarm to well, swarm you?

Posted: 4/18/2010 7:06:50 PM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:
No gloves, ok, I get that. One bee sting isn't so bad (spoken as a guy who had to pull a half-drowned bee out of his swim shorts AFTER the sting

)
But I'd be worried that one sting might cause me to flinch and drop the frame with all bee-hell breaking loose (plus a damaged frame and loss of contents)

How do you guys handle that? (controlling the involuntary 'twitch' that must accompany a bee sting.

Also, do they do the pheromone thing like hornets where pissing one off caused the whole swarm to well, swarm you?

I had quite a number of bees land on the back of my hand today - and either just sit still... or crawl around. It is (for me) just a leap of faith that they are not going to sting. If I were stung - I would step away from the hive. Yes - the bees have a gland that emits a pheromone that can signal alarm. They put their heads down with raised abdomens when emitting this pheromone. An instructor was stung at a class yesterday and used it as a teaching lesson on stinger removal. Other bees did not follow the single sting - even though they were in close contact.

I think it is just a matter of steeling oneself.

Posted: 4/18/2010 8:00:44 PM EDT

[#43]

You can see the queen in picture #6.

Way to kiss beekeeper's ass!

Posted: 4/18/2010 8:08:56 PM EDT

[#44]

Cool!

I too spotted the queen.

Don't understand why some folks freak out about bees (unless allergic).

Posted: 4/18/2010 8:37:52 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:

Cool!

I too spotted the queen.

Don't understand why some folks freak out about bees (unless allergic).

I like bees, honey and making mead. Today I kicked up an underground hive while doing yardwork and man they were pissed. My entire yard was a swirling swarm of pissed off bees. They calmed down after a while and made a huge ball of bees on the fence.

Seeing as I like bees and such, I tried to get someone to come take them. I figured a beekeeper. Called a few and they all wanted to charge me to take them ( a lot of $ too). Hell all this time I was hearing that bees are getting rare and some beekeepers are going out of business. Guess not.

I burned them all out. Damn shame too because they have tons of comb in there. I have small children on both sides of my property and I am not waiting until they get nailed. Bees had to die by fire unfortunately.

Posted: 4/18/2010 8:40:55 PM EDT

[#46]

Try that shit with snakes now..

Posted: 4/18/2010 9:01:22 PM EDT

[#47]

Quoted:
Cool!

I too spotted the queen.

Don't understand why some folks freak out about bees (unless allergic).

I'm deathly allergic.

I love honey bees, but everything else creeps me out a bit. I was stung on my hand by a wasp last year. I had to use 2 epipens, and my right arm was swollen to about 3x its normal size for about 3 days.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - A Bazillion Bees - No Drama, No Fire, No Panic

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