I Want to Help the Honey Bees
I have had a bee hive for several years now, but last winter I lost my bees. This spring a new swarm moved in and I thought that was just fine by me. But I found out yesterday (the hard way) that what has taken up residence in my hive is the most vicious type of honey bee, Africanized Honey Bees.
When I was out on the back deck yesterday about noon, I looked over by where the hive was and couldn't see it. So I went over there and looked and the platform I had it on had collapsed and the hive was laying on the ground on it's side. So I went and got dressed in layers of clothes, a long sleeved, quilted on the inside, flannel shirt, long pants and boots, hat and netting for the head and face, and long gloves with sleeves that come up to your elbows, perfect bee working apparel. And out I went to right the hive.
First, let me say that a hive with two supers on it can way in excess of 80 pounds when full of honey. So it was not easy task getting the hive uprighted. Second, let me say that bees don't really like it when you turn their hive from horizontal to vertical. But when these bees got mad, they were out to kill... So I was immediately swarmed with over 200 mad *** bees that all wanted to hurt me. It's when they started to sting me through the shirt on the elbows that it really started to make me not want to tear the hive apart and set it up on anything. Then when they started to all climb on my shirt so that at times I couldn't see the shirt in spots, I decided to leave the area.
But Africanized bees are vehement buggers. They will chase you up to a quarter mile away. And as I went into the garage and closed the door, I noticed that there were way too many that had followed me into the garage and I was still getting stung through the shirt. So I started to swat them off my arms and brushing them off, I pulled down the elbow length covering on the left glove. Now they had access to my left arm and wrist, which they promptly took advantage of. After battling them in the garage for about 5 minutes, I opened the door to the house and told everyone to get out of the living room, and went in the house leaving about half of them behind. Then I went to the darkest place in the house, the bathroom, and they were still after me. I still had on the full gear, except the left glove, but they were being very insistent.
Finally, they all departed me and headed to the windows, which gave me a chance to go get the flyswatter and start KILLING BEES. I killed over 50 in the house, another 50 in the garage, and almost everyone I saw had already lost their stinger, deposited in me and my clothes. I got stung about 15 times in the left wrist, and at least five times in each elbow.
So now it is about 30 hours later, my left wrist is still aflame, my left arm is still swollen, and I know now that I have to eradicate this hive... Kill em, kill em all !!!!! I know this sounds extreme, but I would hate for anyone, ANYONE, especially a kid, to have to go through an attack by these bees. Africanized bees have been known to kill people...
Now the question is, do I get a new batch of honey bees next spring or do I just get rid of the hive?????? I don't know right now.
When I was out on the back deck yesterday about noon, I looked over by where the hive was and couldn't see it. So I went over there and looked and the platform I had it on had collapsed and the hive was laying on the ground on it's side. So I went and got dressed in la
First, let me say that a hive with two supers on it can way in excess of 80 pounds when full of honey. So it was not easy task getting the hive uprighted. Second, let me say that bees don't really like it when you turn their hive from horizontal to vertical. But when these bees got mad, they were out to kill... So I was immediately swarmed with over 200 mad *** bees that all wanted to hurt me. It's when they started to sting me through the shirt on the elbows that it really started to make me not want to tear the hive apart and set it up on anything. Then when they started to all climb on my shirt so that at times I couldn't see the shirt in spots, I decided to leave the area.
But Africanized bees are vehement buggers. They will chase you up to a quarter mile away. And as I went into the garage and closed the door, I noticed that there were way too many that had followed me into the garage and I was still getting stung through the shirt. So I started to swat them off my arms and brushing them off, I pulled down the elbow length covering on the left glove. Now they had access to my left arm and wrist, which they promptly took advantage of. After battling them in the garage for about 5 minutes, I opened the door to the house and told everyone to get out of the living room, and went in the house leaving about half of them behind. Then I went to the darkest place in the house, the bathroom, and they were still after me. I still had on the full gear, except the left glove, but they were being very insistent.
Finally, they all departed me and headed to the windows, which gave me a chance to go get the flyswatter and start KILLING BEES. I killed over 50 in the house, another 50 in the garage, and almost everyone I saw had already lost their stinger, deposited in me and my clothes. I got stung about 15 times in the left wrist, and at least five times in each elbow.
So now it is about 30 hours later, my left wrist is still aflame, my left arm is still swollen, and I know now that I have to eradicate this hive... Kill em, kill em all !!!!! I know this sounds extreme, but I would hate for anyone, ANYONE, especially a kid, to have to go through an attack by these bees. Africanized bees have been known to kill people...
Now the question is, do I get a new batch of honey bees next spring or do I just get rid of the hive?????? I don't know right now.
By:
LonghornFan
Age:
56-60
,
Male
1
response
