# The stupidest thing I did while beeping was...



## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Hmm, how bad was the burn? Something about as bad is seeing the smoker is "out", puffing a few times, rain comes up so you just leave it in the floorboard of your jeep...you go back out to the jeep after the rain has gone, open the door, and you can't see the steering wheel for all the smoke from the "magically" rekindled smoker. Took a couple of months and *heavy* cleaning to get (most of) that smell out of the jeep!!!!! :waiting: :doh:

Ed


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Intheswamp said:


> Hmm, how bad was the burn? Something about as bad is seeing the smoker is "out", puffing a few times, rain comes up so you just leave it in the floorboard of your jeep...you go back out to the jeep after the rain has gone, open the door, and you can't see the steering wheel for all the smoke from the "magically" rekindled smoker. Took a couple of months and *heavy* cleaning to get (most of) that smell out of the jeep!!!!! :waiting: :doh:
> 
> Ed


Wow Ed. That was dumb!  Sorry I said I wouldn't judge. Seriously though thanks for sharing. :applause: Thank God you still have your jeep. It's amazing how things can go from great to awful in a few minutes.

The burn still hurts but I will live. I am glad I can laugh about it .


----------



## TokerM (Jul 31, 2012)

Put honey on the burn, and wrap it up... I gave myself a 2nd deg steam burn making up a pot of pasta yesterday, today.... no sign of a burn.


----------



## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

dnichols said:


> Wow Ed. That was dumb!  Sorry I said I wouldn't judge. Seriously though thanks for sharing. :applause: Thank God you still have your jeep. It's amazing how things can go from great to awful in a few minutes.
> 
> The burn still hurts but I will live. I am glad I can laugh about it .


<chuckle>Yelp...that shoulda been a scene in "Dumb and Dumber". I actually sat in the jeep with the smoker between my feet for a good 15 minutes waiting for the rain to stop and not a wisp or hint of smoke...this was after being *unsuccessful* in getting it lit before the rain hit (it was a damp day and only needed to get into the bees for a few minutes). Other than being smoked out no damage to the jeep...thankfully. During the de-smoking period I almost wished it had lit the jeep up, though!!! I probably now have more respect for a smoker than 99.9% of the people out here, that's for sure! I try to share that respect with anyone I can. 

So, has anyone ever shared with you the reason you don't place body parts against searing hot metal? Scene 23, maybe?  

Be careful. 
Ed


----------



## throrope (Dec 18, 2008)

Here's one for the same story.

Years ago I set my smoker aside and then heard a yelp. My curious strong headed younger son true to form got hold of it. If not for him knowing he shouldn't have fussed with it in the first place, we'd have endured his howl for the evening. Now near a decade later, he long forgot and no marks remain.


----------



## scrapiron (Aug 18, 2011)

I extracted a few supers last monday. Ended up with a gallon sized ziplock bag full of cappings. The first error, I left the bag on the kitchen counter all night. We keep the house nice and cold. Tuesday I was going to drain the honey out of the bag and melt the cappings. I cut my usual slit in the corner of the bag and hung the bag to drain into a quart mason jar. Well after 30 mins, nothing had happened. The honey was too cold to flow. Well, I got the brilliant idea to hang the bag in the attic where it is HOT! So I moved the bag up there, put the jar underneath, and left to run some errands in town. Well.... apparently the bag had about a quart and a half of honey in it!!! When I got home, I skated down the hallway thru a puddle of honey. I cleaned up all I saw in the attic, and on the ceiling. For the last 4 days the hallway drips honey. Im glad I have a wife who loves me!


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Scrapiron. I was laughing out loud on this one. Laughing with you not at you. Very funny. My wife loves me too. She puts up with some humdingers! 

Come on folks we need more dumb bee stories. Are you shy. We all have been there. Share your worst and make someone else feel better...


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Hmmm, where do I start?
Backed into a semi w/ my trailer and bent back the bumper. $500.00
Yesterday backed into a pallet of bees w/ my Bobcat destroying the deep super of one hive.
Ran over a friends beehive while backing up my 1 ton truck.
Ran over a cpl of smokers in my beekeeping life.

That's enuf for now.

Question. How do you burn the back of your palm? My palm is on the front of my hand.


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

sqkcrk said:


> Hmmm, where do I start?
> Backed into a semi w/ my trailer and bent back the bumper. $500.00
> Yesterday backed into a pallet of bees w/ my Bobcat destroying the deep super of one hive.
> Ran over a friends beehive while backing up my 1 ton truck.
> ...


Holy cow!! ran over a hive. How bad. Were the bees mad...:lookout:

thanks for opening up. 


Actually it was the outside of my palm. The line along the edge of pinky finger. Feeling better now.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Oh, I see.

Somewhat agitated, yes. Fortunately I had an empty deep, so I switched thm out right away. Losrt a frame of honey. Not too bad.


----------



## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Uh, Mark, I don't think he said anything about the back of his palm. Remedial rea...aw, never mind!  

Ed

Man ya'll type fast!!!!!


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Great stuff I am feeling better already. :lpf: Keep em coming.


----------



## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

I've done a lot of stupid things while beekeeping. One that is still fresh on my mind from this spring involves a swarm capture mishap. 

Late one evening this past spring I was moving a captured swarm to one of my yards. Upon arrival I spotted a swarm from one of my overwintered colonies in a small tree at about eye level. After setting up the original swarm I took an empty nuc and went after my swarm in the tree. 

I had a full suit on and was not too concerned about getting stung so I was moving pretty fast to get this wrapped up before dark. I cradled the nuc under my left arm, lifted it up under the swarm, and with my right hand smacked the branch down to knock the bees into the box. For the first couple of seconds all was well. I got most of the 15,000 or so bees cleanly in the box.

After that things went downhill quickly. I took a step backward and tripped on a small stump, losing my balance. I did not fall down but during my recovery the box slipped out of my arm and all of the bees dumped out on my chest and I was covered in bees head to toe. Swarms are usually pretty docile. This particular swarm was not too happy about me shakin their tree in the evening, and they let me know it. Within seconds I felt dozens of them crawling up my leg inside the suit. I'm glad I was not out where anyone could see me. I must have looked like a bloomin idiot, stomping my feet, jumping up and down, shaking the suit. Once I got the bees off the outside of the suit I think I broke a world record for the fastest removal of a bee suit. 

I got several stings out of it ... but it could have been a lot worse. I'm sure a video of my mishap would have been a real comedy act to watch.


----------



## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Mike Gillmore said:


> <snip>
> 
> I got several stings out of it ... but it could have been a lot worse. I'm sure a video of my mishap would have been a real comedy act to watch.


Mental note to self... "Self, contact Senator about getting a new federal bee-law stipulating that all apiaries must have motion activated video cameras connected wirelessly to youtube....it could be sneaked in in the healthcare bill...royalties from possible movie rights could pay down the national debt in what, three years?"

Noted.

Ed


----------



## TokerM (Jul 31, 2012)

All videos must also be at double speed and have "Yakity Sax" for the soundtrack.

- the Benny Hill theory of comedy.


----------



## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

That's funny. :applause:

It may already be in the Health Care Bill ... we haven't finished reading it yet.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Intheswamp said:


> Uh, Mark, I don't think he said anything about the back of his palm. Remedial rea...aw, never mind!
> 
> Ed
> 
> Man ya'll type fast!!!!!


Reread th OP, Swampie.


----------



## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> Reread th OP, Swampie.


OP: "Needless to say I burned two fingers and the outside of my palm. My wife had no sympathy for me."

What am I missing here? Looks like he burned the outside of his palm...not the BACKside of it. 

My meds must be wearing off. 

Ed


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

well shoot. i guess i can't read. must be the heat. 90 something here today and muggy. i'm glad my swamp buddy is there to set me straight.  where is sergey when we need him?

i wonder if our birdman has moved on to beemaster.com of beekeepingforums.com?


----------



## BigGun (Oct 27, 2011)

Well the dumb thing I did was not getting some good help. I fell in a ditch with a pretty good sized swarm in a large tub. Not my fault completely. Had an injured sciatic nerve that messes with my stability. Was lucky to set the swarm off to the side as I was going down. I actually have video. Lol


----------



## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

Mine happened the other day,

My uncle told me he had a very mean hive. My cousin, verified the story, stating he would requeen the hive ASAP. We needed to go into the hive, but I did not heed my family's advice. 

After work, I show up ready to work the hive. Work for me is very casual in the summer, shorts and casual dress shirt are the norm. So, I show up in my shorts, and over my shorts throw on a thin tyvek painters suit and my excellent bee jacket (from Brushy Mountain). Since I am very tall, the suit leaves my ankles exposed (covered by a thin pair of socks, no bare skin - thank goodness). Not really worried about this, I have worked my bees like this all summer.

So, smoke the hive as I always do mine. Nothing remarkable. Do notice, that when I put a few puffs on the entrance, it did not faze the bees. Should have been my first sign. Take the half full super off, no big deal. TOUCH a brood frame, and the bees literally explode on me. My ankles get tore up. My uncle, had forgotten to latch the velcro on his suit, he gets lit up. So I go to help him out. Then we reassemble the hive and get out. Well, we forgot to put the super on.....


----------



## jadell (Jun 19, 2011)

Had a couple of beers (well, that's my story) last spring at our annual neighborhood Memorial Day party. Then I thought, man it's awfully hot, I should see what the bees are up to. Walked over to look at them. They were Bearding something fierce. I then decided it was a great idea to take the entrance reducers out of my two small hives. After several stings and swearing, I now know it's never a good idea to drink my homebrew and try to do something with the bees. At least I didn't get any to the face! No video, but all my neighbors were entertained.


----------



## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

<chuckle> Oh I'm glad to help out, Mark...here's your cane...no, this way...that's a closet.

bird...it's been over two weeks since he's posted. Are you missin' him?  I hope ain't nothing happened to him. Haven't seen him on beemaster.

Don't forget your prune juice.

Ed


----------



## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

It was the start of my 2nd year of beekeeping. I had done a large cut out under a raised house trailer and hadn't gotten all the bees including the queen the first trip. I then worked 4-12hr night shifts and on my last one before work I put a deep box with a couple drawn frames and empty frames into my trunk to go back in the morning, hoping the rest were still there. I have a small 2 door car and transport bees in my trunk. 

Get there in the morning and a very nice size bundle of bees were at their original spot rebuilding. The man who owned the property was there, no more than 20 ft away with a front scoop construction machine and he was demolishing a bus. Needless to say, I worked in a hurry. Brushed and scooped the larger than a basketball size swarm into the hive and put the lid, the kind with 4 sides nailed to the lid. Transport screen on front. Put it in my trunk (how many of you know where this is going?) I have a basic economy car. 

Everything ok for the first part of the trip to the yard, but when I was about 7 miles away I noticed an increase of not just a few bees in the back window. I was on a road that had traffic lights and a couple school zones to get through for 2 miles before I got out into the country where I could drive nonstop til I got to my bee yard.

I was getting nervous as more and more bees were coming into the car. I had both windows open to keep the bees in back with the air pressure. When I had to stop or slow, they flew around and some in the front of the car. Finally I was out in the country. At the last stop light in town, I picked up a state patrol driving behind me. I"m not sure if he could see what was going on in my car--which by this time the back window was loaded with flying bees. They were moving up the side windows (remember 2-door) and as they got to the front window got sucked out. State patrol behind me, and I have a bumper sticker that says "got bees?". I did not have my protection on. 

I get to the yard, throw the door open and bail out and all the bees did too. I am quite sure the entire remaining colony was inside my car. They swarmed around in the air and then were gone. Very few left in the box or trunk. I cried. (Am I the only one who has cried over their dumb and dumber story?) I put the box out anyway and went home. I didn't have the lid on tight. 

What really amazed me is that I went back 2 days later and there was a colony of bees in the box. I suspected it was the same colony, only because it was their comb and where else did they have to go? I still have that colony. I now use straps and tape, and I have a large piece of lanai screen that I put over boxes of bees when I'm moving them.

On my way home the morning it happened I called my son and told him about it and he said, "That is just so creepy. Like a scary movie."


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

BigGun said:


> Well the dumb thing I did was not getting some good help. I fell in a ditch with a pretty good sized swarm in a large tub. Not my fault completely. Had an injured sciatic nerve that messes with my stability. Was lucky to set the swarm off to the side as I was going down. I actually have video. Lol


Ok BigGun, you opened a can of worms on this one. Where's the video? Cough it up and nobody gets hurt. :waiting:


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

jadell said:


> Had a couple of beers (well, that's my story) last spring at our annual neighborhood Memorial Day party. Then I thought, man it's awfully hot, I should see what the bees are up to. Walked over to look at them. They were Bearding something fierce. I then decided it was a great idea to take the entrance reducers out of my two small hives. After several stings and swearing, I now know it's never a good idea to drink my homebrew and try to do something with the bees. At least I didn't get any to the face! No video, but all my neighbors were entertained.


Jadell, I am sure they were just miffed you didn't share the homebrew. opcorn: I brew myself. You have anything going now?


----------



## mac (May 1, 2005)

Dumbest thing I did was start beekeeping THINKING it would be easy HA HA.


----------



## New Ky Beekeeper (Jun 27, 2011)

scrapiron said:


> When I got home, I skated down the hallway thru a puddle of honey. I cleaned up all I saw in the attic, and on the ceiling. For the last 4 days the hallway drips honey. Im glad I have a wife who loves me!


Now that is funny!


----------



## New Ky Beekeeper (Jun 27, 2011)

OK. I have been working with a friend of mine who operates a local winery. He was wanting to start a line of mead and wanted to include 5 gallons of our honey as a "interesting aspect" or "nitch" for his mead. I had communicated the agreement with local media (friends of mine too) and to the state office of farm direct sales (known as Kentucky Proud) since I am certified. Bottom line: On a Sunday afternoon they would cover the event of the first 5 gallons of honey being poured into a vat and starting a mead. 

Without thinking the evening before, I was walking through a bee yard and found one of my hives were not active. As the other 5 bee hives were very active, but this one only had one or two bees coming and going. I wondered if the hive was dead or gone so I openned the lid just to peak in. Now, I can work these hives with just a vale. However, every bee in that hive was waiting on me and when I cracked open the lid to take a peak, they hit me above my left eye...... I believe I was stung 5 times. By morning my eye looked like I was hit with a baseball bat. All the loose skin around my eye was puffy (i am not alergic) In church I wore sunglasses and I was lucky my youngest daughter came home from college that day for the presss release photos..... 

PS- The bees were fine...... 
Phil


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Intheswamp said:


> bird...it's been over two weeks since he's posted. Are you missin' him?


Sounds like you are Ed.

I am back now. 42 years ago we took a trip to PEI that included Bar harbor, Maine, Bay of Fundy and the Cabot Trail. We just completed that same trip in reverse order to revive the childhood memories. There is some beautiful country side in Canada and Maine.

Now that I have an interest in bees I was looking everywhere for them and was sadden that they are not that plentiful where we went. There was plenty of blooming golden rod but their vegetables were far behind ours. I wondered if they would even bear fruit. It has got to be hard to garden there. Fresh wild blueberry pies were awesome though.

Now as far as the topic goes I don't think this forum needs to hear the list of stupid things I do beekeeping.


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Oh come on Acebird. The least you can do is entertain us with a little faux pas...


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Did I mention my wife is a writer and English fanatic? She just let me know that stupidest is not a word. When you have a word with multiple syllables you can't add est. It should have read the most stupid or I could have said dumbest. Now I really feel stupid. She still loves me though. ;-)


----------



## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

First (of many)mistakes, trying to take one last sip of my morning coffee and realizing you can't do that after you have already zipped up your veil...


----------



## oblib (Oct 28, 2011)

Lauri said:


> First (of many)mistakes, trying to take one last sip of my morning coffee and realizing you can't do that after you have already zipped up your veil...


I've tried that too:scratch:


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Hey Laurie, yes I was waiting for that one! inch: thanks for sharing!:gh:


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Shoot, that's nothin'. I know guys who chew tobacco and forget their veil is on. If you know what I mean.

And you can't drink through a veil? Practice. But thanks for the image.


----------



## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

sqkcrk said:


> Shoot, that's nothin'. I know guys who chew tobacco and forget their veil is on. If you know what I mean.
> 
> 
> Now THAT is funny! Now I don't feel quite so stupid


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Glad I could help. I know guys who smoke who have done so w/ the cigarette inside the veil. Never mistake whose veil is whose. The one w/ the hole in it is the smokers. heh,heh


----------



## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Acebird said:


> Sounds like you are Ed.


No it's more like walking along, knowing there's guineas on the property and afraid they're gonna come out of the tree branches at ya. 



Acebird said:


> I am back now. 42 years ago we took a trip...<snip>


I'm disappointed, I was expecting something more along the lines of this trip...





ETA: I forgot to mention....that was one LONG TRIP!!!!!


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

'scuse me while I kiss the sky.

yaoh!! Jimi rocks!!


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Well, there was the time...one of my apiaries got left off the year's master list. Went to pull the supers in August, and there weren't any supers on the hives. DOH


----------



## NC Queen Bee (Jun 15, 2012)

Well, I guess I will confess... It was my first summer of beekeeping. The bees had been so gentle, I was amazed.. I would sit in front of the hive and watch the girls come and go for long periods of time... I had walked down to the bee yard and saw that one of the hives had NO bees out front.. The others had tons out front... I walk over to the hive, knock on the side and put my ear to the side to listen---the wind was blowing and I couldn't hear if they were humming... SO, I open the top--- NO smoker, No veil with a tank top, shorts and flip-flops on... Nothing like beating on the side of the hive before you open it.... And I walked away with ONLY three stings and a few head butts... My husband had no sympathy for me... As he walked away, I could swear, I heard him say, "IF you don't have any more sense than that , You may not need bees..." He is NOT a fan of my bees and thought I had flipped my lid when I asked for two hives for Christmas, that yr..


----------



## Fl_Beak (May 9, 2010)

I guess it was last August or September I decided to requeen a hot hive...Tucked my pants into my socks but the bees figured that one out and lit up my ankles. I came inside and changed into an old pair of jeans and cowboy boots I've owned since teenage years. Ducktaped my cuffs down. Figured in my best Clint Eastwood -"I got you bee-itches." Then my ankles started to swelll up inside those boots, so when I finally caged the old queen and replaced her, came out of 90+ heat, I couldn't get the boots off, nor the pants.

My wife was pulling and twisting at those boots and I thought I was gonna have a heat stroke.


----------



## BigGun (Oct 27, 2011)

dnichols said:


> Ok BigGun, you opened a can of worms on this one. Where's the video? Cough it up and nobody gets hurt. :waiting:


I considered putting it up on my photobucket but I used some not so nice language. It was funny seeing myself hive a swarm while coated with mud up to my armpits. Got Lucky and not one sting.


----------



## Hokie Bee Daddy (Apr 1, 2011)

OK. I'll throw my hat in. I used an extractor last year for the first time. The honey poured out of the honey gate into strainers on top of the bucket. I didn't get much honey. I probably had a gallon of honey in the strainers. The honey was dripping through the strainers very slow. I decided I would take the bucket up to my warm garage and the warm honey would drip through the strainers faster. I picked the 5 gallon bucket up by the handle not even thinking about all of the weight being ABOVE the handle. I walked about 10 feet and the bucket tipped over and spilled all of my precious honey on our basement carpet. What an absolute mess!

I'm not smart sometime but I am trainable. I didn't do it this year


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Michael Palmer said:


> Well, there was the time...one of my apiaries got left off the year's master list. Went to pull the supers in August, and there weren't any supers on the hives. DOH


Hey Mike thanks for playing! Wow a whole yard without supers! And I am worried about a couple weak nucs. Thanks for the advice earlier and what did you really say when you got to that yard..... inch:


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

I haven't extracted yet this year but will soon. There has been a couple of you guys crying over spilt honey on this thread. I think I will take heed.


----------



## oklabizznessman (Oct 24, 2011)

I've done some stupid things over the years. You know "stupid is as stupid does". The most recent was to throw the net off of a hundred boxes of bees that had just traveled 800 miles with no hood on. They were unhappy and so was I after they finished with me. Ouch


----------



## throrope (Dec 18, 2008)

The PA apiary inspector came.

I had my spare half suit hanging from the caution sign and told him my one hive is hot. He shrugged it off. I made a slow step by step repeat of my caution. Again no concern with preference to his button down long sleeve and surgical gloves. Our inspectors come sparsely protected so every reasonable effort is made to avoid carrying something to the next bee yard.

All went well with my first three hives.

Then came the biker babes. The ones on the Jack Daniels adds got nothing on these women. We opened the top an they brought it on. Smoke? They were puffing Lucky Strikes. And strike they did. They were knocking on my veil worse than a collection agent. The inspector? He got nailed no less than fifty times. The next week I got a chance to heckle him during his presentation to the Chester Co. beekeepers with "Did you ever run into a hot hive?"

A few weeks later I got a letter confirming my gals were NOT africanized bees.

I grabbed the queen into a nuc and sent her with my buddy to north central PA. The colony then calmed down to become my most gentle hive.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

dnichols said:


> Hey Mike thanks for playing! Wow a whole yard without supers! And I am worried about a couple weak nucs. Thanks for the advice earlier and what did you really say when you got to that yard..... inch:


I've knew a beekeeper who forgot a yard that he had. It can happen when you have lots and lots of them.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I just noticed that the title of this Thread seems to be "The stupidest thing I did while BEEPING ?". Now that's funny.


----------



## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> I just noticed that the title of this Thread seems to be "The stupidest thing I did while BEEPING ?". Now that's funny.


Coming from the man who said "I've knew..."

(meant in good fun, Mark. I have my own share of errors!)


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Thanks I can't believe I never noticed that. I continue to feel more and more stupid. :v::v::v:


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

bevy's honeybees said:


> Coming from the man who said "I've knew..."
> 
> (meant in good fun, Mark. I have my own share of errors!)


I know what you mean, bevy. I suffer from FFS quite often and my typing gets ahead of my brain. You should see my Posts before I edit them.  You'd need Spell Check.

I sure hope "beeping" isn't the new "keeping". Calling someone a "keeper" is bad enuf, but a "beeper"? lol


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

dnichols said:


> Thanks I can't believe I never noticed that. I continue to feel more and more stupid. :v::v::v:


If that is the most stupid thing you've ever done you arer doing well.

Seems like "stupidest" makes more sense iin that sentence than "most stupid", doesn't it? Or am I being stupid?


----------



## matt1954 (Sep 8, 2010)

So there I was, with my brand new nylon bee suit and a smoker. Decided to put the very hot smoker against my suit and wa-lah, melted suit. Which, did you know makes an excellent entry point for bees? So I lose the suit then I am walking away from the hive as fast as I can to get rid of the bees. 20 minutes later I am back with duct tape on my new bee suit. Brilliant


----------



## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

dnichols said:


> Thanks I can't believe I never noticed that. I continue to feel more and more stupid. :v::v::v:


Don't worry about it, dn. I was just glad to find out it was a simple typo in the subject title of your thread rather than the censors moving in and censoring your actual wording (that didn't have 'e''s in it!!!)!!!!!  That would have been, let us just say, a different kind of thread. 

Ed


----------



## mmmooretx (Jun 4, 2012)

While lifting a frame I got stung on the left thumb, and right index finger, dropped the frame said ****, then the girls got pissed. I left the danger zone and came back in2 minutes and smoked them. Then bought a frame grabber and always use it for first frame removal. Newbeek lesson...


----------



## garyk1398 (Jan 25, 2011)

My "slam dunk" swarm catch was pretty stupid with a few mistakes thrown in!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8eJICaTN08&feature=g-upl


----------



## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

Got a couple of good belly laughs watching that one Gary. Thanks!!:lpf:


----------



## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

Well
Before I learned anything about bees, swarm come and I collected it into the cardboard box since it was in the way of my car and needs to be relocated anyway. The idea of having bees was very appealing. So, I build a Kenyan hive in sort of emergency. Wait to the darkness and dump bees into the hive. No protective gear of coarse since I was busy making a hive. The place for hive was chosen with love - under gigantic deodor-tree (spell? sort of pine). I drop "empty" box on the ground and immediately discovered (surprise!), that it was not empty yet - most of the bees were still clustered in the box. When I drop the box on the ground, bees fell out and mixed with pine-needles AND ants. Complete mess, at night in the spot of the small flashlight... so,I scoop bees-needles-ants and add them to the hive, close the lid and left completely stressed out. I felt, I am a serial killer. Bees suffered for a week or so and finally left. It initiates my interest to the bees and lead to 6 mo deep study of the subject before the second attempt. It is very sad story and I still feel very bad about it. Sergey


----------



## jadell (Jun 19, 2011)

dnichols said:


> Jadell, I am sure they were just miffed you didn't share the homebrew. opcorn: I brew myself. You have anything going now?


Not right now, just finished off a keg of my wheat ale. Too busy and hot here in the summer to really brew much!


----------



## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> where is sergey when we need him?


 I've created a real piece of ESL writing about my first swarm experience, but somehow it disappeared (am I censored out?)... I need to get into proper mood to re-write it... --- oooo, it is appeared - see above!

Speaking about burns. I had an accident at the wedding - first we finished 40 bottles of Sonoma County Champagne and than we were working very hard to finish the keg of beer... never mind, it is unrelated to the story. The story was that 100 sparklers I hold in my hand somehow self ignited! No flame anywhere around. It happened on the grass, no fire etc. So, anyway, I just saw a ball of bright light ... and 3rd degree burn... Since it was in the middle of good time when people finally relaxed and enjoyed the life, I've pretended that nothing happened for couple of hours (secretly kept hand in the ice) before we get to our place. Than I applied a huge amount of propolis tincture on the burn. I repeat it a few times... create a bandage soaked in propolis. It looked horrible... my wife nearly lost her consciousness (mainly realizing that I had good time with it at the wedding for couple of hours...). One week later - no scars, nothing - perfect normal, not pinkish skin. Be aware: propolis is a great stuff! If you need instruction how to use propolis - let me know. In Russia, it considered to be medicinal and you could buy it in the drug-store (or made it himself). Sergey


----------



## Batman (Jun 7, 2009)

Let's see:

I was so use to my smoker not staying lit long (like other people) and there wasnt a hint of smoke coming out of it, so I set it down on a friends wooden railing. 20 mins later the smoker was working GREAT, oh wait, no it wasn't, it was the railing! Oops! 

Another one. I've taken pleanty of swarms down with minimal gear on. Well this one call I got, the swarm was about 35 feet up in the air, so since I was going to be so high in the air, I wanted no obstructions what so ever, so I went jacketless, which also included my veil. Ok so I was in shorts too, what's your point? The guy sees me and is like "aren't you going to put on some gear?" Straight out of a movie or perhaps a future Darwin award candidate, I said "na, I've done this like this many times before." I think the bees heard me and said "watch this!" Anyhow, I get up there, cut the branch and it lands in my bucket. Well, the bees didn't like the jolt of landing in the bucket, next thing you know, I'm under attack. I don't start climbing down the ladder, I slide down the rails of the thing like I was racing someone else! About 10 feet from the bottom, I jump off. While still under attack, I hit the ground and roll..pop back up and run out of the backyard and down the street. Ten houses later there is a guy washing his car, thankfully he was scrubbing it at this time. As I rapidly approach, I yell "I need your hose!!" He agreed and I started a shower above myself to knock down the bees and keep them at bay. After being completely drenched and not hearing anymore of the angry buzz. I head back down to the house with the bees. I got in my truck and put pants and my jacket on. It was really cramped trying to get changed in my little nissan and pants don't slide over wet shorts very easily when you don't have room to stretch. Since it was just about dark by this time, the bees had started to settle in the bucket quickly. So I sat around and talked with the people at the house while they got a good laugh, at my expense, out of everything that had just happened until it was dark and the bees were completely settled.. I went over put my screened lid on the bucket and loaded up my equipment. The nice people said they enjoyed the entertainment and gave me $50 for the "show" as they called it. I got home and tell my wife about my "adventure" and she gets a good laugh out of it and counts 22 stings in my head alone. I had more on my arms and shoulders, but it wasn't bad. I only had like 2 on my legs. I got to bed that night and EVERY joint hurt. My wife said every time I rolled over, I groaned in my sleep. The next morning, one eye is shut, and I look like Popeye except for the size of my head, maybe I was just someone that should not have climbed in the ring with Rocky for one round. The bees were successfully rehoused from the bucket into a hive, but I'm sure they are still telling bedtime stories to the brood about how they came to be in their new house.

C2


----------



## Batman (Jun 7, 2009)

Oh and by the way. I don't start messing with swarms without a veil until AFTER I've got and idea of what their demeanor is. I'll go without gloves from the start, but never without a veil.

C2


----------



## keeper (Jan 29, 2012)

sqkcrk said:


> I sure hope "beeping" isn't the new "keeping". Calling someone a "keeper" is bad enuf, but a "beeper"? lol


Umm... I kinda resent that.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

What can I say, that wouldn't further offend? lol That's a different Thread, beeper.


----------



## keeper (Jan 29, 2012)

No worries.

I have read in older posts by you about your aversion to being called a "keeper". It is just a regional thing. Other parts of the world think calling ones self a "beek" is stupid too. And referring to ones self as a keeper is common practice.


----------



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Okay I give in.

About 4 years ago I was the proud father of a newborn son. We still lived in KY at the time and it was early May. I had a hive in VT that needed to be re-populated so I decided to take the opportunity of our son's first trip back to VT to also re-populate the hive with a nuc I had in KY. So I put the nucleus into a cardboard nuc box, tapped up the seams and slipped it into the trunk of the car with our luggage.

We always left KY in the middle of the night in order to arrive in VT about dinner time the next day. We did the same thing this trip so it was dark until we reached the Ohio/PA boarder. I was driving as usual, my wife in the passenger seat and our son in his rear facing car seat in the back. As the sun started to come up I noticed in the rear view a few bees walking around on the rear window.... No big deal, probably just followed us into the car.... As time past I started to notice bees climbing out of the rear defroster vents in the car and now there were maybe 50 in the rear window just walking around. No problem.

Then my wife wakes up and turns around to check on our son:ws: She looked up at the window and then at me and states. "You better find a way to contain those bees or I will make you pull over and put that nuc on the curb", "and if it comes to that you are staying there with it". :lookout:

So if anybody ever finds themselves in a similar situation: It looks kinda odd when a grown man is waiting at the door of a Jo-anne's fabric at 10 am when they open... and buys 3 yards of tulle.


----------



## dnichols (May 28, 2012)

Couldn't resist could ya. Ok now I know why...

Thanks for playing.


----------



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

dnichols said:


> Couldn't resist could ya. Ok now I know why...
> 
> Thanks for playing.


The issue is trying to figure out what the stupid*ist* thing is. I have lots of stupid acts competing against each other


----------



## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> I sure hope "beeping" isn't the new "keeping". Calling someone a "keeper" is bad enuf, but a "beeper"? lol


Personally I like when my honey calls me a "keeper". 


I have another one--don't melt beeswax in microwave.


----------



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

I have told this story before, but it is worth repeating. I was doing a cutout in a house which had a stone facade. When you do a lot of cutouts they begin to blur in your mind, but then every now and then something happens that makes one stick. You will remembers the Day, how hot is was, the faces of the people who were there and even the street address.

So in this particular house I was working from the inside because of the stone work. I covered their living room floor with plastic, sealed the door with plastic so the bees could not fly into the rest of the house and began removing the sheet rock. I found the colony quickly and started the removal. The woman was a house wife and had a son and daughter at home with her. They kept peaking in the frond door to see how things were going. After awhile they got more comfortable that the bees were not going to attack them and came all the way in to watch.

Anybody who has ever done a cutout from the interior knows that the bees fly into the room, bounce of off the windows for awhile and then get tired and end up walking all over the floor. So I usually tuck my pants into my socks but for what ever reason I didn't on this day. I was nearing complete and getting ready to clean up when I felt a bee climbing up my leg. I don't really worry much about a stray bee in my suit so I kept working. But then I felt the bee climbing up the inside of my thigh.

I stopped and waited for it to crawl somewhere else so as to not crush it and get stung. I contemplated smacking it, but decided against doing so because of the audience I had. They just watched as I stood perfectly still. Then the very imaginable happened and it wasn't one of those little stings that you hardly feel and just scrape out and keep going. It was one of those she got a good grip and stung you good stings, The ones that if you don't get the stinger out you are going to die.... You all know those ones. 

So without a second thought I stepped out of my suit and pants and stood there in their living room in my shirt, socks and underwear scratching feverishly with a hive tool at my crouch. Trying to get the stinger out without completely exposing myself, but not really caring if I did.

My audience I am sure was horrified... but I was too busy to notice.


----------



## lissa (May 3, 2012)

cerezha said:


> propolis is a great stuff! If you need instruction how to use propolis - let me know. In Russia, it considered to be medicinal and you could buy it in the drug-store (or made it himself). Sergey


Hi Sergey,
I am interested in knowing more about propolis and its uses and how to prepare it for use. Please post. Thanks!


----------



## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

lissa said:


> Hi Sergey,
> I am interested in knowing more about propolis and its uses and how to prepare it for use. Please post. Thanks!


 Hi Lissa
I am not sure that this thread is proper place for propolis, but, anyway... I love propolis!

Most common form of "medicinal" propolis is a tincture: 2-5% propolis in 70% alcohol (ethanol). It must be dark brown and has a distinctive odor. In order to make it - just mix small pieces of propolis with alcohol and keep it in dark place for month or so, room temperature. Decant clear solution from the debris at the bottom. Store at room temperature ... forever. Avoid direct light. _Note: _I noticed that American beekeepers (at least in our place) do something wrong with propolis - they sell black oily liquid, which in my opinion is anything but real propolis. In Russia, raw propolis sold in the form of "sticks". It has a consistency of thick clay and it is very sticky. It smells specifically. So, for my personal use, I would collect a real propolis from the beehive. I guess, the property of propolis depends from the trees/plants used for sap collection by bees. 

Propolis normally used externally as an application on the skin. It has an antimicrobial, an anti-inflammatory properties. It reduces pain. It forms a barrier, which is breathable from one side and antimicrobial from another, it accelerates the healing process. It also reduced inflammation and helps with any kind of skin damage (abrasion, burns etc). In Russia, we often use propolis tincture to treat mosquito bites... any minor skin damage. When use propolis externally - do not place propolis directly on open fresh bleeding wound. Stop bleeding first (hydrogen peroxide is perfect for this), dry; soak small piece of gauze in propolis, let alcohol dry a little bit and apply to damaged area; fix it in place with sport tape. You could use propolis as a "glue" on small cuts. Since propolis is not solvable in water, the gauze will not stick to the wound, less pain and better healing. 

My personal sunburn recipe: to 1-2 tablespoon water add 70% propolis tincture drop-by-drop until solution in cloudy-milky-yellowish; not transparent. Apply this solution on sunburn generously many times - it will prevent skin from peeling and immediately removes inflammation. 

Use soaked in propolis gauze for burns - make sure that the whole affected area is covered with propolis, keep propolis application for at least 5 days (more is better), frequently change. Propolis will also reduce a pain and prevent scar tissue firmation. 

I never used this way, but heard that weak propolis in vodka used internally for general "well being". Color must be yellowish, not dark, 1 teaspoon per dose. It suppose to help with digestive tract also. For this, experienced Russian beekeepers use sort of "leftovers" - small pieces of propolis, dead bees, beehive junk... more junk is better. Mix with vodka and let it sit for month. Drink for your and others health!

*Disclaimer: *Use propolis at your own risk. First time - use a little to make sure that you have no allergy to it. I am not a medical doctor. Propolis is recognized as a medicinal by Russian official medicine - it may be purposed in the drug store (no prescription necessary). I am not aware what is the status of propolis in US. I would imagine that it is forbidden in official medicine, since antibiotics are better than propolis (and more expensive).

Please, let me know if you have further questions. Good luck! Sergey


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I was moving a pallet of 4 hives from one field to another with my tractor on the front forks. I'd not strapped the hives or pallet to the forks, and I hit a pock hole in the field. The pallet tipped and hives fell off and boxes broke apart from each other and so 4 hives of bees became irritated and airborn. My first response was to jump off the tractor and fix the problem, forgetting I was not wearing suit or veil. I got hit pretty good, and had to stop and get my suit out from the tool box under the bed of the truck and suit up. I got them all back together and moved to their new location, but got 30 stings or so before I got the suit and veil on.

Another time I was getting a swarm out of a tree, wearing safety glasses for protection. The glasses were not tight fitting enough and a bee got caught between the glasses and my eyes, she stung me. Now-a-days I wear nice tight fitting glasses they can't get under, so they go for the nose instead.

I had a 5 gallon bucket of honey in the house, in the pantry, and the honey gate failed and dumped 5 gallons of honey onto the carpet. Now there's new carpet in the pantry, and no honey bucket, just sealed jars of honey.


----------



## BoilerJim (Apr 15, 2011)

WOW guys!!!:applause:

Remind me to be no where around when Mark is behind the wheel and decides to back up ! :lookout:

Hokie Bee Daddy, I did the exact same thing last year but was lucky my floor was hard and not carpet. Cleaned up quicker. I fed the dropped honey back to the bees.

Throrope has a wonderful way with words. "Biker Babes smoking Lucky Stikes" is great!:applause:

And I am still laughing at the mental image of Bluegrass scratching his crotch with his hive tool after being stung. 

My story is from a swarm call this summer. I work as a police officer and was off duty when a buddy called and says he has a swarm in his yard. I drove my squad over to his house. I sprayed the 3 lb swarm with sugar water before "thumping" them into a cardboard box. After they were in the box I duct taped the box shut. NOT realizing the sugar water also got onto the box and the duct tape did not stick very well. At least not until I was driving home (about 20 miles in the country).

Well you guessed it. The tape came off and out come hundreds of bees and they are clinging to the back and side windows. 

I pull up to some road re-paving and they had a flagman out and he flagged me to stop. After I stopped I rolled down the back passenger side window of my squad car and out flew a few hundred bees.

I will NEVER forget the look on the flagman's face! It was hot and he looked like he had had a long hard day and his back was slouched over. When he saw hundreds of bees coming out of the back window of a police car his back straightened up, his eyes got as big as silver dollars, he got on his hand held radio and within a few seconds was flagging me through. I can't even imagine what was going though his mind at what he 
was seeing.


----------



## zookeeper (Oct 21, 2009)

I've learned that it's not a good idea to reach into your solar melter and rearrange cappings with a bare, ungloved hand....even if the melter's only been sitting in the sun for a few minutes. They heat up FAST!!!

Don't ask me how I know.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

BoilerJim said:


> WOW guys!!!:applause:
> 
> Remind me to be no where around when Mark is behind the wheel and decides to back up ! :lookout:


Well, the Thread Title is "The stupidest thing I did while BEEPING was ..." THose bee should have gotten out of my way, but I guess they didn't hear the "beeping".


----------



## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

Let's see.....

There was the time I set the back of the pickup truck on fire, while lighting my smoker. Even burned the smoker bellows up.

Then there was the time I decided to unload a very strong pallet of bees from my pickup manually, wearing only t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. I always thought i could take a sting.... but not that many. I was nearly in real trouble with that many stings. At the time it wasn't funny, I could barely see to drive and by the time I got home I could not see at all (both eyes swollen shut). If you are going to do that... at least bring some smoke. Now I am older and wiser.


----------



## schmism (Feb 7, 2009)

at my old property my bees sat at the edge of my hay field. I keep a path mowed (brush hogged) around the entire thing and like to keep around the hives trimmed.... 

while backing up to brush hog the sides i bumped the cinderblock support and sent the closest hive tumbling over backward... in slow motion no less... for a good sec i thought i would have enough time to jump off the tractor and catch it.

after the girls calmed down, about 20 min later i went out and put them back right.


----------

