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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Tom Wright <twright AT vicksburg.com>
  • To: Sean Woolcock <carrbarian AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Hello the list!
  • Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:31:37 -0400

The main natural predators on bees in the U.S. are bears, skunks, and purple martins. Bees don't like dark colors, fur, leather and felt and the perfume in many colognes, soaps, hair sprays, deodorants, and body washes can irritate them. They also become antsy with high wind, temperature, humidity, and rain as well as loud noises, such as banging the hive bodies around. When they sting they release a pheromone that says,"STING HERE!"

Get rid of the facial hair, wear light colored clothing, and take a bath with lye soap or Ivory before working bees and work gently on nice sunny days. Even the perfumes and chemicals in laundry detergents can set them off. If in doubt, smoke the clothes before wearing. I think Ivory Snow is OK, but not sure. Wash a rag in it and hang by the hive.

If there's any doubt that you're allergic, see a dermatologist and get desensitized if needed. Anaphylactic shock is not fun and can be fatal.

Good Luck,

Tom



Sean Woolcock wrote:
This seems like a good thread for installation stories ...

I installed mine on Saturday and it went fine until four or five bees
were lured in by my magnificent beard. I guess they got stuck,
because they were freaking out and two of them stung me on the chin.
I got another zap on the fingertip from trying to (gently) help them
out, and another one behind the ear.

None of the stings swelled much, and the pain was gone very quickly.

As a chiId I suffered a very bad swelling reaction to a bee sting
(hand like a goat's udder), but I've been hit many times since by
yellow-jackets and such without any problem. Still, I was a little
nervous that maybe I was just allergic to honeybee venom and not that
of other hymenoptera and that this was an idiotic pastime to be taking
up. I was thinking about deliberately taking a sting on the arm so
that I would know my status before getting one nearer to my airways,
but the girls went with their own test which I'm thrilled to have
passed. :)

Sean
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