HOT HIVE ... or ... THE HIVE FROM HELL
I was helping with some hives at a local arboretum when we came across this:
the dreaded HIVE #3
This is ONE HOT HIVE. These bees are CROWDED and ANGRY.
We had finished working with four other hives when we got up to this one. A bee got under my veil and stung me on the cheek, some got in my hair and I got bit through my jeans. The other volunteers all got stung through their sweatshirts and on their heads/faces/arms.
I had never witnessed something like this.
Some 20 year beeks with full suits are coming over the weekend to take a look and maybe do a split, this baby is ready to swarm. Its been a hell of a spring, huge honey flows, and the second+ year hives are in swarming mode (mine are all new hives, I lost all of my bees last year along with many others in the area).
On the upside, it was an eye opener and a bonding experience. Picking stingers off of each others faces and brushing bees out of one another's hair.. that's the sign of true friendship. :)
the dreaded HIVE #3
This is ONE HOT HIVE. These bees are CROWDED and ANGRY.
We had finished working with four other hives when we got up to this one. A bee got under my veil and stung me on the cheek, some got in my hair and I got bit through my jeans. The other volunteers all got stung through their sweatshirts and on their heads/faces/arms.
I had never witnessed something like this.
Some 20 year beeks with full suits are coming over the weekend to take a look and maybe do a split, this baby is ready to swarm. Its been a hell of a spring, huge honey flows, and the second+ year hives are in swarming mode (mine are all new hives, I lost all of my bees last year along with many others in the area).
On the upside, it was an eye opener and a bonding experience. Picking stingers off of each others faces and brushing bees out of one another's hair.. that's the sign of true friendship. :)