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Bee Farming-13

How to Treat Bee Stings

When a bee decides that you’re in its way, the resulting sting is painful – for you AND the bee. Their barbed stingers lodge in the victim, causing half of the bee’s guts to pull out after the attack.

Knowing that the bee just killed itself, however, does not make the sting any less painful. The venom in your system collects at the sting site, causing a swollen lump – and lots of pain.

Here’s how to ease the pain, make the swelling go away and otherwise treat that nasty sting.

First, you’ll need to remove the stinger. Some experts – such as researchers from California and Pennsylvania – have found that the most important thing is to remove the stinger as soon as possible after you’re stung. Even if the quickest removal involves tweezers, you should get the stinger out as fast as you can. The longer this nasty thing remains in your body, the more you will swell up afterward.

You should gently wash the site with soap and water. Keep the area clean for the next few days, as this will

help the healing process. Also: don’t use bandages. The site will heal faster if it’s exposed to air.

Take an antihistamine – such as Benadryl – to reduce swelling. Always follow the recommended dosage instructions with any drug that you take. With antihistamines, prepare for the resulting drowsiness so that you won’t have to drive or otherwise endanger yourself and others.

You can also take an acetaminophen to help make the symptoms go away. While you’re in the medicine cabinet, look for a topical anti-itch cream, such as hydrocortisone or calamine lotion. These will relieve the itching.

Ice packs will help reduce the swelling and itching. Don’t leave the ice on your skin for more than ten to fifteen minutes at a time.

You can also apply different home remedies to the site. Some people use deodorant, meat tenderizer (mixed with water), or a paste made from baking soda and water.

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Beekeeper clothing

The clothing that a beekeeper chooses is also very important. Lightly coloured clothes must be worn as bees are attracted to dark colours. Light coloured pants, such as white or khaki, with white socks are a must. Pant legs should be folded over and socks pulled over them to keep bees from going up your pant leg. A light coloured shirt that can be buttoned or zipped tightly is also important. Alternatively, there are bee suits which can be purchased. A bee veilis a very important item to new beekeepers and those more experienced alike. The bee veil keeps bees away from your face, head, and neck and keeps you from being stung. Bees are attracted to noses and eyes especially when protecting their hives and also get can get caught in one's hair which is something the bee veil helps prevent. Gloves can also be worn while working around your bees, but it can be difficult to wear gloves for all of the tasks you may encounter while working with your hive. Many beekeepers will wear gloves to begin with, but will later opt not to wear them once their bees are used to them and the keeper knows how they'll react.

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Tools of the trade

There are many tools available to beekeepers and some are essential. The most important tools a beekeeper needs are a smoker which is used to calm the bees which makes examining the hive much safer. Smoke makes the bees stuff themselves with honey, making them calm, but smoke must be used carefully as too much can drive the bees from the hive and they may not return for quite a while which puts them at risk.

Also, a hive tool is used to pry the inner lid off the hive and pry frames apart as well as cleaning frames is important to beekeepers. There are also bee brushes used to do just that, brush bees from comb when gathering honey, though a branch with leaves serves the same purpose.

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Examining the hive

During the 'off season', winter, inspecting your beehive once a month is enough, though during the warmer, busier seasons, once a week may become necessary. During the spring and summer you want to check that there is enough pollen and honey for the bees, that the queen is still laying eggs which indicates she is healthy. As long as there are eggs and brood visible, she is still healthy. You also want to check that there is enough room for the queen to continue laying and that there is enough room for workers to continue storing food. You must be very careful when moving parts of the hive as bees that have been crushed send a smell that makes the other bees want to sting. You must also be careful with how long you keep your hive open as bees from other colonies may fly in and begin stealing from your hive.

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Choosing a hive location

Choosing the right location for your hive can have an impact on how productive your bees are and, in turn, how much honey they produce for you. Bees can travel over a mile to find pollen and nectar, but are more productive with sources of both closer to the hive. Facing the hive entrance to the South is the best way to get the most work out of your bees as they usually fly from morning until early afternoon; if the bees see the sun earlier, the earlier they will start work.

It is also a good idea to have a water source near your hive as bees need water to cool the hive during hot weather and to dilute honey although they can drown in deep water. Also, bees are affected by temperature and do not work if it is too hot or too cold. Honeybees can not fly if it is too cold, yet they do not work if it is too hot out either.

Providing a small amount of shade for your bees is recommended, but they do not like too much shade. You must also remember your neighbours when deciding where to place your beehive; most people won't want bees flying across their back garden all day. A high wooden fence is recommended in the same direction as the hive opening, this way the bees will have to fly over the fence and above neighbors homes as well.

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Choosing a hive

Honeybees can build hives in nearly any protected area such as hollow tree trunks or gaps between walls in buildings. Today honeybees are kept in hives with removable frames allowing the honeycomb to be removed easily with no damage to the bees themselves.

Contemporary hives have very specific parts which include: the hive stand which keeps the beehive off the ground so it is less likely to be attacked by termites, flood, or rot if water gets under the hive. The hive stand can be anything under the hive to keep it off the ground and level, such as a wooden stand or a layer of bricks. The hive rests on three side panels on top of the bottom board with the fourth panel forming the entrance.

The main area of a standard hive, called a brood chamber, usually holds ten frames for which the bees can build their comb and houses the bees. Above the brood chamber are areas called supers where excess honey is stored.

The inner cover of the hive is a flat piece of wood with a hole in the centre for ventilation. The top cover must be waterproof to protect the hive.

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Feeding bees

Another, safer, option is to place the sugar syrup inside the top cover near the hole in the inner cover. This way only your bees will be able to access the syrup. Bees can consume large amounts of syrup during this initial stage, so check the syrup level regularly. Once your hive begins to produce honey, it is a good idea to keep some honey for feeding the bees during the winter and early spring as honey is the best food for bees. Only feed bees when and if they need it, for example, if there will not be enough honey in the bees' stores to get them through the winter with the brood they have and keep the adults alive too, they will need to be fed.

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Buying bees

Bees can be purchased in different ways, as a complete colony with ten to twelve combs, a queen that is fertile, workers, brood, food stores, and possibly drones, depending on the time of year. Smaller options are also available in the form of a 'nucleus' which includes five to seven combs, a fertile queen, workers, stores, brood, and again, possibly drones. With anucleus, the number of bees is smaller and is more ideal for a first-time beekeeper. Natural swarms may be found in the wild, but it is often difficult to keep them as there is no way of knowing if they are disease-free and whether the queen with the swarm is new and has not been mated yet.

It is also possible to purchase bees from a beekeeper who is selling them. Bees are sold by the pound and are usually sold in two or three pound boxes; there are between 3,000-4,000 bees per pound, so be prepared. It is possible to send bees via mail, but it is safer for the bees and fewer will die if you are able to pick them up from the beekeeper yourself. Bee magazines contain information on beekeepers selling bees, or searches via the internet can also bring results.

New bees will need to be fed while they are getting used to their new surroundings. A Boardman feeder is included with most new hives and is placed in the entrance to the hive, but you must be careful that other bees do not steal the syrup your bees are being fed.