Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Bob Wilson on March 06, 2020, 11:59:22 PM

Title: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: Bob Wilson on March 06, 2020, 11:59:22 PM
I remember a thread where Saltyblugrass wrote about running around being chased by bees, and another where he wore shorts and got stung in an umentionable place...
Recently, I had to split a hive, and the bees were not very happy about it.
So, today i went just to peek at the front of the hives, and a bee begins harrasing me around the head, so I duck away and swat at the bee.
That agravating bee got swatted right in my ear canal and got trapped there! I'm not sure if it stung me or I damaged my own self, because I was whacking at my ear like a maniac. I knocked my good glasses off my head onto the concrete floor. The trapped bee sounded like an angry B52 bomber in my ear, and I was dancing about, half the time yelling out loud and the other half whimpering like a little baby. It was not my best moment.
Beekeeping is not for the faint of heart.
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: herbhome on March 07, 2020, 08:53:59 PM
 :smile:Thanks, Bob, I needed that.  :smile:
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: van from Arkansas on March 07, 2020, 09:41:20 PM
Bob, I have had bugs in my ear twice in my life.  Both times a knat, nothing compared to a bee.  I keep an ear flusher in bathroom always.  Even a lil knat drove me batty, I can?t imagine what you went through.

If you have a concern of another ordeal with your ear, and who wouldn?t, put cotton in your ears when going outside.  I say cotton, however any type ear plug will work and do away with the fear of the bug in the ear. 
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: BeeMaster2 on March 07, 2020, 10:31:25 PM
Bob,
During my first year of beekeeping, I had a bee walk up the back of my neck, over to my right ear in it, came out went on top of my head, down my face, over my nose, and on my top lip. That was all I could take and I blasted her with my strongest puff of air to get her off my lip. Back then it was a big deal. Now I don?t even pay attention to them.
Jim Altmiller
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: Dallasbeek on March 08, 2020, 03:02:06 AM
Related question:  i wear hearing aids and one benefit is that bees  cannot get deep, but I have wondered if the feedback from the electronics of the hearing aids somehow attracts bees.  I have had bees crawl all around my ears, seeming to want into the ear canal, which is blocked by the hearing aid, and then stinging on the ear lobe or elsewhere on the ear.  Has anyone else noticed this?

Btw, I have had almost no discomfort as a resulat of a sting on the ear.  I suspect a sting deeper in the ear canal might have resulted in greater discomfort.  Honeybees must have a direct line to our pain receptors in order to get maximum effect from their kamikazi attacks.
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: Ben Framed on March 08, 2020, 03:56:21 AM
Dallas, I do not wear hearing aids so I can not answer your question but I did have a bee enter my ear canal last weekend. Remarkably, I did not get stung there but I did later take a sting to the nostril area. An ear sting was not so much my concern, I was more apprehensive of getting stung in the eardrum itself. I was thinking, "what damage would a bee sting do to my eardrum", I was dreading having to have to find out. Thankfully that did not happen. I tried to calmly enter back into my home where my family did actually see the bee when she came out. What a relief. I am wondering if anyone here has been stung in the eardrum itself. I have watched a video where a doctor removed a stinger form an eyeball. HP once told here, that he received a sting into the eyeball. I do not mind so much getting stung as that is just part of beekeeping.  However, the eardrum and eyeball area is my concern and has reinforced the idea of wearing my veil. lol 😊
 
Phillip





                                                                                                          .
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: BeeMaster2 on March 08, 2020, 07:32:54 AM
Phillip,
I have never heard of anyone ever getting stung on the ear drum probably because, for most people, a bee would have to back into your ear canal to bee able to sting the ear drum. Bees do not back into holes, except for the queen of course. 😊
Jim Altmiller
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: Ben Framed on March 08, 2020, 08:05:50 AM
Quote from: sawdstmakr on March 08, 2020, 07:32:54 AM
Phillip,
I have never heard of anyone ever getting stung on the ear drum probably because, for most people, a bee would have to back into your ear canal to bee able to sting the ear drum. Bees do not back into holes, except for the queen of course. 😊
Jim Altmiller

That makes perfect scene, and may be so. But when one is in your ear canal,  she makes
Sounds that seem to indicate she may be a contortionist, doing cartwheels inside that canal! lol
😁,
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: FatherMichael on March 08, 2020, 07:18:28 PM
Quote from: sawdstmakr on March 07, 2020, 10:31:25 PM
Bob,
During my first year of beekeeping, I had a bee walk up the back of my neck, over to my right ear in it, came out went on top of my head, down my face, over my nose, and on my top lip. That was all I could take and I blasted her with my strongest puff of air to get her off my lip. Back then it was a big deal. Now I don?t even pay attention to them.
Jim Altmiller

If a bee went in one of my ears it would have free passage to the other side.
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: ifixoldhouses on March 13, 2020, 09:46:41 PM
I had one get inside my ear last Fall, I ran all over the yard with other bees chasing me, trying to get that bee out, it didn't sting me, just came out and flew off I guess. :grin:
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: jtcmedic on March 14, 2020, 08:24:10 AM
I laughed out loud at some of the responses.
Thank you all for that, bob good luck
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: Michael Bush on February 14, 2023, 07:40:06 AM
My solution was to drown it in olive oil.  There seemed no way to get it out without getting stung.  But it worked and I didn't get stung.
Title: Re: a tale worthy of saltybluegrass
Post by: AustinB on February 14, 2023, 04:47:20 PM
Bob your story gave me a good laugh, especially when I got to the part about not sure if you got stung or injured yourself, I've done that more than once haha!