Dick's bees

hardwood · May 17, 2011, 11:40:29 PM

I've gotta tell ya'll that this one was a rough one! These were the pissiest bees we've worked with this year and the colony was huge! 90+ temps make wearing a bee jacket feel like a heavy winter parka and steep roofs covered in honey are no fun to walk on.

I had initially planned to keep the queen for further evaluation but ditched that idea after we both reached our limit on stings (something I didn't even realize was possible until this). I chose not to show her taking an alcohol bath in the video because I think my maniacal snicker would have offended some :-D

This is what's left after editing 10hrs of video!

Dick's bees_0001.wmv

Scott

jmblakeney · May 18, 2011, 12:00:44 AM

Oh wow, once you opened the roof up and you could see in i thought jeez I'm glad I'm not doing that one. Looks like you done a great job on it. Thanks for the vid.

James

annette · May 18, 2011, 12:38:53 AM

I am going to call you and Peggy to come out here, if I ever encounter anything like that. No way Jose!! I will not attempt this. Just too hard to even watch. I know you guys can handle those stings, so this must have been a rough one. I hope you got paid really good for this one.

Thanks for sharing
Annette

Shanevrr · May 18, 2011, 01:11:52 AM

nice video hw

VolunteerK9 · May 18, 2011, 09:29:22 AM

That was insane-Standing on your head bee removal.

Just an after thought...would it have been easier to go through the ceiling in the bathroom?

Scadsobees · May 18, 2011, 02:36:09 PM

You may have had maniacal laughter, but I got a good snicker or two watching you fighting that bee in your bonnet :-D

Looks like fun! :roll:

D Semple · May 18, 2011, 02:52:37 PM

And here I thought with you two just in T-shirts all the time just never got stung down there in Florida.

Good job on a tough removal.

Don

oliver · May 18, 2011, 03:33:53 PM

Thanks for putting these on always enjoy, this looked especially tough..have a good day..dl

SmokeEater2 · May 18, 2011, 04:21:04 PM

Great video! Thanks for posting it.

hardwood · May 18, 2011, 05:26:30 PM

Thanks all! K9, I always try to go in from above if at all possible. It's messy enough from above...from below honey would have gone everywhere and would have been tracked through the house.

Scott

JP · May 18, 2011, 08:50:04 PM

Challenging architecture to say the least! I guess I have that to look forward to after the tallow flow! :-P

Was the honey good at least? ;)

...JP

AllenF · May 18, 2011, 11:19:46 PM

I see no problem in taking out a bad queen. There's no reason for mean bees. So did the house belong to Dick or are you calling the mean bees.......? You look good in a parka working bees.

preston39 · May 19, 2011, 12:45:10 AM

Quote from: hardwood on May 17, 2011, 11:40:29 PM
I've gotta tell ya'll that this one was a rough one! These were the pissiest bees we've worked with this year and the colony was huge! 90+ temps make wearing a bee jacket feel like a heavy winter parka and steep roofs covered in honey are no fun to walk on.

I had initially planned to keep the queen for further evaluation but ditched that idea after we both reached our limit on stings (something I didn't even realize was possible until this). I chose not to show her taking an alcohol bath in the video because I think my maniacal snicker would have offended some :-D

This is what's left after editing 10hrs of video!

Dick's bees_0001.wmv
===============
HW,
Nice video.

You mentioned stings......remember I am a novice at best.....I am getting a suit and am looking at the designs...did yours have a hole in it? Or....will all of them allow one to get stung....under certain conditions? :?

The Bix · May 19, 2011, 01:16:33 AM

Not for the faint of heart...very impressive. Thank you for sharing.

schawee · May 19, 2011, 01:36:12 AM

man ,that was a job there.team work. schawee

preston39 · May 19, 2011, 10:55:17 AM

During the long period of vacuuming...how many times did you empy the container...or did you wait until you were done?

hardwood · May 19, 2011, 02:26:25 PM

Preston, the bees can, and will, sting through the bee jacket and even leather gloves if they're aggressive enough. We vacuumed about 12 lbs of bees into three catch cages.

JP, the honey is a light amber and tasty. I've already bottled 30 pint mason jars and still have a gallon or two in the bottling tank$$$ :-D

Scott

VolunteerK9 · May 20, 2011, 12:44:51 PM

Quote from: hardwood on May 18, 2011, 05:26:30 PM
Thanks all! K9, I always try to go in from above if at all possible. It's messy enough from above...from below honey would have gone everywhere and would have been tracked through the house.

Scott

Gotchya...that one would have been way over my head

G3farms · May 22, 2011, 09:30:08 AM

you two surely earned every cent of that cut out!! Thing of it is when you get into the hive there is no turning back, job well done. Where was that bucket of water to wash off your sticky mits :-D

preston39 · May 22, 2011, 04:05:02 PM

Quote from: hardwood on May 19, 2011, 02:26:25 PM

...'Preston, the bees can, and will, sting through the bee jacket and even leather gloves if they're aggressive enough'.........

Scott

====================
Scott,

I wish you had not told me that(Otherwise known as tooooo much info)...LOL

I have decided on the Ultra Breeze or Golden Bee suit and was hoping the extra quality(costs

) would eliminate the chance of stings. Maybe a thick rain suit jacket under neath will help fend off an occasional sting in the stretched/flat surface areas while working? ;) :shock:

As a young guy I was stung several times while working with bees w/out any protection...mostly robbing honey from wild/feral hives in a tree...It never bothered me.