Really dumb newbee or oldbee things you've done. . .

David Stokely · August 01, 2010, 07:42:15 PM

#1 Leave a frame of capped honeycomb in a closed up automobile, all afternoon in August. . .

Did a quick inspection today of my hives. Decided to rearrange some of the equipment I had thrown together to house the 2 swarms I've caught this year. Took off a medium super with only one frame of capped honey and brought it home from the bee yard. I was in a hurry to get going assembling a bee hive kit, so I forgot about the frame of honey. . .When I looked 4 hours later, it had self extracted all over the back seat of my car. . .

lol. . .actually the honeycomb didn't look all that melted or damaged. The super was not level and it looked like it, under the high heat that it just kind of leaked out. For those without extractors. . .maybe an idea?!?!?!?!

But what a mess. . . .

FRAMEshift · August 01, 2010, 08:41:35 PM

Ah, and now you're hoping that others will confess even more dumb things they've done and that will relieve your embarrassment. I'm so sorry but I've never, ever done anything that dumb. :-D

iddee · August 01, 2010, 08:47:46 PM

Nah.... He runs an auto junkyard and is trying to create a new market for used back seats. :-D

Keith13 · August 01, 2010, 09:15:31 PM

OK I will play :-D

I have 2

The first one was

I caught a swarm at work one day. I needed to move the swarm out to my yard because I caught it in a copy paper box, but I didn't have all the woodware I needed I only had 5 frames and one deep box. Anyway I brought them out to my yard and figured I would put the bees in with the 5 frames and they would be good girls and draw out the foundation and I would add the other 5 frames later. Well i went back 6 days later and the bees had drawn perfect comb and attached everybit of it to the top of the hive totally avoiding every single frame. Oh what a mess I turned a swarm into a cut out in less a week.

the other

JP was good enough to give me a small colony he previously removed. He had them shut up in a box with a bag to prevent them from getting out. Because it was such a long and hot drive from New Orleans to my bee yard I decided to stop by my moms house in Baton Rouge to let them breath a bit. Well I took that bag off those poor bees and man can I tell ya they were ready to get out they came boiling out that box and the girls were looking for revenge. I walked back inside and decided I would wait a bit let them cool off and close them back up and continue my trip. Well what I failed to realize until it was too late is that the lady across the street was getting her roof replaced. Those bees did not care for the roofers making all that racket and they took off after em. those guys couldn't get off that roof fast enough. Now I fearing the lawsuit that I am sure would be forth coming tried in vain to get them back in the box finally I took a water hose and sprayed enough to get them somewhat back into the box. I closed them up threw em in my truck and took off for the bee yard. The roofers had no idea where the bees came from. Once I came back from dropping them in the bee yard the roofers were back at work and seemed OK for being popped by the girls. I walked over and confessed my actions to the homeowner and apologized to the roofers. I bought them lunch that day and everything worked out OK luckily. But learned a valuable lesson bees aren't like the family pet you can't just let them out and call them back in when you want.

Keith

David Stokely · August 01, 2010, 10:12:13 PM

Keith,

I am still just rolling with laughter. . . the image of those poor roofers and the bees. . .lololololol oh my gosh. . .

Thanks,

Dave

beekeepingnoobs · August 02, 2010, 03:46:44 PM

From years ago...

Acting like a 8 year old boy and peeing in my grandfathers back yard. All this time I've let my brother think he was the only one that the honeybees "investigated." I thought I would never get that stinger out.

luvin honey · August 02, 2010, 10:13:06 PM

Quote from: FRAMEshift on August 01, 2010, 08:41:35 PM
Ah, and now you're hoping that others will confess even more dumb things they've done and that will relieve your embarrassment. I'm so sorry but I've never, ever done anything that dumb. :-D

:D That's evil!

irerob · August 02, 2010, 11:59:03 PM

Two weeks ago I absent mindedly left the door open to the shed where I store all of my wooden ware including about 30 frames of partially capped honey I was going to use for emergency feed this winter if needed. a few hours later I rounded the corner to find 10 + hives of foragers with ski masks on empting out the supers as fast as possible.Fortunately the hostage negotiation went well and I only suffered the indignity of publicly running out of the shed screaming like a girl.

JP · August 03, 2010, 12:08:00 AM

Keith, that's the first time I'm hearing of that tale. Glad you got the job done in the end!

Mishaps are sometimes the best teachers.

I did a cut out about five yrs ago, had plastic down on the front porch right next to where the hive was I was extracting. I was laying big beautiful honeycomb sections down I would later place in a container.

Well, things worked out quite differently when the hive I was removing decided they wanted their honey back plus two other colonies in the same area also went on a robbing rampage.

It was late summer and a dearth and I was right there in the middle of the most serious robbing event I have ever witnessed to this day.

It was insanely crazy and I liked it.

I learned the hard way to put the top on the container immediately after dropping honey combs or else! :shock:

...JP

Bee Happy · August 03, 2010, 01:15:30 AM

I was doing my second or third inspection (ever) and held the frame a little too gently. It dropped and whacked on the top edge of the hive. At about the same time, the dumbest, meanest old dog I ever owned had just started being irritable at whatever those annoying things stinging him were when he showed up to investigate what I was up to. The Bees came pouring out of the hive and straight for him, 20 - 30 - 50 - 70 bees stinging him - I couldn't tell you. My wife in a skirt and sleevless shirt decided sometime in the middle of it that she should probably be somewhere else, so she had a brisk walk to the jeep and got herself closed in without a sting. Our other dark dog had already figured out on her own that mad bees are nothing to be around - so she jumped up and down in front of the window of the jeep, trying to get 'mama' to let her in. My wife opened the door and got trampled, seems the dog couldnt pack herself into the jeep fast enough.
The dumb dog was staring at me during all of this, clearly thinking: "I'm not sure how I should deal with this" So I got the frame replaced and told the dog "Run, stupid!". He understood that and got himself clear.
Several hours later I decided to go see if the bees had calmed down - not realizing that the dumb dog was again following me. Clearly - to the bees that dog was eau-de-fury - Yep, more stings for the dog. (Not one sting for me)
I am convinced that I had witnessed a genuine karmic event. I tried to stop that dog fighting once (with my other male) to prevent having to dig a grave or pay extortion to a vet while being eyed as a possible michael vick - he chomped my arm so hard I think he cracked my wrist. I let him live for that because I already knew you're never supposed to break up a dogfight. Then he bit me AGAIN while trying to escape the yard, that time he let go quick because he knew there was no excuse. So I chalked up his 2 rounds of stings to authentic karmic retribution just for me. (and it was MY mistake dropping the frame :evil:) (3 dogs total if you lost track. dog 3 is very white and the bees barely notice him.)