Hatton Bees - Kirkliston

My hive visits

Being new to keeping bees like most new beekeepers I probably visit my hive more than I should but hey what can I say - I waited a long time to start so now I've got them I'm keen to learn all I can from them. I have learnt a valuable lesson during one of my first visits - always remember to take your smoker and have it lit. I didn't on my 2nd or 3rd visit, it was a painful lesson as the bees were still settling into their new home and were not too happy that I was poking around. 27 stings I received through the thick leather gloves that were meant to stop stings from reaching the beekeeper.

My bees have an unusually long stinger, which can get through the normal beekeepers thick gloves. I've since bought a new pair that my bees can't sting through.

I admit I had to move away from the hive in hope the bees would not follow me while I phoned my partner Kathryn to ask her to bring my smoker to the hive site as fast as she could.

Even though I was 30 or 40 feet away from the hive the bees had still followed me and were still stinging although not as many now.

When a bee stings part of the bee is left attached to the sting and the bee dies soon afterwards, the parts of the bee that are left with the stinger are actually quite ingenious – still attached to the stinger are a poison sack with its muscle still pumping poison into its victim and in doing so it also releases an alarm scent which tells other bees close enough to smell it to also sting there. So as more bee's sting, more of this scent is left in the victim which in turn tells more bees to also sting there.

My bees were only protecting their new home which despite it being a painful experience was good to see so quickly as this was the first sign they had accepted my hive as their new home.

Kathryn arrived quickly with my smoker and as soon as I had it lit and producing enough smoke I was able to use the smoke firstly to blow smoke over my hands to mask the scent that was still attracting bees that were still stinging me.

Once the scent was masked with the scent of the smoke the bees soon went back to guarding their new home and I was able to smoke the hive in order that I could close it up for the day.

The smoke doesn’t knock the bees out like many people think, what it actually does is make the bees think the area around the hive is on fire and the hive is in danger of burning. The bees head towards the honey stores and eat as much honey as they can in case they need to abandon this hive and make another. To the beekeeper this means the bees honey stomach is full which makes it awkward for the bee to extend its bum in order to sting you.

Once the beekeeper has finished doing his/her thing the bees relies the danger of fire has passed and they then put the honey back.       

Last hive visit of 2014

Kathryn and I were returning from the shops and as we were using Kathryn’s car I asked her to drive by my hive as I wanted to check everything was OK as we had a storm that night.

Bloody Hell – My hive was on it’s side with all the sections separated from one another, I asked Kathryn to take us home so I could get some straps to strap the hive down once I had rebuilt it. I said to Kathryn that I would have to start again next year as all the bees would have died with it being so wet and just above freezing.

Kathryn looked at me as if to say sorry as she knew how hard I worked to get everything right for them.

Given I expected to be putting 70,000 dead bees into a bin bag, I never bothered to put by bee suit on or take my gloves or a smoker.

As I picked the first section of my hive up off the ground in the field I felt one of my bees sting my hand and then another – my bees were alive and not in the best of moods. I looked inside to check how many were still alive. To my utter astonishment they all were alive and looking at me as if I had attacked their hive. I knew then they were going to protect their hive and I should have put my bee suit on – too late now!

I decided just to pick up the hive sections as fast as I could and get the hive built and the roof on quickly before too many of the bees stung me. I got the base in place then the hive floor without any more stings. I prepared myself to be stung a few times as I picked up the brood chamber which would have the queen in it and the bees would protect this vigorously – I wasn’t wrong!

Sting after sting after sting as I picked the brood box up and placed it on top of the floor section, next it was one of the honey supers, which wouldn’t have as many bees in it. The bees were now attacking me from the brood chamber so I knew they would continue until that section was covered with the super. I quickly got the super on then closed up the hive entrance to stop them leaving the hive that way to continue their attack on me.

As I placed the last section before the roof on the hive I was glad that the bees that were stinging me were fewer now. As I placed the roof on I could see my hands were covered in bee stings and I thought to myself I had best retrieve my epi-pen from my car in case I need it. As I put the pen in my pocket I could feel one or two bees crawling inside my shirt, I knew they were likely to sting me as I tried to get them out so decided just to squash them and hope the never got the chance to sting as I did this. Sting, sting, sting, and think I got them or they got me.

Now to tie the hive down as the forecast was for more high winds for the rest of the week.  

Once finished it was time to go home for a coffee, and a shower.

Once I got home and Kathryn saw me she was like, what the hell happened to you?

“your face is covered in stings, it’s a mess, you remember we have a wedding to go to in the morning so I hope it settles down by then”.

We had a coffee before I got ready for a shower, we counted 107 stings to my hands and face and we knew I had more on my head under the hair.

Sting count for 2013 – approximately 160 stings.