nailed again!

[tlynn]

So after yesterday I decided to invest in some velcro to cinch down my pants legs.

http://www.purplemangomedia.com/IMG_0398.JPG
http://www.purplemangomedia.com/IMG_0387.JPG

Tucking in socks doesn't seem to work, especially when they decide to crawl behind the tongue of the boot and get pressed against the sock when I bend forward.  In fact either the stinger got me twice or there were 2 stings.

It's a bit discouraging to keep ballooning up like this after regular stings since last May, this my first year in beekeeping.  Has anyone been doing this for years and still getting painful, swelling reactions? 

[BjornBee]

Wearing dark shoes/boots/socks is a guaranteed way of having them after your ankles. Wear white sneakers, with two layers of white tube socks.

I once got mailed a few times on the same spot on the knee while working a hive. And I then realized that the bees were homing in on a grease spot that I had put on my jeans as I rubbed against the ball/hitch of the truck. It was interesting to see them go after the small black spot.

I'm not sure what was more painful....your sting, or my looking at your feet!   

[tlozo]

The boot bands are effective. It also helps to wear longer jeans with them.

Yeah, please no more pictures of feet.

[pdmattox]

Not much swelling but plenty of pain. Did you give your bees a little smoke before messing with em?

[tlynn]

Hey tlozo, what's wrong with feet?  They get us where we want to go while absorbing thousands of pounds of pressure without much complaining.  Pretty amazing if you ask me!  OK, well it's now swollen a lot more and hurts impressively, after being on my feet today...and I'll spare you any more pictures!    I think foot up, ice, and benedryl are sounding good right about now.

I had to make sure I knew where the queen was so I went through the entire hive.  I moved some brood to another hive and shook off bees into the hive box.  The hive was jam-packed and they were pretty much everywhere, including the ground.  I was keeping watch on my legs because so many were crawling around my feet but forgot to look down after a while.  She or they just got between the tongue of my boot and my sock and when compressed, wham-o.

Definitely I am going with tennis shoes and double socks.  Good idea, Bjorn bee.  Thanks.

[rast]

 Tracey, nothing wrong with your feet. I just think a little toe nail polish, maybe lavender, would have added to the picture .
 Rick

[Brian D. Bray]

I just tuck my pant legs into my farm boots and go to work.  The higher topped footwear and the more pant overhang the better off you are to keep from getting stung.  When I first got out of the Army I used to use my combat boots and blousing rubbers...worked so good.

[bassman1977]

Tuck your pants into your socks then duct tape around the area that they can still sting through.  Between the shoe/boot and pants.

[annette]

The boot bands are effective. It also helps to wear longer jeans with them.

Yeah, please no more pictures of feet.

Hey I enjoyed looking at the feet. They were a nice pair of feet and I noticed the tatoo!!

[annette]

Also I wear my high rubber boots from LL Bean and tuck my pants into the boots. This has worked so far. I had one bad incident of getting stung on my ankle before going to the high boots.

[JP]

Not much swelling but plenty of pain. Did you give your bees a little smoke before messing with em?

Also, did you set some of your boxes on the ground as you went through everything? If you did next time keep them up off the ground so they are not crawling up onto your legs, Or, if you can't set them higher, position yourself 180 degrees from where you set the boxes again, so they can't crawl up your legs.


...JP

[Cindi]

Not much swelling but plenty of pain. Did you give your bees a little smoke before messing with em?

Also, did you set some of your boxes on the ground as you went through everything? If you did next time keep them up off the ground so they are not crawling up onto your legs, Or, if you can't set them higher, position yourself 180 degrees from where you set the boxes again, so they can't crawl up your legs.


...JP

Great idea JP, I remember when we took the beemasters short course, some guy used a device he called a "super horse".  Thinking I am going to make one next year, keeps the bees up at waist level instead of ground level, where they do indeed like to climb up my legs.  My jeans are long enough that the bees can't climb up inside them, good thing, probably worse than ants in the pants, 

Something I learned this year was to not wear my black velcro watch when working the bees, the didn't like it and I got nailed a few times on my wrist before "getting" it, smiling.  Have that wonderful and awesome day, life, health,  Cindi

[tlynn]

No, I don't put the supers or frames on the ground.  Here is the setup:

http://www.purplemangomedia.com/IMG_0400.JPG

I set things on the adjacent space on the 4x4s.  I plan to get 2 more hives this spring so I guess I'll have to come up with another solution.  I like the super horse idea.  I have saw horses and it wouldn't be much trouble to set them up when I work the bees.

[Cindi]

Tracey, nothing wrong with your feet. I just think a little toe nail polish, maybe lavender, would have added to the picture .
 Rick

Ha!!!  Now that would have been a sight for the eyeballs for surely, bring it on!!!  Beautiful day in this great life, health, Cindi

[tlynn]

OK, I promised no more foot pics, so I'll just give a text update later! 

[JP]

No, I don't put the supers or frames on the ground.  Here is the setup:

http://www.purplemangomedia.com/IMG_0400.JPG

I set things on the adjacent space on the 4x4s.  I plan to get 2 more hives this spring so I guess I'll have to come up with another solution.  I like the super horse idea.  I have saw horses and it wouldn't be much trouble to set them up when I work the bees.

I would suggest then working them from the backside so the bees are not flying out the entrance and getting on your legs.


...JP