Becoming Part Bee

I knew going into beekeeping that I was going to get stung. I almost looked forward to getting that first sting overwith! My first sting was on my right ankle. I thought I was impervious to getting stung because I was covered head to toe. Wrong.

This was the beginning of my learning curve on my precious bees.

Lesson one: Steal the honey, pay the price.

Lesson two: If there is even the teensiest, tinyest opening in your clothing a bee will find it. My ankle and foot swelled up like a watermelon.

Lesson three: all bee stings swell. This does NOT indicate an allergy to bee stings. Bee stings cause swelling to the second joint. If your hand gets stung, normal swelling will occur all the way to your elbow. The two joints being your wrist and your elbow. Speaking from experience though, the "two joint" rule does not apply to the neck, head and face. I've been stung pretty much everywhere and the only bad swelling has been on the foot and hands. ...and the reaction is nominal at this point in my beekeeping.

(My husband would like me to confess that the stings to my lips this past summer did result in pretty impressive swelling...a la Angolina Jolie.)

The great thing is the bee venom has eradicated my arthritis and it has protected me from yellowjacket/wasp stings. Whenever I get stung by those nasty predators my old bee stings react by slightly swelling (like tiny pimples) and I can feel my body fight back the yellowjacket venom. I believe I am now part bee. The yellowjacket venom has NO effect on my body.

So beekeeping is in my blood by heritage and honeybees are in my blood by injection!

I'll go over the basics of beekeeping in my next several blogs, but if you have any questions or would like certain topics covered then email me at mhatty@aol.com.

--Marty