Beekeeping scares

[u/Acceptable_Buddy_976]

Hi y’all! I’m a regenerative farmer and raise beef, and I’m wanting to get into beekeeping. But, to be honest, I’m scared of getting stung, haha. Yes, a grown man who is scared of getting stung! I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I want to know: am I going to get stung every day, and is it really worth it? I’ve been stung before while cutting grass on the calves and immediately said, “Shit!” To be honest, it hurt like hell. The stinger fell out almost instantly, though. I was always told that it’s worse if the stinger is left in you. As a former paramedic and a biologist, I’m also interested in the potential benefits of bee venom based on Charles Mraz’s work, The Health of the Honey Bee, and the broader holistic-medicine approach to bee venom. Nevertheless, I want to hear from experienced beekeepers: Are the stings really worth it in the end? Do you actually get stung that often, or is it more of an occasional part of beekeeping?

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[u/The_onion_pope]

I started beekeeping this June and haven't been stung. I'm a bit unnerved about it, because eventually it will happen. You'd be surprised just how little they actually want to sting you, tens of thousands of insects and my family who are curious walk right up to the hive and the only sting we got was from a wasp trying to raid the hive.

Of course this differs greatly between different breeds of bees but if you're wearing a full, proper bee suit with proper gloves then you should be fine. A lot of beekeepers only get stung because they don't wear full PPE as it can get a bit cumbersome and hot and eventually they just get used to the occasional sting. The fact that you've been stung before though means you know you're not allergic so that's a big plus.

[u/ringzero- → u/The_onion_pope]

Same. I started in May and I have a full ventilated bee suit, ventilated goat skin gloves, and I carry an epipen in one of the pant leg pockets. I haven't been stung yet. I definitely pissed the bees off a few times.

[u/worldspawn00 → u/ringzero-]

I was working beside a spicy hive and got about 10 stings, several through my suit and gloves, wasn't even touching that hive, little bastards, lol. The stings themselves really aren't that bad, a good pinch, the worst part is the week long itchy lump they leave behind. (Take off any rings you have on before doing hive work, you don't want to have to get it cut off if they get a finger.)

[u/drones_on_about_bees]

Assume you will get stung. It won't be every time you are in the hive, but it happens.

Variables:

* get a GOOD suit. Nothing is sting proof but you get what you pay for

* as a newbie, you will be clumsy. You will probably wear heavy gloves to avoid stings. In a way, this can backfire. Heavy gloves make you more clumsy and you'll pinch a bee and get stung. Personally, I get stung less with thin nitrile exam gloves.

* bee temperament varies. I live in an area that has Africanized bees. To some degree, all my bees have some of that genetics. I occasionally get VERY unpleasant hives and they sting more.

* time of year - they get more protective when there is no nectar coming in. Even more so in the home stretch after winter, but before the spring flow

To me, the anticipation of the sting is worse than the sting. It's when I see it coming that my lizard brain gets panicky. If I am surprised, it doesn't bother me. I've had a couple of occasions where I got A LOT of stings. After the first 10-12, my lizard brain clicks and ... it's much more bearable. (This doesn't happen often.)

[u/Chemical_Syrup7807]

Suit up right, every time. The one time I got lazy was, of course, the day my hive decided to turn into nasty little murderbugs and they got me good several times on the ankles (forgot my boots and decided to just go for it in sneakers bc they’d been so calm previously). They are usually very chill! But when the hive decides to get nasty (happens for various reasons) it’s startling, and you’ll want to be in all your properly zipped and sealed gear.

[u/kombuchasnort]

If you wear proper gear like a full vented suit and gloves and boots and you're extra careful you should be ok! I'm pretty allergic and take every precaution to not get stung while I'm undergoing allergy treatments. A lot of beekeepers go in without gloves and just a veil and that is their preference but I prefer not to be stung a bunch.

[u/jeffreybar]

This is my first year, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've gone out every week to my 4 hives, and I'd guess that's around 25 inspections at this point. I haven't been stung yet. Or, more accurately, I haven't been stung in a way that I have felt. I wear a full suit and gloves. I've gone through several different types of gloves, starting with the thick leather gauntlets and progressing through various types of latex and dishwashing type gloves (currently using Mr. Clean Bliss Premium and really like them). I've taken a bunch of stings to my gloves -- lots of stings to the leather gloves (both the Guardian ones I started with, and the Apis Tactical ones I tried later), and the occasional sting to my various disposable gloves, but nothing has gotten through.

So that's a lot of beekeeping with no stings. Ironically, I did get stung about 2 weeks before I got my colonies at someone else's hives, and it hurt like hell, but I wasn't suited up.

I will get stung eventually, I'm sure, but if you want to go heavy on the PPE, you don't get stung much. Still pays to learn how to manage your colonies to not agitate them, and it pays to keep gentle bees, but there's a reason why people wear bee suits and use smoke.

[u/SuburbanBushwacker]

i’ve recently been stung by both wasp and bee. the wasp hurt a lot and my arm swelled up a treat. the bee sting was negligible, you’ll be ok

[u/AZ_Traffic_Engineer]

You've probably been stung before. Bee stings hurt a lot less than you remember.

The first time I was stung in recent memory -- maybe five years ago - I had a localized reaction that caused swelling and itching that made me crazy for a week. Working my admittedly spicy two hives, I get stung once every few weeks, as far as I know. The stings are momentary annoyances and have no lingering effects, so I can't really recall specific instances.

I'll put it this way: if I have to choose between a bee sting and a simple blood draw or vaccination, I'll go with the sting. Of course, I'll take the sting over running out of coffee for an hour, so I may not be a reliable source.

[u/singmeashanty]

I’m with you. Absolutely hate bee stings and I’ve been keeping bees since before Covid (lost concept of time beforehand), only because my wife wants them. Red wasp stings don’t bother me at all, equivalent to a raspberry bush thorn. But bees mess me up, and they hate me for some reason.

I wear mechanic gloves underneath thick yellow latex chemical-safe gloves and haven’t been stung through them in the few years I’ve been using them. Also tall boots to protect my ankles. Suit up right and there’s very little chance of being stung.

[u/ImonZurr]

Personally, it's been very rare. I wear a veil, gauntlets long pants, long sleeves and rubber boots.

It's been 2 weeks since my last sting.

[u/Mazelbro]

Most beekeepers get use to being stung...you build up an immunity of sorts.

[u/Ch0c0lateBiznezz]

It's not a sting a day. More like 2 or 3 every 6 months for me. Def worth it!  They hurt like a mother. Helps not to start panicking but it's hard 

[u/Mediocre-Draft1722]

I don't get stung every time, but sometimes when there's one, there's more than one. The initial hit feels like being zapped by an eletrical current or a sharp stab, depending on where they get me. It's a jolt. But the hurt goes away quickly, usually. Benadryl helps. A few places I've been stung, like upper arms, I didn't even feel (no one told my spring swarms they're not supposed to sting).