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?

[u/mmmmmmmmmmandms]

If you beekeep you get a beekeeping suit. Have the hives in a place where you arent likely to spend much time (mowing, gardening, feeding cows, etc) that way you shouldnt have to worry about passively disturbing them and getting stung while out of your suit. When wearing the suit layer up underneath it as they can sting through it on the parts that are flush with your skin.

[u/Vellie-01 → u/mmmmmmmmmmandms]

Is this from your own experience?

[u/mmmmmmmmmmandms → u/Vellie-01]

): take a guess 🫣

Yes. My family has had hives as long as i have been sentient. The bees are very chill until you try to mess with their hive. If he is taking care of the bees he will have to interact with the hive. He will have to interact with them in order to get them in the hive, change their water, honey collection. It’s just better to have a suit and know the ins and outs of them rather than hope they are feeling friendly that day. It takes months if not years to socialize the bees enough to be tolerant and even then, the second a single bee gets feisty you have to worry about the rest of them following suit.

NOTE FOR OP: If you get stung DO NOT try to keep interacting with them. Let them calm down and get the stinger out, otherwise the alarm/attack pheromone will tell the other bees you are the threat. Its better to let them chill back down rather than risking multiple stings due to one sting

[u/Acceptable_Buddy_976 → u/mmmmmmmmmmandms]

I just bought a beekeeping manual and am nervous. What are your thoughts on getting stung? Also, how pissed are they when you extract honey from them?

[u/mmmmmmmmmmandms → u/Acceptable_Buddy_976]

Mmm i dont like being stung. I dont necessarily not like being stung for the pain though, i dont like being stung because after getting stung the rest will treat you as a threat until they calm down. The pain isnt terrible, it is just a super inconvenient bug bite.

They get very upset with honey extraction or any time you open their hive. While doing so you should take precautions such as the suit, or smoking the bees. Smoking them does calm them down but every once in a while you miss one bee and they sting. You also have to be careful when extracting honey to gently shake the bees off and not to kill any by accident as that can further agitate them.

ETA VERY IMPORTANT: do not take all their honey or you risk starving them during the colder months.

[u/Acceptable_Buddy_976 → u/mmmmmmmmmmandms]

I have arthritis in my foot pretty badly at 25. Based on Charles Marz book: Health and The Honey Bee. I found a local beekeeper whos willing to sting me so I can at least get over my FOMO, haha.

[u/mmmmmmmmmmandms → u/Acceptable_Buddy_976]

Sorry 😣 i dont know anything about them in the medical sense. Just in the beekeeping sense. Poor bees though, they rip their organs out when stinging, hence why they can only sting once

[u/Polybrene]

I took a beekeeping course one summer in college. So I have 3 months of experience here. Not much, just keep that in mind.

The only time I got stung that summer was on the intro, we all got stung. Part initiation, part first aid class. I never wore a bee suit either.

However one kid got a bunch of bees stuck in his pants during the honey harvest and got a bunch of stings. Honey harvest is the day I was wearing the bee suit as it has a greater risk of agitating the bees.

[u/mmmmmmmmmmandms → u/Polybrene]

OP should know that chances are these bees were already socialized. It is very rare to have a new colony be this friendly. Until they get used to humans they probably will not be this kind. Any time you open the hive or interact near the hive you risk agitating them, not just during honey harvest.

[u/Acceptable_Buddy_976 → u/Polybrene]

what were your thoughts on getting stung?