I am not happy today. The result of three bee stings to the face through my veil: I am puffed up like a chipmunk. I understand that this goes with the beekeeping territory. However, I wish I did not respond to bee venom quite so spectacularly.
Dealing with an Aggressive Honey Bee Hive
We have a grumpy hive. Aggressive behavior in honey bees is usually genetic, which means the cure is re-queening. The challenge is finding the queen in a tall, populous hive — especially when we are not using queen excluders this year, meaning she could be anywhere across all six medium-depth boxes. That means a thorough inspection through 60 frames of very upset bees.
Moving the Hive After Dark
Last night we moved the hive after dark from the host yard to a more remote location. We secured all entrances, but the bees poured out of a poorly sealed top entrance almost immediately. Then the front entrance plug came partially out. As a result, we loaded a hive covered in bees crawling across every surface. My husband took stings on the ankles and wrists; I took three to the face where my veil touched skin. We brushed bees off each other, climbed into the truck in full suits, and drove to the remote site. Unloading was equally unpleasant.
After it was all over, I tried to find papaya-based meat tenderizer at the grocery store — papain enzymes break down venom proteins. The only option had salt in it, so I bought a ripe papaya and rubbed it directly on the sting sites. I also took Benadryl and ibuprofen and went to bed with an ice pack. I believe the papaya helped. Additionally, it is cloudy and threatening rain today, so the queen search will have to wait for a better day.