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Well, there I was planting out the sweetcorn when there was this huge buzzing noise. One of my hives had swarmed and were hanging right in the place where I was just about to place my bait hive. Got the gear on and managed to get them in the hive. I fed them then, relucantly, went on hols. Just got back and they're still there .

I was so lucky to be around otherwise I'd have lost half the colony for good. Going to have a peek as soon as the weather allows and then start edging the hive back to the apiary.

Maybe I will get some honey this year after all. ww.

wow..im afraid i would have ran away squelling like a pig

Great! Good you were prepared for it.

Tea - bees are perfectly harmless. Unless you are allergic, of course.

ina wrote: Great! Good you were prepared for it.

Tea - bees are perfectly harmless. Unless you are allergic, of course.

i know they are harmless...and im not allergic just scared of them..it takes all my willpower not to run wheni have the kids with me so i dont transfer my fear to them

And running is the worst you can do - apart from waving your hands frantically at them. Just stay cooooool...

Well done. I did lose half my hive when they swarmed last year and then the other half just withered and died.

I am now awaiting a replacement nucleus, which is promised for June but at a price.

Oh the joys of beekeeping.

[quote="ina"]And running is the worst you can do - apart from waving your hands frantically at them. Just stay cooooool... [/quote

Sat there cooooool grasping my cup of tea and watched the little fellow crawl along my leg and then the dog barked and the bast""d stung ME, THATS when I started to wave my hands about.

Hi all, yes the little b*gg**s do sting sometimes but usually only when defending the hive. I also think that a bee sting is preferable to a wasp sting. That may be phsychological and that I'm more forgiving of bees. I have one of those little gadgets from Kaleidoscope that you press a button and it emits a little electric shock which numbs the area for a while.

What I failed to mention in my original post was that, with all the coming and going, when I checked the original hive, I left the zip to my beesuit open and had bees INSIDE my face net. I calmly put down the frame of bees and then .... ran like the proverbial bat whilst pulling bees out of my hair. God knows what the neighbours think. Probably confirmed their suspicions about 'that mad woman'. Luckily no stings.

Meredith, If possible you need to have at least 2 hives. Then if one swarms or the queen fails in one you can take a frame of eggs from the other so they can breed a new queen. (Sorry if you already know that). Nucs and bees are so expensive now that its worth having 2 or more to be sure. My captured swarm has now increased my colonies to 3 which I hope is a safe number.

ww.

oldfella wrote:Sat there cooooool grasping my cup of tea and watched the little fellow crawl along my leg and then the dog barked and the bast""d stung ME, THATS when I started to wave my hands about.

Well, OK, should have told the dog to stay cool, too...

And once she's stung you, waving your hands about doesn't help, either. That bee is dead in any case.