Anyone else into beekeeping?

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WIDirt

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2010
Messages
192
Location
Douglas Center, WI
I have always wanted to keep bees, and I have about a dozen books on the subject and many, many plans for building hives, supers, etc. However, being highly allergic to bee stings....

So, I continue to dream.

...Mmmmmm, fresh honey....... Mmmmmmm!

Are you truly allergic to the point of anaphylactic shock where you need to carry an epi-pen? Many folks say they are allergic but they are just sensitive and swell up. This is quite normal with bee stings. When I first started, I was working some Afracanized (killer bees) with my mentor and got stung through my gloves 6 or 7 times. My hand swelled up and itched but that was it. Even if you are truly allergic, you can get shots that will eliminate it in many people. There are a number of commercial beekeepers on a bee forum I frequent that used to be truly allergic to bee stings. Now they are not after the shots.

Sorry for the delay in responding. Yes, anaphylactic shock. I am allergic to every insect that stings. A mosquito raises a welt on me over 2" in diameter.
When I was 10, I was given a brand new Hodaka 100 dirt bike for my birthday. The following weekend, we went to the Beatty sand dunes in Nevada. (I grew up in Las Vegas) I was the first one up Saturday morning, and before anyone could stop me, I was on the bike and headed for the dunes 1/2 mile away. (You couldn't camp on or ride on the dunes at night. Don't know if that still applies or not.) I never made it. I hit a pucker bush and went down. On an anthill... I only got stung once. By the time I got back to camp, with out the bike, I could barely breathe and my arm was almost twice as big as it should have been. My uncle, a surgeon at Sunrise Hospital, later Sunrise Humana, was with us and pumped me full of some antivenom, I know not what. The only thing that did was make breathing easier. I didn't get to ride my new bike for almost 2 weeks after that.....

I spent the next 5 weeks having allergy tests done. I react to everything.

I have been told I should have an epi with me always. I still won't carry one, and I have a see it/kill it policy with any insect that can sting/bite.

My wife and my mother have discussed the situation, and I have been very firmly told, "No, you may not have bees" by SWMBO....
 
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steamshovel

Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2011
Messages
303
Location
Middleton Idaho 83644-5506 USA
I'm not scared by bees, wasps, spiders, snakes and so on. They are all a wonder. I saw on TV awhile back about someone using bees for detecting drugs and was quite interesting. They are fast and accurate.


Preston
 

rej19

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2008
Messages
821
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Curtis, how about an update on the beekeeping. All of my hives made it through the mild winter here in Indiana. I have put out a top bar hive just for fun. I captured a swarm about a week ago and that's what I have installed in the top bar. Looking good so far! Very interesting and rewarding hobby.
 
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