Whoops, eek, ouch!
Ok, so I admit I’m not the least clumsy person you’ll meet and when you combine that with beekeeping it inevitably will lead to humorous consequences.
This year has lived up to expectations with many incidents and calamities! allow me to share as a source of amusement or warning!
When collecting a swarm, if you have a strap around the hive don’t walk over to talk to the residents, whilst trying to look professional and competent, whilst it’s wrapped around your ankle - the bees and your ankle will not thank you for it.
After extracting honey in your kitchen, do a thorough search for stray bees otherwise you could find yourself with a numb foot after stepping on one - ouch!
If wanting to visit the apiary to grab something, don’t wear your hair in Princess Leia style buns - inevitably a bee will find your lovely, candy floss like hair, and get stuck.
Learn by point 3 and don’t repeat and end up with a stung neck and dead bee!
When your bee suit gets mucky and needs a wash, remember to remove the hood before washing and don’t tumble dry the entire suit with hood attached - your lovely husband will try to mend with a hairdryer but it won’t work and you’ll end up £45 poorer when you have to replace it when the wires stay kinky!
If you have visitors to your hive and you get stung, try to be professional and not swear!
When placing hives, make sure they’re on even ground without rabbit holes around them otherwise you’ll think you’ve ventured into Alice’s adventures in Wonderland when you fall down one.
Following on from the note above; try not to put your foot down a rabbit hole when carrying a full hive of bees - if you do, make sure the bees come first! (no bees were harmed in the falling of said beekeeper on this occasion!)
When being interviewed by a journalist and demonstrating the wonders of a beehive, make sure you’ve drunk water beforehand rather than having a dry throat and coughing your way through the interview!
Hammers and thumbs are not friends and appear to constantly be on a mission to fight - the fight is one sided and the thumb will never prevail- protect the thumb!
The season isn’t over yet, I’m sure there will be more mishaps before the year ends but fingers crossed for a low injury rate!
