Bees don’t want to sting you!
First of all, honey bees actually don’t want to sting you! When they sting, their stinger stays embedded in your flesh, and rips out of their bodies. This mortally wounds them, and they fall to the ground and die within a few hours. So when they sting, it is because something is wrong. There is a saying in beekeeping that is generally very true- if a bee stings you, it’s the beekeeper’s fault.
I’m going to share some tips and tricks to make getting stung a rarity, instead of the norm.
Why bees sting
Honey bees sting for a variety of reasons, the most common being something squishing them, them becoming afraid, or something alerting the guard bees to a real or perceived threat. It all boils down to those three reasons. I’ll elaborate.
If a bee is being squished, it will sting to try to protect the colony. After all, if some large creature is coming in smashing around, they need to be stopped or they could do some serious damage.
Bees can become afraid, and they will sting as a result. Loud banging is one of the things that will trigger this sting response. Likewise dropping a frame or box will squish bees, releasing their alarm pheromone. This will cause more bees to know something is wrong, and try to sting you.
Now for the threat- this is a little less straightforward than the other two reasons bees sting. They operate inside the hive entirely in the dark, and one of their main communication methods is what is called pheromones, or in laymen’s terms, a smell emitted to communicate, consciously or unconsciously.
There are all kinds of pheromones but the main one that we will focus on right now is called the Alarm Pheromone. The Alarm Pheromone can be emitted by one bee and spread around through wing flapping, and when one bee smells it, they begin to also release this pheromone, and before long, you have a lot of alarmed bees. This pheromone is released when a bee stings you as well, and other bees will fly to the site of the sting, and try to sing you as well, since this marker was left communicating that you need to be stung. As a result, when you do get stung, it’s best to take a step back, and if you have your smoker running, smoke the sting site.
If you’re getting stung, especially multiple times, you might notice the smell of bananas, or more specifically, banana Laughy Taffy. This alarm pheromone, in large quantities, smells like bananas. So do yourself a favor, and don’t eat a banana and then go work your bees. You’re asking them to sting your face!
Similarly, don’t wear highly scented perfumes or colognes, or other products before working your bees. Floral notes make them curious, and curious bees often end up getting squished. Squished bees end up stinging. With other fragrances, you don’t know what messages you might be communicating. Like anyone, bees do appreciate good hygiene, and would rather you not come out smelling terrible.
Banging is also considered a threat, because it sounds like thunder. So don’t open your hive when there has been thunder, if at all possible. On a similar note, it’s best to not to open the hive when there have been fireworks or target practice.
The bees don’t like storms, so if it’s raining, they’re not going to be happy little bees, and will be extra testy.
Clothing is important too. Coveralls may be thick enough so bees can’t sting through them, but if you look like a big brown bear, you really should expect to get stung on other parts of your body. Black is another no-go color. Bees think you look like a bear or skunk or another one of their pesky lovers, who appreciate them for all the wrong reasons. The ways that bees’ eyes work, they also see red as though it is black. For this reason, avoid wearing red or other dark colors around bees.
I’ve found that with these tips, it’s possible to work the bees, and usually not get stung, despite being in only partial protective gear, assuming the hives are reasonably tempered.