Author Topic: Riverbee's Journey  (Read 70115 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Jen

  • Platinum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10175
  • Thanked: 240 times
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Upper California
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #40 on: January 29, 2014, 09:16:28 pm »
Seriously! I don't know if I've chuckled and laughed so much since this forum!

Lazy-  I have a friend that refers to me as 'Jinny'
There Is Peace In The Queendom

Offline riverbee

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 8924
  • Thanked: 410 times
  • Gender: Female
  • ***Forum Sponsor***
  • Location: El Paso Twp, Wisconsin
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #41 on: February 17, 2014, 05:43:38 pm »
just an update, i was scheduled for my monthly injections in february for last wednesday afternoon, i had to cancel and reschedule those injections for this wednesday afternoon, so the 19th.  i have been a little under the weather for the past 3 weeks, and the docs don't like to give allergy injections when one is running a fever/fighting off a viral infection of some sort. 

on another note, all of my hives have made it through our extended subzero temps, and snowy winter. we had to dig a path to get to them, but was very happy with putting my ear to each one of them to hear the sounds of the clusters. one by one, brought my heart great joy, and someone elses.... :D

just goes to show you worry wart beeks( :D)  just how cold hardy bees really are when they go into winter months pest and disease free, healthy, and healthy cluster, with plenty of stores packed away.  these hives really have had little maintenance to them since i developed my allergy, so i am amazed at how they have managed to survive with little or no intervention.  my only concern is/was one hive, a swarm hive we caught late in the season last summer, for lack of stores necessary for our climate. last fall it was given extra deep frames of honey, fed sugar syrup, and added sugar to the tops of the frames in the 2nd deep, until i could get a winter patty in there.  we were unable to heft the hives as they are frozen to the pallets they are sitting on, and could not pop any lids as the temp was only 10 degrees F. 

the other concern about the swarm hive was her queen........and the whereabouts of that queen...... :D
the hives were being readied for winter last fall by mr. rb, frames of honey rearranged, feeding etc. he comes running into where i have extra frames stored and he says to me:
"hmmm i saw your swarm queen, she was very beautiful.
oops i hear WAS....... :D
"what's this was stuff?" (you know eagle eye, deer in headlight questions to him).
"well, i lifted the inner cover and i saw your swarm queen with a circle of bees around her. i looked at the underneath side of the inner cover like you have shown me before i set it aside and there she was! she WAS very beautiful!"  (he was so excited to have spotted this).
i sent him back to look for her beneath the hive.
the story is, upon tilting the cover over the hive to get her back in the hive, she took flight on him.  my hives sit on pallets. she landed next to the hive, and then scurried away underneath the cover of the pallet......oops.....he tried to find her, thousands of bees in the air. no cluster found underneath and until dark and the next day.
it was kind of funny watching him down on his hands knees looking for that queen...... :D

i suspected that when we saw no cluster beneath or near the hive, the queen made her way back to the hive safe and sound, but i must say, he has been worrying about this since last fall, and when we listened to that hive this weekend, the question came up, would the hive survive a winter without a queen.  my reply to him was that the hive has a queen and all is well.  8)
i keep wild things in a box..........™
if you obey the rules, you miss all the fun.....katherine hepburn
Forum Sponsor

Offline Slowmodem

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1551
  • Thanked: 37 times
  • Gender: Male
    • http://gregsbees.blogspot.com/
  • Location: Ten Mile, TN
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #42 on: February 17, 2014, 07:30:27 pm »
i have been a little under the weather for the past 3 weeks, and the docs don't like to give allergy injections when one is running a fever/fighting off a viral infection of some sort.

Must have been something in that tropical air.......
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
Beekeeping at 26.4 kbs

Offline riverbee

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 8924
  • Thanked: 410 times
  • Gender: Female
  • ***Forum Sponsor***
  • Location: El Paso Twp, Wisconsin
Re: Riverbee's Journey 4th Monthly VIT Injections
« Reply #43 on: March 05, 2014, 10:49:47 pm »
my fourth monthly venom immunotherapy injections were on the 19th of February. 
this was a rescheduled appointment because i had been fighting a virus.
the docs don't like to give injections if you are running a fever, or have a respiratory infection/virus as it could, worse case scenario, potentially set off an anaphlylactic reaction.

so i received the 3 injections for honey bee, wasp, and mixed vespid. one milliliter, or 100 micrograms of each of the venom's, a full needle.  the honey bee injection, as always, gives me a larger than normal reaction.  a large reaction to my upper arm.  i have become accustomed to it.

two things:
#1~ my doc has now placed me on a 6 week injection schedule.  this is good in my overall progress. 

#2~ the amount of venom in my injections, i milliliter or 100 micrograms of venom for each injection is equal to 2 - 4 stings of each insect.
       so i am receiving venom equal to, for the 3 injections, anywhere between 6 and 12 stings total.

can i dance now?!...... :D
i can't tell you how happy this makes me, i thought it would take forever to get to a 6 week interval with injections.  i am there, i am finally there.

will i work bees this spring?  maybe, maybe not. doc would like to see me get another season of injections in.
if i don't someone in my household will be wearing a 'go pro' camera on their veil...... :D

off topic on my own thread a little, we have had an extremely harsh winter with snow and sub zero temps since december 1st.  my bees have made it with little management. 

some pix, we still have about 3 1/2 feet of snow on the ground, with temps still consistently below zero or just above:

a red tail hawk:



and from one of our gardens, what you see is the top of one bird bath to the left without the bowl and a garden ornament that stands about 3 1/2 feet out of the ground when there is no snow:



MEET WILL.....what a great guy!  this am we woke up to water leaking from a window inside the house from ice back up.....2 to 3 foot of snow on the roof, some ice dams, and have raked the roof off after heavy snow falls..... he shoveled all of the snow off, but on one side of the house where our deck is, we had to shovel the snow off the deck that was shoveled off of the roof.....so done with winter and snow.....




i keep wild things in a box..........™
if you obey the rules, you miss all the fun.....katherine hepburn
Forum Sponsor

Offline Marbees

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 342
  • Thanked: 3 times
  • Gender: Male
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #44 on: March 05, 2014, 11:27:21 pm »
So you got on a six week interval with your injections:-)) Really HAPPY FOR YOU, and proud of you. Atta girl :-))
Say hi to Will, wearing that jacket he must be of Dutch origin :-))
Bee Remarkable

Offline Ziffa

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 102
  • Thanked: 1 times
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #45 on: March 06, 2014, 08:50:13 am »
Congrats River - that's great news.  :goodjob:

Wow, all that snow.  I remember why i'm a southern girl.  Hope the thaw comes soon for you!

love,
ziffa
"There's a spoonful of honey where your heart should be. . ." - The Wood Brothers - Honey Jar.

Offline riverbee

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 8924
  • Thanked: 410 times
  • Gender: Female
  • ***Forum Sponsor***
  • Location: El Paso Twp, Wisconsin
Re: Riverbee's Journey/Epi-Pen Offer 2014
« Reply #46 on: March 07, 2014, 12:11:22 pm »
thanks ziffa, and thanks marbees!  ziffa, all the snow is character building for us northern girls...... :D

Epi-Pen offer for 2014 at no cost or reduced cost, go here, get the offer:

EPI PEN Zero Dollar Co-Pay Offer 2014



i keep wild things in a box..........™
if you obey the rules, you miss all the fun.....katherine hepburn
Forum Sponsor

Offline LazyBkpr

  • Gold Member
  • Posts: 6842
  • Thanked: 205 times
  • Gender: Male
  • www.outyard.net
    • The Outyard
  • Location: Richland Iowa
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #47 on: March 07, 2014, 11:10:45 pm »
Woot! Glad to hear it Mrs. River!! Even got goose bumps.. wait.. that was because the wife whispered in my ear........   Be back later!
Drinking RUM before noon makes you a PIRATE not an alcoholic!

*Sponsor*

Offline lazy shooter

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1449
  • Thanked: 64 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Brownwood, Texas
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #48 on: March 15, 2014, 07:41:22 am »
First things first, that Will is a nice young fellow.  Go out of your way to treat him well. 

With increasing the amount of venom and increasing the time intervals, it appears you are making substantial progress.  It couldn't happen to a more deserving person.  Your love of bees is beyond my comprehension, and you deserve to be with them and vice versa. 

Have a nice day Riverbee. 

Offline brooksbeefarm

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2566
  • Thanked: 89 times
  • Location: fair grove, mo.
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #49 on: March 15, 2014, 09:18:03 am »
Hope you can get back to working your bees soon, i knew if anyone could over come all you've been through you would. Because i've heard that living where it snowed all the time makes some people determine, stubborn, mean, and it stunts there growth. :laugh: :laugh: Jack

Offline DonMcJr

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 204
  • Gender: Male
    • MichiganOutdoorsman
  • Location: SE Michigan
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #50 on: March 16, 2014, 03:09:08 pm »
Wow Riverbee! Sure hope the injections work and you're back in the bee yard soon!

I've never actually been stung by my Honey Bees and worry a little about this happening to me...

I have been stung by Yellow Jackets though, most recently right in my Adam's Apple at the Michigan Honey Festival! Just got a little red and an hour later nothing. Are Yellow Jacket stings different than Honey Bees?

I'll take more Videos this year and share just for you!  8)
President/Founder of Pine River Beekeeping Club  Goodells, MI in St. Clair County
Check out our Facebook Page >>> https://www.facebook.com/PineRiverBeekeepingClub?ref=hl

Offline brooksbeefarm

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2566
  • Thanked: 89 times
  • Location: fair grove, mo.
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #51 on: March 16, 2014, 04:30:53 pm »
They all hurt a little, hornets hurt me the worst then the bumble bee, one reason is because they can keep stinging till they get tired i guess. >:(  wasp and yellow jackets venom don't bother me much. About the only place a honey bee sting gives me trouble (as far as i know ;D) is on the back of my hands, they will swell up and itch like crazy

Offline lazy shooter

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1449
  • Thanked: 64 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Brownwood, Texas
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #52 on: March 31, 2014, 09:41:11 am »
In last evening's chat session, I saw where Riverbee had suited up and worked her bees.  Hmmmm, now the questions are:  Did the doc turn her loose because he does not have any thoughts of her demise in working with bees, or did the hard headed woman make that decision on her own?  We all what the answer is. 

Hey, we all are who we are, and people seldom change.  Riverbee, remember that this forum is chocked full of people that love you and work accordingly.

Be very careful suiting up.

Lazy

Offline Slowmodem

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1551
  • Thanked: 37 times
  • Gender: Male
    • http://gregsbees.blogspot.com/
  • Location: Ten Mile, TN
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #53 on: March 31, 2014, 10:28:26 am »
Hey, we all are who we are, and people seldom change.  Riverbee, remember that this forum is chocked full of people that love you and work accordingly.

Exactly right!  :)
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
Beekeeping at 26.4 kbs

Offline iddee

  • Administrator
  • Gold Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 6122
  • Thanked: 405 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Sophia, N. C.
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #54 on: March 31, 2014, 12:41:33 pm »
Don't be too hard on my hero, Lazy. All us beekeepers have a stubborn old mule streak somewhere. It's what makes us beekeepers.  ;D
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

Offline riverbee

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 8924
  • Thanked: 410 times
  • Gender: Female
  • ***Forum Sponsor***
  • Location: El Paso Twp, Wisconsin
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #55 on: March 31, 2014, 12:50:13 pm »
lazy,
thanks, let me clarify what i did. i had two dead-outs, both a short distance from an active hive. we cleaned those dead outs up, and yes i suited up in full gear, (layers on underneath and wearing a jacket and leather boots) so as not to risk being stung by bees flying from the active hive. so yes, i did get a close up and personal look at two hives full of dead bees. :D

it is still cold here, snow on the ground, and when we started early afternoon, the active hive was not flying, although they did as it warmed up.  i think we actually hit 58 degrees.  the active hive didn't bother us although we did get some fly bys. the active hive was quite busy. we were unable to heft the hive, and i was concerned about food stores, because our weather is taking a nose dive again this week, and maybe for another 2 weeks. i had my husband lift the lid on her, as i stood back, and place in winter patties. i did take a peek at the tops of the frames to see how many bees were in the top.  that was it. when he lifted the lid, he neglected to use a little smoke so had a few zings to his veil and mine. (wasn't paying attention).  i had him replace the lid, wait, a little smoke through the hole of the inner cover, and wait, lift, a puff or two, and they were fine.  he has never done this before, so needed a little coaching, especially with sliding the patties in with frames covered in bees.  he did great.

i just lost these hives, get them all the way through this far, so close to spring. one was a swarm, caught late last summer. he has never helped me clean hives up, just move them. as we were cleaning up this hive, he asked me if i wanted him to go get his phone and take a picture for me of all the dead bees in the bottom deep. we had removed all of the frames and brushed the bees off into the bottom to scoop them out. 
i sort of gave him a look, and said, not sure i want a picture of a box full of dead bees, why would i do that?
his reply was "so you can show your guys on your forum"......... :D
oh for pete's sake, they have seen boxes of dead bees...... :D

i do have a stubborn old mule streak in me, i will admit it, just ask jack.......... :D
ps stubborn, but not foolish, thanks for caring..... ;)
don, thank you too!
i keep wild things in a box..........™
if you obey the rules, you miss all the fun.....katherine hepburn
Forum Sponsor

Offline Ziffa

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 102
  • Thanked: 1 times
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #56 on: March 31, 2014, 01:18:32 pm »
Your husband sounds sweet River.  That was really thoughtful of him.

Looks like you found a keeper!

Hope your journey continues to progress to a happy ending.

love,
ziffa
"There's a spoonful of honey where your heart should be. . ." - The Wood Brothers - Honey Jar.

Offline efmesch

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1690
  • Thanked: 201 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Israel
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #57 on: March 31, 2014, 02:44:21 pm »
River, considering how much help Mr. River is with your bees, it's amazing that you didn't get him into the act earlier.   There are many moments when I wish Mrs. Ef would be willing to give me a hand but still, even after all these years she still keeps a repectful distance from our hives.   :sad:

Offline Slowmodem

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1551
  • Thanked: 37 times
  • Gender: Male
    • http://gregsbees.blogspot.com/
  • Location: Ten Mile, TN
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #58 on: March 31, 2014, 06:52:23 pm »
River, considering how much help Mr. River is with your bees, it's amazing that you didn't get him into the act earlier.   There are many moments when I wish Mrs. Ef would be willing to give me a hand but still, even after all these years she still keeps a repectful distance from our hives.   :sad:

Besides bees, my wife reacts to a myriad of other things, she doesn't come close to the hives.  But, sometimes I'll drive up in front of the hives and she can watch the comings and goings through the car window.
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
Beekeeping at 26.4 kbs

Offline LazyBkpr

  • Gold Member
  • Posts: 6842
  • Thanked: 205 times
  • Gender: Male
  • www.outyard.net
    • The Outyard
  • Location: Richland Iowa
Re: Riverbee's Journey
« Reply #59 on: March 31, 2014, 11:49:20 pm »
i do have a stubborn old mule streak in me, i will admit it

   Now see!  He was trying to be considerate and helpful and sweet, and his reward??     :laugh:


   Very glad you got to participate Mrs River!!!! 
Drinking RUM before noon makes you a PIRATE not an alcoholic!

*Sponsor*