Getting stung!

[LazyBkpr]

So.. I can assume that the folks who participate in bee venom therapy are used to being stung.  Some beekeepers take getting stung for granted..  what about the rest of you?

   I got sting on the finger today, and even lifted my finger so Ted could see the bee pulling away leaving the stinger behind, then I scraped out the stinger and forgot about it a moment later.. I was just trying to find out where it was I got stung and failed.  Later, I heard a bee buzzing and felt the wings on my neck..  I said.. ooop, I'm about to be stung!  At which point Ted sucker punched me in the chin and knocked the bee away..  which got me to thinking about someone "slapping" the snot out of themselves as a bee zeroed in on their face, and I wondered how everyone else reacted..  With calm resignation? Or panic?
   Whats your best story?

   Mine was the bee up the shorts..   There was that moment in time when I realized there was something CRAWLING where NOTHING should be crawling..  In that moment in time..  Less time than it takes to blink your eye, SO MANY things go through your thoughts..   Primarily.. IS IT A BEE?  OMG! WIll it hurt worse to SMASH THE BEE? Or will the smash hurt worse than....  AIEEEEEEEEEE (Do you have ANY idea how hard it is for a grown man to emit a sound resembling the terrified scream of an 8 year old girl?  Its VERY easy, no thought required.)    Yep, should have smashed!!  Oh wow, that burns! WOW!   WOW THAT HURTS!
    EEEEeeeEEEeeeEEEeee..... SNORT....EEEeeeEEEeeeEEEeee...SNORT
   Ignore wife laying on ground with tears streaming down her face and keep running for the bathroom...


   Edit...
   WEEKS later she (the wife) would erupt in a fit of giggles, imitate a high pitched scream.. impossible for a male throat to replicate, and jump straight up into the air and land running, then slide to the floor laughing even harder..
    Lesson learned..   What was the lesson learned? Smash first?  No;
   Wear PANTS! AND, Work bees when WIFE is not home!

[Jen]

Scott- "At which point Ted sucker punched me in the chin and knocked the bee away..  which got me to thinking about someone "slapping" the snot out of themselves as a bee zeroed in on their face

LOL

     The first story that came to mind was when we were first married, playing cards at the inlaws house on a hot summer night. A skeeter landed on hubby's forehead, I cold cocked his forehead, he went flying backwards, came back with eyes rolling. I got the skeeter but his parents never trusted me after that 

     Onward to answer your question, I think for me it's not one particular sting event... but the 5 stings I got INSIDE the right nostril this spring! 5 different incidences, about 1 week apart, bees from different hives. What The H E double hocky sticks is That all about! But at least I got a good cry once a week for 5 weeks. Kinda like when we were first married........... 

[lazy shooter]

I got stung on the finger yesterday.  Very little pain and the sting was not visible 30 minutes later.  Like Scott, I had a bee in my shorts once, but I stepped back from the hive and lowered my shorts and that gal flew away.  That was a considerate girl.  My oldest son and grandsons are large men, and I worry about them giving themselves a concussion swatting at bees, wasps and other flying insects.  My oldest grandson almost goes bananas when a grasshopper lights on him. 

Jen:  I did get a sting just inside my right nostril this spring, and it was eye watering painful.  It did not swell, but it did hurt for about 10 minutes. 

[brooksbeefarm]

Most memorable stinging was when i started beekeeping (50 yrs. ago) bees got down into my overalls while i was working one on one of our big family outings. I had lace up boots on, flannel shirt, overalls, (no under wear) straw hat with a mosquito net over it,and brown cotton gloves. I got out of my overalls on the run (over my boots??) across the pasture,my bare butt shinning, family members rolling on the ground laughing ( Aunts, uncles, girl & boy cousins.) at the time my pride was the last thing i was thinking about . It must of been quite a sight , but my Midnight bees had crossed with the German Black bees (river bees we called them) those babies were Mean. :'( Jack

[tedh]

Wow!  Who in the world would slap themselves silly to avoid a bee sting?  Okay, so maybe Lazy was thinking of someone else.  But I doubt it!  Couple weeks ago at Lazy's bee yard the bees were pretty upset.  I think some had been moved and some had their honey taken away but, whatever.  The bees were in the air and mad.  I was sitting there, not hurting anyone, minding my own business, enjoying myself watching Lazy swat bees that were pinging off his head and face.  When out of nowhere a bee takes a dislike to me and is all up in my face!  Not one to run away from danger I put up a good fight.  Slap my face here, slap my face there, slap my face everywhere!  I knocked my glasses off, bent the frames, and STILL got stung!  So, I guess I'm a "fight for your life" kinda guy.  Interestingly, I work with roses and other thorny plants off and on.  It never fails that my hands, arms, and sometimes face, gets poked and scratched up pretty good.  Wife often says I look like I got in a fight with a cat and lost!  I don't mind the pokes and scratches.  Comes with the territory, right?  So why is it that I try to avoid (putting it nicely) getting stung?  Or bit by a fly, or mosquito for that matter?  Just this morning I was sitting out side having coffee and a smoke.  A mosquito starts buzzing in my ear.  You know that high pitched eeeeeeeeeee you get?  Without thinking and without knowing I was going to, I slap my ear!  Man, you get that piercing pop to the ear drum followed by the wheeeeeeee sound for several seconds.  And, I doubt that I killed the mosquito!
  The only thing I can figure is that while roses and blackberries cut me up good, it's nothing personal.  Where as the bees and other insects are living things out to do me harm, or at least annoyance.  It's completely personal!  Funny thing, I don't think bee stings hurt all that much, whereas the self slaps do.  And, the slaps cause damage (bent glasses), AND, it's embarrassing!  And, the bee or other insects usually get their way!
  Oh well.   I'll probably go on, fighting the good fight, and loosing.  Not because that's what I want, but rather, because that seems to be what I do.  (Sigh)  Ted

[Jen]

Slow- "Like Scott, I had a bee in my shorts once, but I stepped back from the hive and lowered my shorts and that gal flew away.  That was a considerate girl   ....

Jen:  I did get a sting just inside my right nostril this spring, and it was eye watering painful.  It did not swell, but it did hurt for about 10 minutes. 

    Yes exactly! for me the pain was on about 10 minutes, but my eyes and nose kept watering for about 45 minutes.




 

[LazyBkpr]

 While amusing, it wasnt nearly as amusing as if I had watched you strip and sprint across the field, full moon shining!  I think Jack has the embarrassing award so far..   It occurred to me while reading Jacks story.. that I live in the country outside of town, no one around to watch but the wife..  My own experience would have been less dramatic if I had lowered the pants and scraped the stinger out, pulled pants up and continued working..  but.. when stung in a spot like that the mind sort of shuts down....
   I still find myself jerking once in a while when a bee lands on me, so I still react without thinking.. But the harsher reactions have more or less faded.  I believe spending so much time working bees without the slightest knowledge of there being such a thing as protective gear helped.
  Sure is fun when Ted comes over though! Lot less boring!   

[pistolpete]

This spring is had a couple of people over to buy Nucs and I gave them a tour of my hives.  During the inspection I had to do the emergency trouser drop.  I guess they for  more of an inspection than they bargained for, but at least I had underwear on:)   

the only time I start slapping is if a bee starts crawling in my hair.  They only ever seem to go deeper in there and a sting is pretty much inevitable.

I've been doing BVT on my elbow a couple of times/week, so my tolerance is pretty good.

[Jen]

Pete- "Oonly time I start slapping is if a bee starts crawling in my hair.  They only ever seem to go deeper in there and a sting is pretty much inevitable.

I've been doing BVT on my elbow a couple of times/week, so my tolerance is pretty good.

    Yes, bees get pretty pissy when they land in hair, I go to my mirror and locate the bee and try and let her out.

     Glad the bvt is working for you. I'm thinking that you're probably not swelling any more    Remember that with winter coming on, it's okay to increase a sting or two, or graduate to 3 times a week. The cooler days now I'm feeling the winter in my knees again, been stinging once a week on both sides of my knees, feels a lot better using the stairs.

[riverbee]

" but my Midnight bees had crossed with the German Black bees (river bees we called them) those babies were Mean. :'( Jack"

and jack's not referring to me........i'm irish.........