Dozens of bee stings?

[apisbees]

I don't know, Time of year and conditions can be such a factor. It's 80 deg at 10 in the morning in your area according to weather channel so it didn't cool down enough to cause them to cluster and keep the girls from flying. Possibly the dark of night would have kept them closer in the hive so the smoke would have been more effective on them. You have posted in the past about your bees being a little hotter so getting bombarded was going to happen any time you tried it.
Temp was not in your favor over night so the next morning they would still be as protective with no hindrance to flight. The darkness of night would have kept them from flying so quickly so the smoke would have worked better on them. But spraying them with sugar syrup could have been more effective than smoke at giving them something to do other than stinging you.
You Know Iddee and myself both would have been like you and and got the hive back together regardless of there temperament and the number of stings they dished out. I also bet both of use would both be putting on our veils also. So retreating to get to get more protection was a good thing.

[iddee]

Apis, you forgot to add,  we both would have been right in the middle of it helping him if we had been there.

[Perry]

Apis, you forgot to add,  we both would have been right in the middle of it helping him if we had been there.

And I would have watched both of you and probably even offered advice and some encouragement.

[J-grow]

Very valuable position you have agreed to do to help them Perry ........... Upper management / cheerleader

[lazy shooter]

I appreciate the fact that apis, idea and perry would have helped, but I wouldn't wish my bees on my worst enemy.  I have two hives that are hot.  I am about to go to the bottom of those hives next week and make a game plan.  But, those two hives make a lot of honey and are always low on mites.  There are no SHB's in these hives.  My other four hives are very docile and so much fun to work, that I am temped to work them too often.

Everything was wrong yesterday.  The hive was turned over by 65 mph winds with lots of thunder and lightning.  When I got to the hive it was still very dark, some wind and a slow rain.  All of these things are contrary to good practices, but I made up my mind that I would not lose this hive to bad weather, period.  As we say in the oil patch, sometimes you just "have to man up."

I was at my barn this morning, a good 40 yards from these hives, and a couple of bees started buzzing my head.  I moved back a bit and they went away.  Those girls were still upset at 9:00 a.m. 

One thing I love about where I live "in small town America" is that we help each other.  I drove my neighbors tractor raking hay into wind rows last week from 3:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. because his dad was incapacitated due to an ankle injury.  That's what we do out here and many other rural areas of our country.

lazy

[J-grow]

Totally agree with the small town remarks ........... That's how I grew up on a farming town in Michigan.  Everyone knows everyone and helps everyone and that's just that!

I still get to enjoy that type of atmosphere when I go to my hunting property in GA ........ Very small one blinking light town and very very nice people. I am glad i am able to show my son that stuff!

[lazy shooter]

We're a two signal light, one zip code town.  I love it.

Unfortunately, we there has been two confirmed hives of the African bees in our immediate area in the last two years.  One of them was at a school in our town. 

lazy

[brooksbeefarm]

Fair Grove, Mo. 1300 people, What's a Blinking Light Jack 

[CBT]

Brooks, is that a water tower town. There the best.

[LazyBkpr]

500 people, blinking light, only when the school busses arrive. One gas station/convenience store. 15 miles to Wal mart... 30 miles to Menards.  5 to 6 hours for police to arrive if its an emergency, so if your going to be robbed, call them in advance so they are there in time.

[brooksbeefarm]

CBT, yep, we have two of them now, only one when we moved here and all the roads were gravel. Two convenience stores with gas, a super market two feed stores, a subway , pizza place, and a dip icream parlor & reaturant, three Banks, 5 churches, a Big Grade, Jr high and Senior High school, and city park. I live 2 miles S. of Fair Grove, not many years ago i knew most everyone i seen Nowaday when i go to the super market i'm lucky if i see anyone i know .Most the old folk have died and there farms sold and houses being built on them and coming my way :\'( Ohh, and Springfield, Mo. is just 12 miles south of me on a new double lane HyWay. Times are a changing . Jack

[neillsayers]

Wow Jack you are practically in the city. I've moved away from the blacktop four times so far. I pray I pass before it reaches me.

[brooksbeefarm]

neillsayers, all the roads in Greene co, Mo. are chip & seal, blacktop, or paved. farm land sold from $300.00 to $800.00 per acre, in my area, Now sells from $2,000.00 to $8,000.00 per acre and up depends on where it is and what it is. If you can find $1,500.00 or $2,000.00 per acre you better jump on it. I have bought acreage in the surrounding counties for $1,500.00 an acre mostly wooded, but it's getting hard to find. The closes they could build a house to me is across the road (about 1/2 a quarter mile in front of my house and a half mile from the east and west of me.The neighboring farms are big farms and i don't look for them to go up for sale in my life time, Jack

[neillsayers]

Jack,
For being so close it looks like you've found a little oasis.

Neill