GRollins Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 For those who might wish to take up bee keeping, let me say that they are endlessly fascinating, but it's a lot of backbreaking work. A full medium super (a super is the box that holds the frames) isn't all that bad to lift (40 pounds? I don't remember offhand), but after you toss a bunch of those around, you're going to get sore and achy. It gets worse if you're like me and dislike killing your bees. Aside from the fact they're of more use to you alive, the bees (and there are tens of thousands in a decent-sized hive) have little (contrary) minds of their own, and they do foolish things like walk around on the top edge of the super that you're wanting to put yours down upon. Complicating matters further is the fact that bees react poorly to the smell of crushed bees. Squish one of their sisters and it puts the still-living ones on alert that there's something amiss. At that point they start investigating the big, ugly human who's invading their hive. So...there you are, holding 40 pounds or so, and trying to (politely) shoo the bees off the top edge of the other super and they're not getting it. Did I mention that you don't want to blow on them to get them out of the way? They don't like that much. Especially if you haven't brushed your teeth, at which point they think you're a bear...and they have a deeply ingrained prejudice against bears. Deeply. Ingrained. They don't like bears at all. Not a bit. You do not wish to have them think that you are a bear. Ever. In the meantime, that super you're holding gets heavier and heavier and heavier... It's a lot of work. But it's tasty and your garden will be well pollinated and you'll learn answers to questions that you didn't even know to ask before you started keeping bees. And if you brew, you'll have access to high quality honey for making mead, metheglin, and pyment. Sparkling or still, your choice. Personally, I'm a fool for a metheglin made with cinnamon and/or vanilla. It's also a taste that's popular with lady-folks. And it's highly alcoholic, or can be, depending on how you make it, without tasting highly alcoholic. Subtle. Like an atom bomb, that is. Just sayin'. Grey Quote I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 Ouch! Get well. Take care of that. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 Bee stings suck! Every year or two I run across a yellow jacket nest in the ground while mowing and have had my share of bad stings, swelling, etc. Mark, I hope you're feeling better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xKnuckles Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Hi Mark. I think the problem may be that you are trying too hard to make the bees feel at home... Severe headache and nausea for a couple of hours and hives on my legs and maybe elsewhereâ¦â¦... :D. I hope you recover quickly. By the way; I strongly agree with what some earlier posters have already mentioned. Bees are rapidly becoming an endangered species. Something has been killing them in monstrous numbers over the last decade. The implications of not having bees are too horrible to contemplate (coronavirus would be nothing in comparison with the potential damage to the entire food chain if these tiny pollinators were not around to play their crucial part.).... Every opportunity you get to protect or assist a bee is an opportunity to bestow a blessing upon our entire planet. Quote "Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" Bluzeyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 About five years ago the yellowjackets built a hive on top of the concrete foundation wall at my rental house. I started seeing 1, then 3, then more in the basement and upstairs. I'd play in my studio in the basement, and more would fly around. Seems they are attracted to my music. Only time I got stung was when I was folding towels and I picked one up with a wasp right under the palm of my hand. I called the landlord and he found the nest. We managed to knock them out and remove the nest without getting ambushed. Yeah that was fun. Luckily I'm not allergic to stings. The stings just hurt but I don't swell up. Better tool to take out a hive outdoors is a hose. Spray it with a good strong stream of water. You can stand a good twenty feet away and they can't tell where the water is coming from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 Thanks everyone for both the well wishes and the education. Amazing what I learn on this forum. I think I"ll just add Bees to my social distancing list. That makes 1) Humans 2) Bees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 It's a lot of work. But it's tasty and your garden will be well pollinated and you'll learn answers to questions that you didn't even know to ask before you started keeping bees. Or do what we do and have a friend that keeps bees, then you just have the hive on your place and you get a few jars of honey every few months Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyNQ Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Get well soon Mark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 I'm a big fan of Yellowjackets myself. [video:youtube] EpiPens are said to go bad after about a year. If you think you need to keep one around for emergencies, make sure it's still good and get another one if it's not. Sorry about your encounter, Mark. Good thing you're not a musician or use your hands much doing weird stuff like fixing synths or anything. Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 Thanks Paul and Joe. My hand is just about normal size again - at least normal for me. Drug companies definitely want you to toss drugs after a year but even my doc just told me off the record that pills are good for 3-4 years. My wife (nurse) has been saying this for years. EpiPens maybe not so much but I"d still question a year or whatever the drug company specifies. Now where did I put that grilled chicken sandwich I bought in 2017? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyFF Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 I remember the outcry when epi pens went up to $700-800. Besides epi-pens, what are good ways to deal with bee stings if you are allergic? Quote Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425 Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr88s Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 I"m going to second Marzzz"s suggestion to keep the epi pen handy - I"m not sure if the price has stabilized or not. Here in Canada they"re probably the equivalent of $80 US. Should you happen to get stung again and have a worse reaction, having your phone handy may not be sufficient. This is coming from the dad of a kid with allergies who has twice seen the near miraculous instantaneous improvement an epipen can have on someone having a reaction with difficulty breathing. Quote Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr88s Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 ...and, for those of you with more infantile senses of humour like mine that have seen the show, the thread title just made me think of Quote Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Ward Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Drug companies definitely want you to toss drugs after a year but even my doc just told me off the record that pills are good for 3-4 years. My wife (nurse) has been saying this for years. EpiPens maybe not so much but I"d still question a year or whatever the drug company specifies. My mom and grandfather are both retired pharmacists, and had no reservations about our family taking medications that were slightly out of date, especially over-the-counter ones. That being said, my daughter had food allergies for a few years that required an EpiPen (thankfully she's grown out of them). I ALWAYS made sure that her EpiPens were current. It's one thing if you have a headache and your out-of-date Tylenol isn't doing anything for you, but if it's a medical emergency like anaphylaxis, I wasn't willing to take the chance that an outdated EpiPen might still work. I also realize that they can be really expensive, especially if you don't have good insurance, and that I was fortunate to be able to afford to replace them every year. I'm sure they probably would still work fine, but it was a peace of mind thing for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 Good point Ross. I"ll have to weigh the risk as everyone"s situation is different (hmm, sounds like a pandemic). For example if at the time of expiration (the EpiPen, not mine) I"m not planning on doing yard work for a few months then I"d probably hold off until Spring. Plus it"s still a possibility I"d have a similar reaction to this occurrence and not need it either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 My luck, I'll use an epi-pen after it expires, and then I'll do the same. Problem is, I'm not in a mood to spend $700 every two years on a remote possibility. Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Not that I would ever know anything about things like this but it is possible that one may need to excrete waste out in the woods somewhere and having dug a hole and squatted, found themselves pooping on a yellowjacket nest. I couldn''t say for certain but it seems like one option at that point might be to jump into a nearby pond and just come up quickly in random spots for air until the angry, stinging insects go away. Of course, I don't really know what I am talking about, probably... Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzzz Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 My luck, I'll use an epi-pen after it expires, and then I'll do the same. Problem is, I'm not in a mood to spend $700 every two years on a remote possibility.The price has come down to about $361 for a two-injector pack, but that's still absolutely ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 See -- I told you not to ingest human brains -- it's not good for you. You'll start forgetting crucial things, like "never defecate less than 100 feet (30 meters) from a live body of water." That said, I'm glad that this hypothetical adventurer was able to escape these rhetorical wasps. Not that I would ever know anything about things like this but it is possible that one may need to excrete waste out in the woods somewhere and having dug a hole and squatted, found themselves pooping on a yellowjacket nest. I couldn''t say for certain but it seems like one option at that point might be to jump into a nearby pond and just come up quickly in random spots for air until the angry, stinging insects go away. Of course, I don't really know what I am talking about, probably... Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 See -- I told you not to ingest human brains -- it's not good for you. Exactly where am I supposed to find brains around here then? I'll continue to starve... Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRollins Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Don't come over here. Intelligence is in short supply in my area--starvation guaranteed. Grey Quote I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Don't come over here. Intelligence is in short supply in my area--starvation guaranteed. Grey \Seems to be the same everwhere... 'Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.' ~ Albert Einstein Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillearning Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Maybe the offending critter like what he heard you playing earlier and just wanted to give you a really big hand? Quote I would like to apologize to anyone I have not yet offended. Please be patient and I will get to you shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted June 29, 2020 Author Share Posted June 29, 2020 Maybe the offending critter like what he heard you playing earlier and just wanted to give you a really big hand? Just when you thought this thread couldn't get any worse... [video:youtube] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRollins Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 I never understood why that Scott Joplin stuff went so big. Everybody was hailing him as a genius. I thought it was rather tedious and definitely overexposed. Grey Quote I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Brotha Mark, glad you've recovered from your personal encounter of the yelowjacket kind. Obviously, the jackets have no regard for social distancing guidelines. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you to redraw the Vespid Treaty that governs your eminent domain. Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 I never understood why that Scott Joplin stuff went so big. Everybody was hailing him as a genius. I thought it was rather tedious and definitely overexposed. I've been playing Joplin since The Sting came out and no one has complained. Plus Joplin is very good training material for learning hand independence, as good as classical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRollins Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 Oh, there's no arguing that Joplin's stuff got popular overnight after that movie came out. Lots of people liked it. I'm just not one of them. Grey Quote I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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