Bees for Development Journal 115: June 2015
Practical Beekeeping
Bee suits – protection for beekeepers but not for bees? Monica Barlow and Nicola Bradbear Keywords: alarm pheromone, Apis sp, bee friendly management, bee sting, movable-frame hive
Bee-proof clothing is useful in providing confidence for the beginner working with bees. It is important to learn to be gentle with bees, and never to harm or aggravate them.
produces a pheromone recognised by her nest mates as a danger signal. More bees rush to the source of the scent to defend their home, and many stings can result. Beekeepers have known for centuries that the scent of a sting is an alarm call to other bees, and their oldest protection has always been smoke. Smoke hides the scent of the sting and disrupts the
colony’s communication system, thereby giving the beekeeper more time to remove honey or inspect combs. If stung, it is good to blow smoke over the sting as soon as possible to mask the scent. Gentleness is most important when manipulating hives. Bees dislike their nest being knocked, and will interpret rapid or panicky movements as a threat,
Bees sting to protect their brood nest and honey stores. However there are times when no matter how careful the beekeeper, bees sting. Careful handling, good observation and understanding of the need to maintain the scent, heat and humidity within the brood nest, all enable a beekeeper to manage bees without getting stung. Many beekeepers do not wear special protective clothing when visiting their bees. The immediate effect of a sting is sharp pain followed by itching and swelling, the result of histamine being released into human tissues. Most beekeepers develop some immunity and react moderately to stings. Severe results occur only if a person receives dozens of stings at once. Very few people are hypersensitive to bee venom and undergo anaphylactic shock. Stings on the eyes can cause blindness, and in the mouth or nose can impede breathing. For this reason, head covering is the most important type of protection.
Sting and smoke A worker bee uses her sting to defend her colony, and she dies in doing so. When a bee stings, she
These straw hats with veils are made in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia 11
