One of the most commonly asked questions for beekeepers is, “How often do you get stung?”
The answer varies, of course. Some beekeepers have a knack for working beehives with little or no protective gear.
Meanwhile, others don numerous layers of clothing to approach a hive.
It is unreasonable to expect that you will never be stung while beekeeping.
With experience comes knowledge. We have researched the topic for you and come up with the best methods for minimising bee stings.
Why do bees sting?
Bees sting because they feel threatened. If a colony of bees is disturbed or attacked for any reason, guard bees will leave the hive and sting whatever is causing the disturbance.
Bee stings are painful. If one stings in the right place, near the eyes or up the nostrils, most people will think twice about continuing with a hive inspection.
A recently published article reported that up to 220,000 annual visits to emergency departments and approximately 60 deaths per year in the USA are caused by stings from hornets, wasps, and bees.
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) originated in the northern hemisphere, primarily in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Their main predators are large mammals such as bears and badgers. Birds, reptiles, and other insects, such as wasps and ants, can also significantly damage honeybee colonies.
Thankfully, there are no bears to worry about in Australia. However, bees never forget the primal instinct to protect the colony with bee stings.
A colony of bees treats a human who is opening a hive for a routine inspection the same way as a marauding bear intent on raiding it for a meal of bee brood and honey.
A clumsy or ignorant beekeeper who fails to use the proven tools and methods available will find the pastime unenjoyable and painful.
What methods can beekeepers use to avoid bee stings?
Good beekeepers use a combination of skills and experience to minimise bee stings.
Never rely on one technique or method alone. I have divided bee sting minimisation into five broad topics.
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
Use a smoker
Don’t be an adversarial beekeeper
Inspect your bees under the right conditions
Maintain gentle genetics
1. Wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
Understandably, new beekeepers have a fear of being stung while beekeeping.
This fear is greatly overcome by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as bee suits, veils, and beekeeping gloves.
Beekeepers who are fearful of bees wear excessive PPE at times.
Under Australian conditions, it is rare to require the triple-layer, ventilated bee suits worn in the Africanised bee areas of the southern United States of America.
The use of PPE should correspond to the level of defensiveness exhibited by the bees and the beekeeper’s experience level.
Selecting the most appropriate PPE for beekeeping comes down to personal preference.
For example, some beekeepers wear minimal PPE when they know the hive they are working on is docile and predictable.
They choose a warm and dry day to work with their bees, and they understand bee behaviour well.
I occasionally work bees in short pants, a work shirt without gloves or a veil. At times, I choose to wear more PPE, e.g., long pants, a bee jacket/veil, and nitrile gloves, when the hive’s temperament is unknown or when weather conditions will most likely result in some defensive behaviour.
Always check your veil for holes or tears to avoid bee stings.
You will be a better beekeeper if you learn to work your bees with minimal PPE.
Here are a few extra tips about beekeeping, PPE, and clothing.
Avoid tight clothing. Bees have more difficulty stinging through loose layers of clothing.
Why do beekeepers wear white clothing? Bees are more likely to sting dark colours. White or light-coloured clothing is preferable.
Ensure that the zips fasten securely and the Velcro tabs seal properly and check the veil for tears or holes.
Cover your head and face, particularly if you have dark hair or a beard. Bees instinctively target your face. You don’t want a bee in your ear or up your nose. Stings on the face can distract you for quite a while.
Dark sunglasses will attract bees to your eyes. Dark watch bands will attract bees to your wrists. It is best not to wear them when working bees.
Bees dislike dark, woolly socks and dark-felt hats.
Wash your PPE frequently. Bees dislike the smell of humans, and frequent washing will remove any alarm pheromone left by bee stings. A few puffs of smoke on an area that has been stung will mask alarm pheromones.
Don’t wear clothing that you have just worn around horses or dogs. Once again, bees dislike those aromas.
Avoid strong-smelling perfumes and deodorants.
A word about gloves.
Heavy black welding gloves are unsuitable for beekeeping. Black leather gloves will attract stings. Leather beekeeping gloves (usually goatskin) should be light in colour, snug fitting and thin enough to allow you to feel what you are doing.
Better still, use “nitrile” style gloves. Bees can sting through them if they are determined. However, they provide some protection as they have difficulty gripping them with their feet.
Ideally, you should learn to handle your bees without gloves by adopting proper inspection techniques, which we will discuss further in this article.
Nitrile gloves are ideal for beekeeping
2. Use a smoker
Smoke has been used by people for thousands of years to calm bees so that honey can be harvested.
Our primitive ancestors worked it out by trial and error, and the use of cool, white smoke remains one of the most effective ways to allow us to work bees safely.
There are a couple of simple theories about how smoke calms bees.
When a predator (such as a human) disturbs a bee colony, the bees release alarm pheromones, isopentyl acetate and 2-heptanone. The alarm response spreads through the hive rapidly, enticing more and more bees to become defensive and repel the perceived predator. The use of smoke interferes with the ability of bees to detect the alarm pheromones, resulting in a calm, easy-to-manage colony.
Alternatively, it is known that where bees are threatened by fire, they tend to consume honey before absconding from the hive to a safer location. Honeybees that are full of honey are calm and easy to manipulate. This is why bee swarms are docile and can be hived with minimal PPE or smoke.
In reality, it is probably a combination of both theories. The effects of the smoke are short-lived, and a hive manipulated with the assistance of smoke will turn to normal within a few hours.
Beeco smokers are high-quality and Australian-made. Using a smoker minimises bee stings
Smoker tips and tricks.
Buy a good-quality smoker. For Australian conditions, the tried-and-tested Beeco smokers are hard to go past. Depending on the model, Beeco smokers retail from $75.00 to $100.00.
Make sure your smoker is in good repair. The bellows should be free from splits and tears. Ensure that the valves don’t become blocked. Scrape excess creosote and soot from the firebox occasionally to prevent it from blocking up.
Practice lighting your smoker so that you are proficient at lighting it and keeping it going before you open a big hive. There is nothing worse than finding your smoker extinguished when you need it most.
For best results, the smoke should be thick, white, and cool. The type of smoker fuel used varies from region to region and is very much a personal choice. As long as it is non-toxic and plentiful, it is OK.
How to use smoke when opening a hive
Before opening the hive, direct two or three good puffs of smoke into the hive entrance to disarm the guard bees positioned there. You can direct some smoke through the hive’s base if you have vented bottom boards.
Next, lever the hive lid up a little and direct a few puffs of smoke into the top of the hive. The best practice is to wait a minute or so for the smoke to take effect, then dismantle the hive.
Smoke should be used whenever necessary, e.g., before removing the next super or the queen excluder or when you need to move bees out of the way.
Apply smoke when bees show signs of defensiveness, e.g., raised abdomens with exposed stings, repeatedly bumping into your veil, or stings on the hands. Defensive bees should be pushed back down onto the face of the frames with smoke.
The use of smoke should be minimal. If a hive can’t be worked without copious amounts of smoke, they should be requeened.
Be wary of bee whisperers.
Finally, be very wary of the bee-whispering types who promote the inspection of hives without smoke.
As mentioned at the start of this section, smoke is a tried and true method for calming bees.
Taking on a strong defensive hive with a sprig of lavender and positive vibes will more than likely get you a trip to the hospital emergency department.
Under ideal conditions, experienced beekeepers can work very gentle hives without smoke. However, this is not the norm and is not recommended for beginners.
3. Don’t be an adversarial beekeeper.
Competent beekeepers work their hives methodically and deliberately. Please work with your bees rather than against them.
An alarm pheromone is released when bees are crushed and killed. Take care not to roll bees when removing or replacing frames. Avoid crushing bees between the end bars of the frames and the side of the super when using your hive tool to lever them loose.
Shake excessive numbers of bees off combs before you replace them. Bees respond to being shaken from frames more favourably than brushing. Bees should be shaken from frames gently onto the top bars of the frames or at the hive entrance. Brushing of bees tends to roll them and irritate them. I always try to locate and isolate the queen before shaking bees from frames.
Where bees are between the ends of frame spacers or under frame top bar lugs, a gentle touch or a few light puffs of smoke is usually sufficient to get them out of harm’s way.
Work your hives regularly and maintain bee space.
Work your hives frequently enough so that the supers and frames don’t become clogged and stuck with excessive amounts of burr comb and propolis.
Always replace frames tightly in the order that they were removed so that the correct bee space is maintained.
Lift frames out of the super so that they are kept straight and vertical.
Working without gloves means that you can feel bees under your fingers. Using heavily gloved hands will result in crushed bees.
Bumping and Jarring can cause defensive behaviour.
Defensive behaviour in bees can be set off by bumping and jarring of hives and hive components.
If you have multiple hives on one hive stand or pallet, remember that the bees can feel vibrations and jarring through the hive stand. The last hive on a three-hive stand can often be defensive by the time you have opened and inspected the first two. Give them all a puff of smoke before commencing the inspection and minimise bumping and jarring during the inspection process.
Avoid placing your smoker and other equipment on the hive next to the one you are working on. Once again, the vibration and jarring can result in a defensive hive.
Never block the entrance to a hive or the flight path into the entrance while doing an inspection. Always ask helpers or spectators to stand beside or behind the beehive.
Consider completing an introductory beekeeping course.
Mt. Coramba Apiculture offers one-day beekeeping courses and workshops for beginners at its base in Nana Glen, near Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
Our qualified trainer can teach you how to open and inspect hives without upsetting the bees.
Bumps and vibrations can upset other hives on a stand and contribute to bee stings.
4. Inspect your bees under the right conditions.
Environmental conditions have a considerable influence on the behaviour of bees.
It is best to open hives when the temperature is at least 15 degrees Celsius or more significant.
Mid-twenties is ideal for the bees and the beekeeper.
A sunny spring day with a light breeze and low humidity would be ideal for beekeeping. However, weather is variable, and conditions are rarely ideal.
Bees are more likely to display defensive behaviour under the following conditions:
Cold,
Wind,
Rain,
High humidity,
Changeable conditions. E.g. temperature, humidity, barometric pressure.
Don’t open beehives in stormy, humid weather.
Older bees are always more defensive than younger bees.
Any environmental influence that results in a higher proportion of older bees in the hive can increase defensiveness. There will always be fewer older, defensive bees in a hive on a warm, sunny day during a good nectar flow. You should never inspect your hives at night for the same reason.
Hungry bees can become defensive when nectar flows suddenly stop. Environmental conditions can influence nectar flows. Rain can wash nectar from flowers. Sudden temperature or humidity changes can turn nectar flows off or cause flowers to close.
Hives that are positioned in the shade can be defensive.
Wait until the colony has been exposed to the sun and warmed up for 20 to 30 minutes before you inspect. Always try to position your apiary in full sun.
If you don’t need to inspect your bees, you should reschedule the inspection for a time when conditions are more favourable.
Some types of flora will result in bees being more defensive. Canola is notorious for causing defensiveness; otherwise, gentle hives can be transformed into monsters when placed on a good flow of canola.
Get to know the types of flora in your area and ask more experienced beekeepers about potential floral sources that may change the mood of your hives.
5. Maintain gentle genetics.
If a hive is defensive and prone to sting on three successive inspections, you should consider requeening.
Most queen breeders select for docility. If you breed your queens, you should choose hives that are docile and disease-free over other traits.
Queenless hives can tend to be more defensive. As the hive’s population ages, the bees will become progressively more defensive.
Requeen regularly with gentle queens to minimise bee stings.
What happens when a bee stings?
Bee stings can produce a range of symptoms, including acute pain, itchiness, and swelling. Most people find that the symptoms settle in a few days.
A bee sting should be removed by quickly scraping it with a fingernail or hive tool.
Beekeepers tend to get on with the job; however, washing the area and applying an ice pack to reduce the swelling may be beneficial.
Bee stings are a common cause of severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis.
Epipen.
The symptoms of anaphylaxis can include:
an all-over rash,
sudden swelling of the tongue or throat,
difficulty breathing,
abdominal pain,
diarrhoea,
vomiting and
a drop in blood pressure (shock)
After calling emergency medical help, adrenaline or epinephrine is the initial treatment for anaphylaxis resulting from a bee sting.
Adrenaline autoinjectors (EpiPens) are designed to be used easily by non-medical people.
Many potential beekeepers ask, “Can I keep bees if I am allergic?”
If you or anyone in your family has a severe reaction to a bee sting, such as an allergy or anaphylaxis, you should seriously reconsider taking up beekeeping.
Is it possible to build immunity to bee stings?
It is usual for people who don’t get stung regularly to experience minor discomfort from bee stings.
After ten years of continual beekeeping, I barely notice a sting beyond the initial pain.
Many beekeepers find that over time, their reactions decrease significantly, and it is possible to become immune to bee stings.
Beekeepers with a bee venom allergy can consider allergen immunotherapy (desensitisation).
Desensitisation involves gradually increasing doses of allergen extracts over months or years.
The result is immunity to bee stings. Desensitisation must be done under medical supervision.
Are there any health benefits from bee stings?
Bee venom therapy (BVT) has been associated with the treatment of:
pain,
arthritis,
cancer,
Lyme disease,
multiple sclerosis,
sexual dysfunction,
psoriasis &
facial wrinkles.
Even though some health benefits have been reported, there is a distinct lack of scientific evidence supporting any of the health claims of bee venom therapy.
Most reported benefits are anecdotal.
The risks associated with bee venom therapy, such as allergic reactions or anaphylaxis, far outweigh any perceived benefits.
An article recently published in a Spanish medical journal reported on the death of a woman who was administered live bee acupuncture apitherapy.
You should consult your physician before undertaking bee venom therapy or apitherapy.
About the Author
The owner of Mt. Coramba Apiculture, Glenn Locke, has had the beekeeping urge since the early 1980s as a 14-year-old teenager.
The Warwick (QLD) high school agriculture department had a few beehives, and beekeeping was taught as a subject. Glenn’s agriculture teacher, Jim Caird, let him have a nucleus hive, and the addiction started.
The move to the mid-north coast of NSW, particularly the beautiful Orara Valley, means that Glenn now has the space to commence beekeeping again. Glenn has managed beehives in the Orara Valley since 2009.
I have just completed the 1 day course with Glenn and found him and the course to be exactly what I needed at this very early stage of wanting to be a beekeeper.
Glenn was articulate ,knowledgable and easy to learn from.This course is money well spent and the phone is not far away for good back up service.
Brett Barrington
Beechwood NSW.
I recently completed the 1 day beginners Bee-Keeping course with Glenn. His hands on practical approach combined with his obvious experience in bee keeping was exactly what I needed to get me started. I recommend Glenn for anyone looking for the basics or honing their skills.
Hi Glenn!
I’ve had a really tough time as a beekeeper. I’ve really had hives which colonized but no honeycomb for over a period of one year. What could be the cause and how can I solve this menace? Your response will be well appreciated Glenn.
Princewell from Nigeria
I have just completed the 1 day course with Glenn and found him and the course to be exactly what I needed at this very early stage of wanting to be a beekeeper.
Glenn was articulate ,knowledgable and easy to learn from.This course is money well spent and the phone is not far away for good back up service.
Brett Barrington
Beechwood NSW.
Thanks Brett I really enjoyed my day with you. Glenn Locke
I recently completed the 1 day beginners Bee-Keeping course with Glenn. His hands on practical approach combined with his obvious experience in bee keeping was exactly what I needed to get me started. I recommend Glenn for anyone looking for the basics or honing their skills.
Dene Petty.
Korora.
Thanks Dene, I enjoyed the day with you. Glenn Locke
Hi Glenn!
I’ve had a really tough time as a beekeeper. I’ve really had hives which colonized but no honeycomb for over a period of one year. What could be the cause and how can I solve this menace? Your response will be well appreciated Glenn.
Princewell from Nigeria