President's Message

Greetings,
I know it is going to happen, often, and multiple times. I don't necessarily enjoy it. It's just an evitable part of keeping bees. It's getting stung. Two of the most common questions I’m asked about bee keeping are 1) if I get stung and 2) how often. The answer to both are “yes” and “I’ve lost count”. Interesting facts about bee stings: The stinger is hollow with a barbed end. The whole stinger and sac of venom are torn away from the bee when it stings. The sac continues to pulse after the bee stings, pumping venom into its victim. The sooner you can remove the stinger, the less venom gets injected. One should “flick” the stinger out of the skin instead of pinching it with your fingers or using tweezers to remove it. Squeezing the stinger, with your fingers or tweezers, only injects more venom into the tissue. Statistically, about 1 person out of 100-200 people are allergic to bee stings. Interestingly enough though, about 1 out of every 10 children of commercial beekeepers are allergic to bee stings. More...