Having spent the last few weeks telling everyone how calm and placid my bees are, I suppose I was asking for it!
Today I got stung by one of my bees and it was totally my fault.
I’ve got into a habit of wandering up the garden several times a day and sitting by the bees watching them come and go with their little baskets of forage.
I find it especially beneficial when I’m stressed and last week was a bit difficult for reasons I won’t go into.
So I thought I’d take a short break up the garden, water a few plants in the greenhouse en route and have a look at my bees.
Having harvested a few courgettes and cucumbers, I sauntered up to the hive wearing my usual summer protective clothing; t-shirt and shorts!
When I arrived there was much activity, as about a hundred or so newly hatched bees were orientating themselves to the hive so that when they go out to forage they can find their way back.
It looks like bees in a blender, while they whiz about all around the hive and it’s fascinating to watch.
Trouble is I got in the way, and one poor little worker bee got caught up in my hair. The frantic buzzing was very loud so close to my ears and whatever I did I couldn’t seem to set her free. I couldn’t really see either, which didn’t help. By the time I’d got back to the house I’d felt that red-hot jabbing pain in my head and she was still buzzing for Britain. I finally got her free in the kitchen where she flew to the window with her sting hanging off her back end.
The pain was incredible. I’ve been stung before by a friend’s bees, which hurt, but this was almost unbearable. I suppose because there is little flesh on the top of the head, but since the sting wasn’t in my head, I have to assume I didn’t get the full dose of venom, probably just as well.
Of course I couldn’t find the sting relief when I wanted it, so I ended up dabbing lavender oil on my head. The smell helped a lot, it’s a great relaxant, but I’m not sure if the oil did any good.
I ended up with an extreme headache, the perfect end to a really horrid week.
Not.
