There are many good books to read on beekeeping, and we’ll be assembling a list to post here The Amazon Bee Co-op has the beginnings of a small library to lend between members. However, there are some basic rules that everyone should consider when working bees. This came up when Dan was working his bees as a demonstration for a small group of Co-op members.

All was well, until some brood cells were destroyed. The usually docile bees reacted violently to this “threat,” and stung Dan four or five times on his face and head. Dan has been stung previously without incident, but, this time, he began to react in a somewhat alarming way.

Dan began to show some symptoms of shock within a few minutes: shakiness, a glazed look, no real confusion, but some difficulty talking as he normally does. He became flushed, began to feel congestion in his chest, and feel itchiness on the bottoms of his feet and back. Luckily, there were a number of people present, and we had some supplies. Sherry got benadryl (an antihistamine) from next door, and Annie got her epipen (epinephrine, also known as adrenaline) from her house two blocks away.

Dan had already removed the stingers. He took the benadryl within ten minutes of the stings. We were ready to administer the epinephrine and call 911 if his symptoms became worse, such as significant breathing difficulties. We gave him ice to help with swelling. Dan had notable signs of the natural adrenaline surge his body produced in reaction to the stings: nausea, shakiness, chills later, feeling ill in general. After about 45 minutes, his symptoms began to abate. His skin tone returned to normal, he wasn’t swelling, the nausea began to recede.

We all learned from this experience, and felt some basic rules should be considered to lessen the number of stings that occur, and because anyone can have a severe reaction to a bee sting whether currently allergic or not. So, on the left side of the page, next to the words “living room,” please notice Some Basic Rules of Flight While Working Your Bees.