Sunday, May 18, 2014

Dogs and bees and black don't mix...

Thought this might be an interesting bit to post as an fyi (for your information) for those who are not yet aware of it.  Bees do not like dogs or the scent of dogs, especially big black dogs--that would be similar to a bear to a colony...and bears destroy bee hives as we all know. I can testify to this myself from an experience yesterday morning when checking inside the hive to see how the 'super' was being accepted.

Waylon, the big black dog was not with me; however, his scent was all over my black velour lounge pants which I wore to the hive, not thinking about the strong odor that would cling to the fabric after petting and being close. As soon as I moved the top box, the bees were out and went right for my black soft furry pants, trying to sting through the fabric (fortunately, none gone through). And when the other bees sensed the stinging going on, they were coming out to help. I had to discontinue my observations, brush about a dozen from the pants, and head into the house. Even with the hat (san veil--my mistake) a bee got caught in my hair and I got a head sting...ouch! Not only the dog scent, but also I have not been here enough to visit the hive daily and give the bees an opportunity to recognize my voice and scent.

So, my advice--keep dogs and dog scent away when working with hives, do not wear black velour pants, wear a veil and keep a spray bottle with sugar water handy. Also, bees do not care for perfume or aftershave scents that people wear; ask visitors to stand farther back if they are wearing scents.

And here's a picture of Waylon and me in the stinging pants:

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