Monday, March 21, 2011

It's Just a Mild Burning Sensation......

.....and some localized swelling.

I got into the bees today, and I can't tell you how intoxicated I am at the moment!
My entire kitchen smells of honey.
Oh ma goodness.
I've got about 20 lbs of honey waiting to be bottled up!

I'm extra excited this year - since I feel like I know a little bit more than I did last year.

I decided to yank out the video camera and try recording some of it.  The frogs were so noisy - I'm not sure you can hear me or not...

It's not that exciting - really - but here ya go....



I cut out all the really boring parts where I'm just struggling with getting the boxes apart, etc...
(Mr. Ed - you will love the end!)



I just want to say this.
Get bees.
Just do it.

It's just a mild burning sensation with some localized swelling, and a little bit of itching for days.

It's so worth it!

44 comments:

  1. Jayme, i just love your adventurizm you have for things. You just get in there and do the greatest things!! I so admire that. Love the Bee videos. How Cool was that. I am always excited when I see you have posted another video. Im a fan for sure!!

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  2. Jayme, Jayme! Only you out of all the folks I know would jump into this venture. I will definitely continue to buy mine locally or from you if you should start to sell. I itch all over just watching your video which was very good but I am so afraid of anything that stings. I was amazed at the entire video with all the different parts, etc. and the BEE'S!! Good on ya girl!

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  3. I am so glad you showed this and are so brave. My DH and I are fixing to get the first bunch of bees next month (first for me not he). you have me really excited to get started. Thanx for sharing the fun!

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  4. Bees, Bees, Bees, Oh my so did you get a lot of honey today?

    Nancy

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  5. I have been wanting to get a bee box & get stared. I need to learn more before hand. I have allergic reaction's to sting's. I will look for more information from you on the subject of bee keeping. A week ago I just got my first very small flock of baby chicks. I will have to get them out of the brooder & into the chicken coop I have being built then work on the bee keeping. Do you do bee's wax? It smells so good burning in my tart burners. I will be back to visit. Blessings!
    Lara

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  6. I sat amazed at the whole video, I kept thinking, she's crazy for doing this, she's gonna get stung. I'm sooo scared of bees but your so brave. I'm thrilled they are alive cuz I know that makes you happy. Anxious to see how theres honey in there, I guess I don't realize how it goes into jars. Do video and fill us in. The frogs were wooooing me to sleep. So relaxing, I may play it again for effect. Love ya, do bee careful. Let's hook up! Ra

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  7. Love the video...you are a brave girl! I keep mulling over getting bees... This was very helpful...it is a little scary. Show us more!
    Caroline

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  8. You are so modest! This is the best video of yours that I have seen! Really great stuff. Thanks for sharing. I really want bees but we are renting our home. I would hate to loose them when we move to our forever home.

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  9. OH COME BACK, COME BACK!!
    Oh man, you now have me in suspense on what is happening. Its like a mystery movie and the plot has thickened... so What Happen?

    I so would love to have a hive but bees love me to the point where it hurts...know-what-I-mean? I do keep the water fountains clean in the summer, I have bees visiting all summer long, I think there is either a hive someone has or they are in the ravine where the creek is, possible in a dead tree? They drink then fly over my house to the ravine.

    I am glad to see your bees survived the winter. I know the average life of a bee is around 3 weeks so this means there were bees hatching thoughtout the winter huh? How long does the queen live? and if she dies is there another one to take her place? I gather I need not ask you so many questions and instead, get myself a book. You have have your hands full.

    If you sell and ship honey, I would love to purchase some from you.

    oh, I keep forgetting to ask, what camera are you using to take the video, it looks like a great camera. And, how long till you are able to harvest honey from when you first start a hive?

    What you need is a FAQ page on your blog where folks can go see if their question has already been answered.

    God Bless you! Stay safe from the stings.

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  10. Oh my gosh! I have been wanting to get hives for the longest time! I'm so inspired by your video. Is it bad that I never once worried about you getting stung? :) I just got two books about beekeeping from the library...I need to get to reading and get off the computer!

    I really wanted to watch you harvest the honey. I know it is so important for people to do this to keep the bee population going. I have bees galore here in the summer, especially late summer when the autumn joy sedum is in bloom. Thousands of them all over it and they never bother me, even though I stand among them all. They don't scare me in the least and I'm trying to teach the grandchildren not to be scared of them.

    OMG! I'm so excited!

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  11. I just want ya to know how much I'm loving your videos, and this segment has been my favorite so far. You just amaze me how you dive into all of these wonderful aspects of life, and you're just a plethora of information! Mr. D was all about seeing these videos before he headed out to work this morning. He's our future bee keeper. We're eager to see more of the process!

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  12. You are a rockstar! I wanna be you when I grow up!! Loved seeing this video... I can't wait for our visit!!

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  13. I have seriously been thinking about this for awhile. Thanks for the video. You are as cute as a little bumblebee!

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  14. You are even beautiful in a bee suit!! wow!!1 Now to take care of the honey...yep...I want to do this! jan

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  15. That's a grand hobby! Don't think I could lift the bee boxes... bad back ya know. Your bees did look quite calm. They must have been too busy working to mind having you there.

    Love the suit and I think Aaron needs one too so he can get right on top of the video-taping.

    DI

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  16. Coopster,

    I loved the video. It was finer than a frog's butt.I am completely impressed and feel like I went to a bee seminar now. However, I am not completely convinced yet.
    maybe another video would help. :)

    Love,

    Joy

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  17. Sooooooo interesting! Daddy had bees and I never went out to watch him work them. So sad now that I didn't learn this skill. We're a family that eats raw honey, so good for you. As always Jayme, you're teaching us something new, THANKS!

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  18. My son is getting bees next month, but since he lives in town, we are getting the bees! I'm pretty excited about it. And also a little nervous. I'll let you know how it goes.

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  19. Wow!! Fascinating work, Jayme!! My husband really, really wants to keep bees...I'm not so sure but after seeing your video, I'm thinking about it. The bees do look calm but it also looks a little cold which I think would keep them quiet, too. I'm not crazy about being stung!!

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  20. I don't know about you girl! What don't you do?! Fascinating as usual though. I love your blog. Best as far as I'm concerned. Not only funny but lots of information to use! Hope you have fun with the honey and bees wax!

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  21. Congratulations! You are a good bee mommy!! My bees, unfortunately, did not make it through the winter. New bees arrive April 15 and I can't wait!!
    Bonnie Jo

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  22. Great videos, Jamie! I really enjoyed that. Mike has been thinking about getting bees. He took a beekeeping class a couple of years ago in Green Cove Springs, Florida. He got really excited. You are a source of inspiration.

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  23. I do find this so interesting and I'd love to have my "own" honey... but sadly I've developed a bee allergy as I've gotten older. No bee hives/boxes for me :(

    Thanks for giving me a window into the beekeeping world...

    ~Chris

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  24. So many bloggers I follow are getting into bees. I think it's great! Anything to get the population back to somewhat normal.

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  25. You are one brave lady! I bet that honey is sooo good.

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  26. Hello Jayme! Very interesting and you are so adventurous!! If you sell some... I am local and would love to purchase. I buy from another man in Crown Point....need the local honey ya know!! Jodi cherishedroses@hotmail.com

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  27. Jayme, the girls and I are eating breakfast (greek yogurt, granola, ollalieberries, and HONEY) while we watch your video! So fun to watch the exciting grand opening of the honey supers! The fact that they had so much wonderful honey to eat this winter surely was due to that lovely garden you have full of pollination for them! I am so excited for my bees to arrive in April; my only fear is that in time I will become allergic to them. Oh, I hope that doesn't happen!

    Have you considered 8 frame hives? I'm a terrible weakling and so I went with that option. Enjoy all that marvelous honey! (And be sure to read Fruitless Fall by Rowan Jacobson soon. It's sooooo informative about bees, pollination, and their struggle to survive CCD).

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  28. Okay, you talked me into it! No more thinkin'... just going to do it :) Thanks for sharing the wonderfulness of bees. We love honey so much - it just makes sense! -Tammy

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  29. I'm glad your bees are doing well, but in view of this weekends event, well I just have to laugh about your "mild burning... with localized swelling" quote. Guess it would have gone much better for me if I had not put the hot shower water on it, huh? But if made it feel so much better at the time...;D

    Oh Yeah! And I loved the part when the tour guide came into the frame at the end of the second video sequence! I just love that WHAPPA-Cat!

    Lynda

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  30. Jayme, I watched your bee videos with fascination. Now, I'll bring my Grandchildren back to see them, too. Little Jack loves honey, but I don't think he realizes where it actually comes from! (Well - except in a glass jar in the supermarket!)

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  31. Hi Jayme, Well I made the Dutch oven bread twice and roasted my coffee beans twice but can't do the bees. My little cocker spaniel loves to chase bees. Have you ever seen the agony when one stings a curious pup on the tongue? It's awful. Thanks for the lessons in life though I can't wait for what's next.

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  32. I love my chickens, I love my flower and vege gardens, and I love you Jayme, but Jayme I am not going to get bees. Bees and snakes, just need to keep their distance for me to feel safe.

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  33. What with being afraid of bees (and chickens) my part will have to be just growing lots of herbs and flowers. The bees haven't been plentiful here for the past couple years. And the bee keeper in southern Illinois who had the best honey has lost them all. Your video was most enlightening. Now show us the messy part of getting it out of the combs. LOL

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  34. Hey Jayme,

    Good video. I have a teeny tiny hint...we learned in bee school to take the end frame out of the hive first. The it gives you room to gently scoot your frames down. That way if you do happen to pull a frame out with the queen on it, you won't hurt her. She's usually more in the center frames than on the end frames. Please don't think I'm being a know it all...I'm not. I just know you didn't want to hurt the queen and there is less chance by doing it that way. We all learn from each other.

    I got in my hives on the farm yesterday. I only had one hive live out of seven and they had plenty to eat. I don't know what happened. Last year I had a great survival rate, but not this year. I haven't got into the ones in the back yard yet. Congratulations on your hive.

    Cindy Bee

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  35. Well, you obviously have more courage than I! I have this thing about things that buzz... it's just not right; even a tad creepy. Add the flying factor and I don't think this is the hobby for me. I'm going back to knitting... and sewing... and writing poetry. ;)

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  36. Hi Jayme.
    I really enjoyed watching your bee videos. My beekeeping class started last week and it was fun to see what I had learned so far and what I'll be doing in future!

    Do you extract/process your own honey? If so, I'd like to see that as a video topic.
    Lisa
    Beekeeper in Training!

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  37. AMAZING, Jayme! My uncle was a beekeeper too so we always had fresh honey. One time, going along a back road my father had his arm on the car window and my mother drove too close to the brush, and a hive rolled into our car..(thank goodness it was honey bees and not wasps). We all jumped out and my father walked back to my uncle's place (where we had just been visiting). My father and brother got stung several times and I didn't get stung at all...don't remember about my mother. My Uncle returned with my father, got in the car and drove it to his place where he smoked them out and then scooped them up and put them into a hive like yours. Amazing and he had no fear of them at all. Wonderful blog today-brought back a great memory... xxoo Diana

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  38. He Jayme,

    My heart just did a flutter! I would so like (like...who am I kidding...love is more like it) to have a hive...but we live in a neighborhood where our yards are small and a lot of young'ins are running around. I had to laugh...I went to a few of the neighbors wanting to know if it would bother them to have a hive so close and by their reactions you would have thought I had two heads and lost all my marbles in both said heads! I guess having a few chickens would also be out of the question. Ha! Hope you have a great day.

    Nancy

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  39. We're expecting our bees to be delivered next week. We feel like we're expecting babies! Thanks for showing us the process. But those frogs? They were creeping me out! I've got shivers!

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  40. This is so interesting! You are very brave, too!

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  41. I would LOVE to keep bees and be able to harvest honey! I was just watching your video and commented to my husband that I would love to have bees. He quickly said NO WAY. He is afraid of getting stung! Oh, he said NO to chickens too! We have 8 hens and a rooster. heh heh.
    Blessings,
    Lorilee

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  42. Okay. I live in Whiting, Indiana and have a totally tiny yard that I literally squeeze every inch of garden I can into the sunlight I get. Can I possibly be a bee-keeper too?

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  43. THANK YOU! We're eager to try makin our own honey n lipbalm! Love your inspiration and Beelightful videos! (Okay, too much of a stretch!?)
    Love ya LOTS so glad you're havin so much fun.
    Now it's my turn - Get Thee Some Goats!!!
    You'll truly love your land of milk n honey!
    xo
    Leslie

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  44. Just got to your video's! You skeered the pee wadin' out of me girl! I actually feared for your life whilst you were taking those boxes apart!! I'm such a city girl, durn it! BUT...I'm roasting coffe beans when I get home! : )

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