The Bees' Knees
  • The Bees' Knees
  • Press
  • Pictures
  • Contact
  • Beekeeping Blog

Clint Eastwood loves honey!

8/31/2012

0 Comments

 
"I was ten years old on my grandpa's farm when it happened
After all these years i can still hear grandpa laughin'
As he applied that barnyard remedy
He passed his wisdom down to me
You don't reach for the honey without smokin' the hive

Verse 2: (Clint Eastwood)
I remember my first crush was on the preacher's daughter
We were smoochin' on the front porch swing that night when he caught her
We weren't expectin' him home until quarter past ten
When the good Lord taught me that lesson again
You don't reach for the honey without smokin' the hive

Chorus: (Randy Travis,Clint Eastwood)
You don't point your pistol before you check each chamber
And you don't drink no you don't drink when you drive
It's just ordinary common sense to avoid that danger
You don't reach for the honey without smokin' the hive

Verse 3: (Randy Travis,Clint Eastwood)
She rolled into town with rodeo,she was a beauty
And that cowboy saw you wink at her,she was a cutie
The sound of jinglin' spurs caught me dead on a run
He was fit to be tied and you were under the gun
You don't reach for the honey without smokin' the hive

Chorus: (Randy Travis,Clint Eastwood)
You don't point your pistol before you check each chamber
And you don't drink no you don't drink when you drive
It's just ordinary common sense to avoid that danger
You don't reach for the honey without smokin' the hive

No,you don't reach for the honey without smokin' the hive
You're gonna get stung boy"


Randy Travis - Smokin' The Hive (Lyrics)
0 Comments

Smoking bees.

1/24/2012

1 Comment

 
Why do beekeepers use smoke to calm bees, and why does it seem to work? 
I had always been told that the bees, upon sensing smoke in the hive, would think that their tree was on fire and would gorge themselves with honey in preparation for departure.  Bees full of honey don't seem to be inclined to sting, which is helpful for the beekeeper.
However, another alternative theory came to mind the other day whilst I was working the bees without the aid of smoke.  Upon opening the occasional temperamental hive, a handful of ornery guard bees would pounce, and the powerful odor of ripe bananas would permeate the air.  This odor is the bees' alarm pheromone, and it is quite alarming for both the bees and the beekeeper.  I realized that while being very familiar with irritable bees and their odors, I had never noticed the odor quite as powerful as it was now.  It reminded me of the smell of goldenrod nectar near the beehives in the Fall, very strong and ripe.  And so it occurred to me that perhaps the odor is always present when opening angry hives, but the usual cloud of smoke accompanying the opening masks the presence of the odor from both the beekeeper and the bees.  The guard bees emit the alarm pheromone, but no one notices.
Meanwhile, those bees that we see gorging themselves on honey may just be cleaning up the mess we've made by opening the hive.
There are alternative methods of calming bees without the use of smoke.  No smoke, as mentioned above, works well with very gentle bees, but not so well with the rest of them.  I've tried spraying the bees with sugar water while working them, which worked well with gentle hives, but was next to useless with the mean hives. 
1 Comment

    Author

    Billy Craig
    Beekeeper/ Entomologist

    Picture

    Archives

    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Advice Column
    Africa
    Aphrodisiacs
    Apitherapy
    Atheism
    Bats
    Bears
    Bee Breeding
    Bee Culture
    Beekeeping Stories
    Bee Removal
    Bees
    Bee Stings
    Bee Story
    Bee Venom
    Bible
    Brazil
    Brood
    Buddha
    California
    Canada
    Charles Martin Simon
    China
    Chinese Honey
    Chuck Norris
    Colony Collapse Disorder
    Creation
    Dance
    Dandelions
    Deer
    Demaree Method
    Diet
    Dogs
    Drones
    Drug Companies
    Drugs
    Easter
    E.B. White
    Education
    Einstein
    Emily Dickinson
    Europe
    Evolution
    Experiments
    Famous Beekeepers
    Feeding
    Fibonacci Sequence
    Flies
    Florida
    Foulbrood
    Georgia
    Global Warming
    Golden Raintree
    Government
    Hawaii
    Hibernation
    Hive Manipulation
    Honey
    Honey Plants
    Illinois
    Insects
    Israel
    Killer Bees
    Louisiana
    Mead
    Micheal Mac Giolla Coda
    Michigan
    Minnesota
    Money
    Monkeys
    Nevada
    New York
    North Carolina
    Ohio
    Patriotism
    Penguins
    Pesticides
    Pests And Diseases
    Philippines
    Pictures
    Poems
    Pollen
    Pollination
    Propolis
    Queen Bees
    Royal Jelly
    Small Hive Beetles
    Smoke
    South Carolina
    Sugar
    Supersedure
    Swarms
    Taxes
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Tuberculosis
    Urban Beekeeping
    Utah
    Varroa Mites
    Walt Wright
    Washington D.c.
    Wax
    Winnie The Pooh
    Winter
    Yellow Jackets

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.