The small inconvenience: Bees

Editor

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Created on Jul 1, 2018

Jul 1, 2018

Categories: Life Aboard

During a charter holiday, you cannot really speak of a lot of health dangers. As long as you make sure you protect your skin from too much sun, don’t slip on the deck and swim safe, you’ll be about all right. As for small summertime inconveniences; insects and mosquitos you’ll have to encounter ashore simply disappear when you jump on board. But curious bees do visit twice a day for a total of an hour: Early in the morning and just before the sun goes down. Then you’ll have the rest of the day to yourself.

Twice a day – for half an hour

Bees do have visiting hours. They are fashionably early, don’t stay long and prefer the most peaceful times of the day. Early morning hours when the sun is not yet strong and when the light begins to fade in the evening are their favorite. And luckily, each visit takes only about half an hour and they’ll be gone before you can figure out where they all come from. And if you’re not an early riser, you won’t even see them come and go for the morning visit.

Arrange your meal times

Normally, breakfast and dinner times during charters are after the bee visits. Not because they’re arranged accordingly but because it’s simply too early. So you’re not going to have to fight the bees over food if you stick to regular schedule.

Just stay calm 

What do they want? No one really knows. They’re not hostile or particularly aggressive. They look around, probably searching for some food, buzz a little and they feel free to rest on the floor and furniture as well as people. So during bee visits, be very careful where you sit and step on. Don’t make any hasty movements even if a bee lands on your body; it’ll probably wander around for a while and fly off without ever feeling the need to stick its needle out. As long as you can stand the creepy feeling and keep your mouth closed – literally! - you’ll be all right.

Burnt coffee smoke helps

Don’t be surprised if the crew shows up with plates with burning coffee on them. It’s not some kind of magic to keep evil spirits away. The smoke is intended for the bees and it really helps to keep them away. Why not burn something else? Well, we’ll just have to trust the trial and error method that has stood the test of time.

Be prepared – medically

It’s no joke; bee stings can be really dangerous for allergic people. And quite painful for all. Especially if you have children on board, please make sure that you consult with your doctor, learn the first aid details for bee stings and bring all the medication your doctor recommends for allergies and the pain. Although first aid doesn’t usually go beyond scraping along the edge of the skin with a credit card to remove the stinger and applying some ice to the area, having the right kind of medication makes sure that a bee sting stays only as a fun photograph.