Aggressive bees....Again

[B+.]

OK, thanks for that.

Are colonies of the second type much more difficult to requeen ?

Not really. It just takes time (so, having an out apiary where aggressive colonies can be dealt with away from people is a bonus).

If you simply kill the queen, the workers will try to generate a replacement from one of her daughters (which carry the same aggressive behaviour) and, possibly, reject any queen you try to replace her with.
The way I would handle it, is to raise frames of brood above an excluder and leave them for 9 days. Then, take this nuc, put it on a stand of its own and destroy any queen cells (shaking bees off the frame to make sure you destroy them all). These are now, hopelessly queenless and will accept a new queen under a push-in cage. Once this queen is established and laying, you can despatch the original nasty queen and combine the workers to the new queen above newspaper.

 

[Bryang]

Bryan, it sounds like you are going to have this problem until the other beekeeper gives up or you keep your bees elsewhere. I take it he's the type who can't be reasoned with?
As for change in behaviour, it can be quite fast but not always.

I think he may have given up now, but the gene pool lives on unfortunately.

 

[Bryang]

I have had angry bees also and the last thing on my mind was to kill them i could never consider it, if it come to that extreme where i could not handle the situation i would give up keeping bees forever, we have a lot of options to try before even thinking of petrol bombing them, and the easiest option that i would consider in that situation would be to Re Queen the hive with a mated Queen every spring, it might cost £35 / £45 but it is a lot better than destroying a super organism that is programed to do what it is good at.

It upsets me as well to dispose of a colony that way. I can handle the situation reasonably well... but it is the local residents that concerns me.Difficult to re site them,steep sided valley and local trouble with "idiots". I do usually re queen asap in the spring , but my usual supplier hasn't any mated Qs available yet because of the late spring. I ordered a Q 3 weeks ago for this hive because it was showing symptons of aggression, this AM I had a knock on the door from a roofer saying they were being stung by bees. So quickest solution to the problem has resulted in this thread.

 

[Bryang]

Not really. It just takes time (so, having an out apiary where aggressive colonies can be dealt with away from people is a bonus).

If you simply kill the queen, the workers will try to generate a replacement from one of her daughters (which carry the same aggressive behaviour) and, possibly, reject any queen you try to replace her with.
The way I would handle it, is to raise frames of brood above an excluder and leave them for 9 days. Then, take this nuc, put it on a stand of its own and destroy any queen cells (shaking bees off the frame to make sure you destroy them all). These are now, hopelessly queenless and will accept a new queen under a push-in cage. Once this queen is established and laying, you can despatch the original nasty queen and combine the workers to the new queen above newspaper.

Thank you, this sounds like a good option, think I will try it.

 

[Millet]

It upsets me as well to dispose of a colony that way. I can handle the situation reasonably well... but it is the local residents that concerns me.Difficult to re site them,steep sided valley and local trouble with "idiots". I do usually re queen asap in the spring , but my usual supplier hasn't any mated Qs available yet because of the late spring. I ordered a Q 3 weeks ago for this hive because it was showing symptons of aggression, this AM I had a knock on the door from a roofer saying they were being stung by bees. So quickest solution to the problem has resulted in this thread.

If you do not have far away space to move them Give them to someone who has, i wish i was nearer as i would take them rather than see them exterminated, you have in your mind what you are doing so good luck.

 

[Uncle Betty]

Not really. It just takes time (so, having an out apiary where aggressive colonies can be dealt with away from people is a bonus).

If you simply kill the queen, the workers will try to generate a replacement from one of her daughters (which carry the same aggressive behaviour) and, possibly, reject any queen you try to replace her with.
The way I would handle it, is to raise frames of brood above an excluder and leave them for 9 days. Then, take this nuc, put it on a stand of its own and destroy any queen cells (shaking bees off the frame to make sure you destroy them all). These are now, hopelessly queenless and will accept a new queen under a push-in cage. Once this queen is established and laying, you can despatch the original nasty queen and combine the workers to the new queen above newspaper.

Good man, thanks. I'll save that info, whilst hoping to never need it.

 

[Stiffy]

Bryan, it sounds like you are going to have this problem until the other beekeeper gives up or you keep your bees elsewhere. I take it he's the type who can't be reasoned with?
As for change in behaviour, it can be quite fast but not always.

It sounds to me that you will have to ensure you will always be re-queening with bees from elsewhere. Not an ideal solution by any means
S

 

[protheroe]

Don't destroy them.if you cant open to requeen because of neighbours you could bring them to me with new queen and do it at one of my sites until they are calm again.3/4 hour drive away so not too far

 

[Beefriendly]

It sounds to me that you will have to ensure you will always be re-queening with bees from elsewhere. Not an ideal solution by any means
S

It's what many of us have to live with each year when you live in an area populated by aggressive local bees.
The choice in my area is using vicious single brood box bees producing little honey or buying a few fecund gentle queens that produce oodles of honey and more than pay for themselves. Plus you can breed at least one generation of "free" queens from the bought in stock before they become mongrelised.
Sometimes I wish requeening was as simple as letting them raise their own...but it's not worth it.

 

[Finman]

IT is hive owner's duty to decide , what he does with extra angry hive. Such hive may be really dangerous to outsiders.

There are no collective acception or poll in these things.

Pheromone explanations do not help if something happens. That is why there are bee breeding that you can buy better queens.

I would say this discussion very odd.

 

[Stiffy]

It's what many of us have to live with each year when you live in an area populated by aggressive local bees.
The choice in my area is using vicious single brood box bees producing little honey or buying a few fecund gentle queens that produce oodles of honey and more than pay for themselves. Plus you can breed at least one generation of "free" queens from the bought in stock before they become mongrelised.
Sometimes I wish requeening was as simple as letting them raise their own...but it's not worth it.

That's exactly what I do as I have a black bee fanatic close by and all it seems is of interest is that that remain black. The fecundity and production doesn't seem to count. I just wanted the OP to understand what they are getting into.
S

 

[Bryang]

Don't destroy them.if you cant open to requeen because of neighbours you could bring them to me with new queen and do it at one of my sites until they are calm again.3/4 hour drive away so not too far

Thank you for the kind offer, but I no longer drive.. Have arranged for the hive to be moved to an isolated location, in a lightly wooded area,( with the owners consent). I'm not going to re Q them , going to let them get on with their thing. Will look in ocasionaly when I can get a lift and check them out.They will be well off the beaten track.

Thanks all for your advice and comments