Aggressive bees

[lilybetbee]

My bees have become very aggressive, no OSR in the area, and I need to re-queen.
Couldn't set foot out of the house today without being stung, about 100ft from hive, even followed me into the car.

What do you recommend as the least aggressive strain to use for re-queening?

 

[Duchy]

Buckfast. There are probably a few queen cells and it should sort itself out in a few days? If you leave 1 or 2 queen cells, you'll have a young mated queen in a few weeks...

 

[lilybetbee]

I don't want to raise another set of aggressive bees, wouldn't any from this colony have the same characteristics?

 

[drex]

Yes they would most likely. If they have been aggressive for some time I would requeen with a known quieter bee. Trying to find a queen in an aggressive colony can be quite nasty. I suggest if you do that you seek advice on here or from local experienced keeper. There are tricks to make it easier. Is the old queen marked?

 

[lilybetbee]

Yes, she's marked. I've got a new location on a farm away from people as I think that it will take a few weeks to work through once I get a new queen installed.

 

[enrico]

Being stung at 100 feet is too much for me. I would move them straight away to an out apiary before I decide what to do and if I couldn't do that I would consider more serious action! Their actions are unacceptable to you and all around you!
E

 

[lilybetbee]

I agree it's unacceptable. I need to clear the supers to move them.

 

[Little John]

I don't want to raise another set of aggressive bees, wouldn't any from this colony have the same characteristics?

Some will, some won't. Your queen mated with many drones, maybe as many as 16. All it takes is one of those drones to have had 'bad genes', and you've then got a small percentage of worker bees 'with attitude', which go on to give the whole colony a bad name.

If your queen is now given the chance to produce queen cells, then some will be the progeny of the 'nasty' drone, and some will be the progeny of regular, nicely behaved drones.

So you then see what characteristics result from those cells, and the subsequent matings of their virgins with whatever drones happen to be in the sky at the time, and cull those queens which continue to produce problem offspring. With luck, you might get a real cracker next time.

Bringing in a new 'well behaved' strain of bee, only puts the problem of aggression off for a couple of generations - indeed, it's considered by many to actually be the underlying cause of 'F2' aggression.

LJ

 

[lilybetbee]

That's what worries me. I've read that Buckfast are really calm but offspring are aggressive. I don't want to buy in new queens every year as it will be very expensive and need to start a line that will be acceptable.

 

[Skyhook]

Very few of the generalisations hold water. You can have quiet or aggressive Carniolans, buckfasts, italians or black bees. I had an aggressive bought-in Buckfast (superbees) who produced a lovely calm hybrid daughter.

Could they be queenless? Two common causes for sudden aggression are queenlessness, or supercedure to a more aggressive queen.

The first thing is to get them away from people. If you need to clear the supers get a clearer board on ASAP, otherwise move them with supers on. Queen introduction is difficult at this time of year.

Hard to say more without knowing if the queen is still there. Have they been aggressive for a while, or did you squash the queen closing up on the last inspection? If the former you need to change strain, if the latter let them raise a replacement.

If you need to change strain at this time of year, probably the best way is to remove the queen if still present, pull down qc's until they run out of material, then introduce a frame of eggs from a good colony.

.

 

[lilybetbee]

They've been aggressive all this season, I put it down to the weather and lots of other things, but they are consistently bad.
They were ok last autumn in a nuc box when the queen was new but have been bad all this year.
I need to clear the supers, too heavy to move with them on.

 

[Ben90]

They were ok last autumn in a nuc box when the queen was new but have been bad all this year.

Probably before the workers born to the last queen were replaced with more aggressive ones?

 

[oliver90owner]

It wasn't until post #5 that it became clear this was only one colony (of the four in the OP's profile).

Moving it away now was far too late apparently, now we are told they have been aggressive all season (post #11).

Any sign of aggression from a garden colony (for me) would have meant it was moved immediately. Waiting until it has two or more supers is just making things harder for the beekeeper and basically self-inflicted.

Beginners take note! There have been innumerable warnings on the forum regarding garden colonies and having access to an alternative apiary site for just this type of scenario. Heed the warnings; it does happen!

If I were requeening I would have had a new queen on the way already (now it is mid-May) by demareeing my most docile colony if no swarm cells were available.

 

[leonotron]

Does requeening slow them down at all?
I have a hive that I was recommended to requeen. She's from last September and she hasn't been spotted yet though. I keep them in my garden and they are a bit aggressive but only give trouble when inspecting, not at other times really.

 

[Teemore]

If you introduce a mated and laying queen there should be little change in the rate of colony growth.

 

[leonotron]

Thanks, think I'll go ahead with changing her so. Just have to make sure I can find her before I get a new one though.

 

[Skyhook]

Thanks, think I'll go ahead with changing her so. Just have to make sure I can find her before I get a new one though.

Bear in mind my earlier warning- this is not a good time to get queens accepted. If they're not too bad I would leave it until the end of the season.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just get a new queen in there.
Once you take delivery of the new queen, put her in a cool dark place with a drop or two of water put on the bars of the cage. Take out old queen and carefully but firmly place her on a handy fence post wait a few hours then introduce the new queen in her cage - covering the candy with a piece of tape so that the bees can't get at the candy yet. wait a day or two so that by this time they should have got used to the new pheremones, open up and remove the tape. Wait a few days then check to see if they have released her (they should have by then) then leaqve alone for a few weeks for them all to settle.

 

[lilybetbee]

Thanks for advice. Have an association member who will help me dispose of aggressive bees and re-queen.