Aggressive Guards

[BeeJuice]

This recent good weather has got the bees flying like never before.

I have noticed that they are no longer as tolerant of me standing around the hive watching what they are doing. Is this because they are fed up with my interest or is it a normal change of behaviour which occurs when the hive is building up strength.

I keep my hives at home so probably am guilty of poking around too much. Their change in behaviour will now change my habit of hanging around the hive.

I'm interested to know whether I have brought it upon myself

Thanks

 

[Robbo8916]

Mine were like that on Thursday but just been to have a quick look and they were back to their normal selves happily doing their own thing. I can imagine that as they are building up they have more brood and stores to protect so that might make them a little more alert?

 

[bjosephd]

My bees are super chilled and non aggressive… BUT after an inspection, however gently I go through them, they are always a little defensive and grumpy for the next couple of days, until they forget about the disruption and get back to business as usual.

This becomes even more so if I happen to have left some stinky apiguard in there!

 

[BeeJuice]

My bees are super chilled and non aggressive… BUT after an inspection, however gently I go through them, they are always a little defensive and grumpy for the next couple of days, until they forget about the disruption and get back to business as usual.

This becomes even more so if I happen to have left some stinky apiguard in there!

Maybe that's it. I inspected them on Thursday. I'll leave them alone for a few days and give them time to forgive and forget.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have one hive of black.......ish bees that are definitely tetchy for a day after an inspection. They come out to look for me up to 25 metres away. The Buckies never bother.

 

[Cussword]

I have one hive of black.......ish bees that are definitely tetchy for a day after an inspection. They come out to look for me up to 25 metres away. The Buckies never bother.

Same problem, except these little dears followed me across a 100 yard field after inspection. I had to sit and wait until they were bored. I got a damp bum.
Definitely do not like black.....ish bees They need a new queen. Carniolan?


.

 

[snelgrove]

I always find my bees very amenable early season, but with the flowering of oil seed rape and more inspections, certain hives tend to become a bit tetchy.
However agressive bees will always be agressive what ever time of year,

 

[misterbee82]

The bees we have both in the siding of our house and in the langstroth hive are extremely tolerant, unless you directly mess with them.

 

[Hivemaker.]

The bees we have both in the siding of our house and in the langstroth hive are extremely tolerant, unless you directly mess with them.

And what do you class as directly mess with the bees in your Langstroth hive, doing an inspection?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm very fond of mine.....they survived the winter when three of my colonies didn't. They are packed with brood and have a super.
They arrived as a cast last summer, 2 seams of bees. They are out in all flyable weather, the brood box was short of stores in the autumn when I weighed all the boxes but they managed with what they had.
They fly about a bit when you inspect them but generally I wouldn't term them aggressive.....more defensive.
I'm keeping them........for now

 

[Hivemaker.]

I'm very fond of mine....

I also have a few hives of Amm, very good temperament, can be easily worked without wearing a beesuit, some are a little bit runny on the combs though.

 

[Erichalfbee]

And what do you class as directly mess with the bees in your Langstroth hive

Probably not feeding them

Definitely do not like black.....ish bees They need a new queen. Carniolan?


.

I'm very fond of mine.....they survived the winter when three of my colonies didn't. They are packed with brood and have a super.
They arrived as a cast last summer, 2 seams of bees. They are out in all flyable weather, the brood box was short of stores in the autumn when I weighed all the boxes but they managed with what they had.
They fly about a bit when you inspect them but generally I wouldn't term them aggressive.....more defensive.
I'm keeping them........for now

 

[misterbee82]

And what do you class as directly mess with the bees in your Langstroth hive, doing an inspection?

Doing anything that aggitates them. For example when we transferred them from the nuc they came in to the langstroth hive, our bee club member used liquid smoke to calm them, and we were both wearing bee suits and thick gloves and they were still trying to sting through the gloves.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Doing anything that aggitates them. For example when we transferred them from the nuc they came in to the langstroth hive, our bee club member used liquid smoke to calm them, and we were both wearing bee suits and thick gloves and they were still trying to sting through the gloves.

Not very nice tempered bees at all then.

 

[snelgrove]

I have dark colony with a red marked queen , she has been in a 14 x12 hive all her years, tried to swarm every year but I took nucs off and that stopped swarming. Produce 3 supers of honey each year, and went to heather last year and got a super of heather honey. Thought she would have been superseded last autumn but no, 9 frames of brood now and supererd. Suit of armour required when inspecting.

 

[madasafish]

Doing anything that aggitates them. For example when we transferred them from the nuc they came in to the langstroth hive, our bee club member used liquid smoke to calm them, and we were both wearing bee suits and thick gloves and they were still trying to sting through the gloves.

I would requeen those bees as their behaviour is in my view totally unacceptable.. If I cannot keep bees in bare hands, the bees are too aggressive.

 

[misterbee82]

Not very nice tempered bees at all then.

Actually now that there settled they aren't super aggressive. I am respectful of their space and they're respectful of me. I usually don't suit up and I am yet to be stung. So they are really quite tolerant of me being there watching them.

 

[Cussword]

I would requeen those bees as their behaviour is in my view totally unacceptable the bees are too aggressive.[/QUOTE

Sounds like one of mine.

 

[Eyeman]

How black is a 'black bee'?
My locally bred mix tend to have some with no yellow and others with one or occasionally 2 stripes as shown in this picture.

 

[snelgrove]

How black is a 'black bee'?
My locally bred mix tend to have some with no yellow and others with one or occasionally 2 stripes as shown in this picture.
View attachment 12977

they ain't black, black is black no stripes