American Beekeepers - astonishingly calm bees or crazy keepers?

Ian123 · Jun 16, 2022

SixFooter said:
Could it be that they were just posing for the cameras and when the cameras weren't there they had proper protection?

No…..I’m sure when they need to they do. It’s really quite nice looking at hives without all the kit.

Newbeeneil · Jun 17, 2022

Ian123 said:
No…..I’m sure when they need to they do. It’s really quite nice looking at hives without all the kit.

I agree and tomorrow I will be at an apiary where I will just wear a T shirt and a veil (plus trousers and underwear of course!) and not feel worried about being set apon but would not do it in most of my apiaries. In fact last night I was approaching a row of hives, veil less, to recover a hive tool I'd left on a roof when a rather overzealous guard targeted my right nostril! Ooooooh that bought tears to my eyes!

Finman · Jun 19, 2022

Erichalfbee said:
Small colonies are usually ok. Just be careful as they grow.

Life will teach...

Newbeeneil · Jun 19, 2022

After thinking I’d only be observing at the apiary I got drafted into demonstrating. Working in boxes with so little protection was wonderful, I wish my bees were as laidback.

user 20917 · Jun 19, 2022

pnkemp said:
Personally I don't even think about an inspection without my suit on, smoker lit (even if the bugger goes out after 5 mins), and gloves on (nitrile or marigolds).

Then you look at YouTube and American and Canadian beekeepers seem to habitually inspect with at most a veil. I'm not just talking about some of the truly baflfing things like the Texas Beeworks lady who claims to deal with swarms and unwanted colonies in an area where africanized bees are prevalent without any protection or even her hair secured, but serious beeks like Kaymon Reynolds and the Guelph University Apiarist.

SO, are they just supermen and women immune to stings, are they bonkers, or is the average North American bees strain significantly calmer than over here in Europe?

Over here in Europe??? Over there in the UK more like. Most of the people here in Belgium and Germany who work with Carnica wear little to no protection.

Fusion_power · Jun 19, 2022

It depends entirely on the bees. I typically work my bees wearing a veil with white t-shirt, jeans, and running shoes. No particular reason for the running shoes, they are just comfortable. The white shirt is because it is cooler to work in and to some extent suppresses bees attempting to sting. I have been stung exactly 1 time this year and that was because I pinched a bee. As others note, I don't own a suit. I routinely wear a veil because bees love to get tangled in hair and sting. They also respond to breath and I don't really fancy having them up my nose. I keep a smoker handy but usually give only 1 or 2 puffs of smoke as I open the hive. The exception is when removing honey. Bees tend to be aggressive when there is no nectar coming in and their honey is being removed. I use the smoker a bit more often at such times.

With the above in mind, 2 times in my life I've dealt with bees that were off the charts aggressive. Once was an overturned hive that was being robbed. The second was a friend who wanted me to help remove honey from his bees. One of his colonies didn't like a bee blower and went into the air with intent of stopping the commotion. Those two times, I wished I had a suit. I've been keeping bees since I was 10 years old and now at 62 have been a beekeeper for 52 years. I purchased some queens in 2015 from Bweaver that had significant introgression of Africanized traits. They were hotter than I routinely handle so I eventually eliminated the genetics from my bees.

Would I open a hive without a smoker ready? No, for the simple reason that you can never tell what a colony has been through recently. I've had very gentle colonies getting nightly visits from a skunk that turn into serious stingers.