Attack Attack Attack.

[Margaret Elisabeth]

I got five stings when trying to inspect my no 1 hive yesterday so I closed up without getting to the brood box.I was shaking before i got back to the house and took the antihistamines.

I suspect that the hive is Queenless or they are replacing her. There are six supers on the hive. The bees attacked when I was down to no 3. I had on only very thin one use examination gloves as I had read that Marigolds make for clumseyness due to lack of sensitivity. now I have very swollen fingers and hands so I will be reverting to the double glove protection.

I had to back out of the Basic Assesment booked for today as I know that the day after a sting is when I have the worst swelling. Shopping for Marigolds is the priority before examining the other hive which has fewer bees and a new queen laying well.

 

[kazmcc]

I know how you feel Margaret. I used to be terrified of anything that buzzes (long story about how I became a beekeeper lol) and remember my bees being like this one day, when they were usually nice and calm and a pleasure to work with. They had just lost their queen mind you ( another long story ), and it didn't last long. My next inspection was fine, despite being Q-. Don't let this faze you. I hope the swelling isn't too painful x

 

[Blue Spinnaker]

Ouch. I am afraid I use leather gloves, I know all the downsides, but I don't handle any other bees and confidence is important to me. How on earth do you lift down heavy supers from a stack of six?!

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

I react badly to bee stings so I have used double gloves for a while but I thought I would try without the extra protection of the Marigolds as I was impressed by how some people manage without gloves at all and I want to improve my handling.
It's really not worth it for me though. I don't think the shaking was fear, I was calm once I had decided to close up and walked around the shrubbery to loose the followers before heading indoors.

 

[whoosling]

I have a hive which is particularly nasty and now wear double everything, work as calmly as possible, walk away when I feel the first stings and scrape off then go back and carry on, they are making loads of honey but the queen is for the chop next year. I have discovered they are much worse if I smoke them so I use as little as possible.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Ouch. I am afraid I use leather gloves, I know all the downsides, but I don't handle any other bees and confidence is important to me. How on earth do you lift down heavy supers from a stack of six?!

The sixth one is airspace to help with dispersing condensation and finishing the honey They were just beggining to make wax on the empty frames.
I took five frames of sealed honey from super five and placed them in a super covering them with a cloth I made. The super has been very heavy for me to lift so I have been planning how to harvest it. I have done this before with no problem.

 

[madasafish]

1% hydrocortisone cream works wonders... See Boots and others..

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

I had only used a single smoke whiff at the bottom of the mesh floor I expect others will say I should have used more.

1% hydrocortisone cream works wonders... See Boots and others..

I have used Anthisan cream for years on midge and other insect bites but it does nothing for the bee stings. I had only the usual small reaction before I had to take Omeprezol.

 

[Headnavigator]

I use blue nitrile gloves during 'quiet' times and leather with blue nitriles over if I'm anticipating excited bees, eg if I'm taking supers. Works well for me and the bees always see blue nitrile so don't know the difference (I hope). I've been lucky as they very rarely sting anyway - only one excited inspection this year and that was after I'd been using some acetone-based chemicals for something completely unrelated, and I guess they could smell the residue on me (it stank). Really tight-fitting leather gloves (Sheriff's) with nitriles over don't seem to affect my dexterity, though it does take patience to get them on. I can't bear marigolds, now they do really make me clumsy!

(Good to see you back, Kaz!)

 

[kazmcc]

(Good to see you back, Kaz!)

Good to be back, although all this bee talk makes me realise how much I miss it, like, painfully miss it.

 

[domino]

My chill and a relaxed hive requeen this year and the new queens daughter are pretty grumpy.

I'll be bumping her off in the spring and buying a new queen.

It's gone from needing no smoke to them dive bombing my mask.

 

[beecology]

My chill and a relaxed hive requeen this year and the new queens daughter are pretty grumpy.

I'll be bumping her off in the spring and buying a new queen.

It's gone from needing no smoke to them dive bombing my mask.

I am just experiencing this now, a normally quiet and calm hive has turned into a monster last two inspections, stinging suit and following for over 50 yards.

Could it be the weather or the fact they have honey stores to defend? I know they are not Q-, so why would a calm colony turn nasty in a short space of time?

They are working like mad with honey and the young queen has built up brilliantly, but she has to go if they continue like this.

 

[Moggett]

I'll be bumping her off in the spring and buying a new queen.

This could be part of the problem - imported carnolian? Surely better to breed your own or arrange to introduce eggs/ queen cell from a nearby beekeeper with calm local mongrels? Cheaper too.

 

[REDWOOD]

fascinating to watch bees trying to drill through leather gloves and sometimes they do.

 

[enrico]

Your main problem is that you are smoking, however little, the bb. The supers you are taking off don't even know you are there. The first sign they get is a flood of light as someone takes their honey off the top of the hive. Their natural instinct is to attack. When you start to take the first super off the too twist it slightly so that there is a gap in four corners between that super and the one below it. Puff smoke into that gap. Wait...... Remove the super. Take the crown board off the super you have just removed and place it on the super underneath and repeat.
Or....... Say to your bees, six supers.... We'll done.... I am not going to inspect you any more.....if you want to swarm then you deserve it. And that will give you a nice new queen for next year!
E

 

[Blue Spinnaker]

Or....... Say to your bees, six supers.... We'll done.... I am not going to inspect you any more.....if you want to swarm then you deserve it. And that will give you a nice new queen for next year!
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Or....... Say to your bees, six supers.... We'll done.... I am not going to inspect you any more.....if you want to swarm then you deserve it. And that will give you a nice new queen for next year!
E

That's just what I decided this afternoon then SBI phoned and asked to come look at them as EFB 7K away

 

[galileo]

Or....... Say to your bees, six supers.... We'll done.... I am not going to inspect you any more.....if you want to swarm then you deserve it. And that will give you a nice new queen for next year!
E

Pretty much the way it went with one of mine this year. They had given me a super full before the osr and another full of osr before they started to make swarm cells. I popped the queen into a nuc and reduced to the one good cell after 6 days and left them to it. Another super full of osr a week later and the week after emergence, pollen flooding in. Inspection the week after that revealed 4 frames of bias anda fat new queen which was duly dotted green. Another super of sycamore and one half filled with honeydew honey, and they were at the qc building again. Space wasnt an issue, but I decided to give them a second brood box to see if it would nip the urge in the bud. I told them thag if they were really intent on swarming, they should do so beofre my return the following tuesday but if not, to get busy upstairs. Apparently they swarmed on the Monday morning and with a kiss in the wind, I wish them well. Should someone be fortunate enough to have them in a box right now, they will be looking at a great colony of lovely bees and a brand new marked queen.

 

[Ross]

I have used Anthisan cream for years on midge and other insect bites but it does nothing for the bee stings.

How old is your Anthisan?

I had some kicking around in the bottom of my beekeeping kit for years, didn't do much for the stings but soothed a little. When it eventually ran out I bought a new tube it worked wonders.

Now I actually spend some money when it reaches its expiry date rather than when I have squeezed the last milligram out of the tube.

 

[Apple]

Try Witch hazel, freshly distilled of course.
Do not drink it!


James