Bad tempered bees yesterday...

[Elaine123]

What can make a normally reasonably tempered colony have a bad day? Started out with an over wintered nuc good temperament building up nicely, added a super 2 weeks ago and they have been given light sugar syrup. Last week didn't seem to like the smoke so I thought it was the cardboard I was using. Yesterday was having problems with my smoker so hardly gave any . The bees were very lively 8 frames in use in the brood box, bees in the super but as soon as I went into the brood box they were not happy, walked away from the hive but was followed by a good half dozen, one managing to get through the zip in my veil, continued into the next field still being followed and buzzed, decided to unzip my veil , remove the bee, bad move was stung on the back of the head and then under my chin and side of neck, took off a glove to unzip more quickly stung on my finger. I have not known them to be like this before but it is my first season. Last week did have 2 stings on my gloves but didn't go through. I added another super after rezipping and going back into the apiary, and also put another super on with a rapid feeder of light syrup. Could it be the weather or am I in for more of the same next weekend???

 

[enrico]

Who knows? Thundery? Had something disturbed them? Did they know you were coming? Did you just take the roof off with no warning? They do have bad days and the following week they can be as quiet as anything. It's is when you get a consistently bad colony that you have to start worrying and make some decisions. At the. Moment just give them a chance to buck up!
By the way well done for carrying on after a bundle of nasty stings!
E
E

 

[ratcatcher]

why if your adding more supers are you also feeding?

 

[Davelin]

why if your adding more supers are you also feeding?

Don't know why they may be bad tempered, but do know you shouldn't be feeding with supers on; you will end up with stored sugar in your supers, not honey.

If they need feed, they don't need a super.


If they have enough frames of brood and stores to need a super, they don't need feed.

Unless your first super is filling with honey, not sugar, they certainly don't need a second super.

 

[sbisme]

Thanks

 

[BeeJayBee]

Started out with an over wintered nuc good temperament building up nicely, added a super 2 weeks ago and they have been given light sugar syrup.

The bees were very lively 8 frames in use in the brood box,

I added another super after rezipping and going back into the apiary, and also put another super on with a rapid feeder of light syrup.

Your post leads to lots of questions.

I expect it's the stress of being stung so many times that's got you a bit mixed up and this isn't the true hive configuration, but if not could you say why you are using so many (at least two, possibly three) supers if the bees are only using 8 frames in the brood box?

They may be unsettled because they have too much space to deal with - they need to maintain a temperature of, I think just below 35C, within the hive.

They may be unsettled because you're feeding them when they shouldn't need feeding, and they've filled the brood nest area with stores so the queen has nowhere to lay.

What did you find on those '8 frames in use', was it bees walking around on top of the frames; was it eggs larvae and sealed brood; was it stores?

What about the remaining frames within the brood box? (You don't list a hive type in your profile, so it's easier to assume you're using Nationals which will probably have 12 frames.) Were the other 4 frames empty; have they been drawn out; are they full of sealed stores (syrup)?

Last week did have 2 stings on my gloves but didn't go through.

Could it be the weather or am I in for more of the same next weekend???

It could be the weather, because it has been a bit thundery and unsettled, but if you haven't washed your gloves since the last stings the pheromones will attract more bees that will want to attack and sting you. Make sure your suit and gloves are washed after being stung and before you go anywhere near any colony of bees. Going back to finish what you'd started was brave, but it added stress to the bees and you might have been better just to walk away and leave them in peace.

Final question - do you have a local mentor or bee buddy who has seen your colony recently?