Bees foul

[Heather]

My bees are usually lovely- no smoke, nearly ignore me- but I have moved them -2 weeks ago- to a new site.
They seem to settle well, loads of forage with wild flowers etc- I dont think any rape near me- but they are being awful.
We cannot sit in the back garden without some bombing us, and stinging without any aggressive move from us- If I open the hives they are piling out in fury- really hard work-

I have a very unhappy husband, plumber, and gardener......all 3 got stung! The poor plumber - putting in an outside tap- wore a beany hat and hoodie- and it was 24d...

Loads of stores- 3 supers up on some- all but 1 are queenright ( I excuse that one) -any clues??

 

[Silly Bee]

Had similar with one of mine. But sorry, no idea why. Maybe the weather.

 

[Arfermo]

Sexism reigns? My window cleaner got it last year. Lent him my beesuit to finish the job. Looked a prat actually with his long lance waggling about as he tried to run.

 

[Black Comb]

Both of mine at home have turned to be the same. After 3 years of no problems very aggressive and had to move. No bees at home now or in future.
All hives seem bad tempered this year.
Weather?

 

[Poly Hive]

Probably weather. They are Q+ yes?

Forecast has been talking some thunder and that may well be your reason.

PH

 

[Heather]

PH - it has been for 2 weeks. Weather has been hot,warm , cool, morning, evening- permanent little s...s. And they are queenright- wall to wall brood- no excuses for them there. Seems others have similar behaviour.

 

[johnmcc]

Moved my two hives out of the garden yesterday to a field a mile and a half away belonging to a friend. Just too aggressive this year. Had about 2 or 300 returners (field not far enough according to conventional wisdom but I had no choice). Three neighbours got stung. Apologies and promises of honey all round. When I opened the hives at the new site they boiled out and I got 7 stings on my right wrist through the canvas of my gauntlet and a couple on my legs through two layers of polycotton (trousers and suit). They followed for 100 yards as well, trying to sting. For the past three years they've been very docile. I'm starting to wonder if it's just the weather; for me the behaviour has coincided with the huge crops of OSR we've had round here for the first time. Hmmm.

 

[susbees]

PH - it has been for 2 weeks. Weather has been hot,warm , cool, morning, evening- permanent little s...s. And they are queenright- wall to wall brood- no excuses for them there. Seems others have similar behaviour.

It is strange...we had three in a row pretty antsy on the south edge of the apiary. All different breeding. One in that area was fine - they have no tendency to fly up (but building too slowly really...sigh). Strong following had become a daily issue.

Sooo...I was dreading the Apiary Open Day with plans to open up the quiet one for the 2012 beginners then creep passed the others to stands further away...and NOTHING. All three hives have been fine the last ten days or so from unacceptable following and a bit too much pinginess. None of our visitors had a problem thank goodness...well excepting those who tried to handle Commercial frames flat in 25 deg shade temperature ).

Of course it's now sultry and iffy again so we shall see (and the queens to requeen them should be laying around now ).

 

[susbees]

I'm starting to wonder if it's just the weather; for me the behaviour has coincided with the huge crops of OSR we've had round here for the first time. Hmmm.

I had a little chat with a well-known honey seller in Shropshire on the phone the other night.

I had had a call from a couple who had been cycling and had been leaped on by "a swarm" at a road junction (got my number from a swarm list). They had been multiply stung and were treated at the doc's. Their worry was for children/horses etc passing the same way. And yes they said the field was yellow.

I had seen a beekeeper working hives on that junction two hours before the call...several hives tucked behind the hedge on the way to a swarm call.

Turns out that it IS who I thought it was (we know locals with bees) but when called he denied it and said he was fed up with ramblers and others bothering his bees (AKA their own d*mn fault). And then went on about the 20 supers he'd just harvested. Hopefully the locals will have a chat with the farmer. Not sure there's much else I can do

 

[Queens59]

Last year I had a hive from hell and it seemed Q-, so we decided to bring it from out-apiary to home to die. Stuck it in a corner...inspected 3 weeks later to find all bees happy, queen laying (so small we missed her) and they are now the nicest, busiest bees we have...still sitting on the arbour where we hoped they would die off!

 

[Bucks_Boy]

I read somewhere that Bees can be bad on OSR becuase of high sugar content of nectar and high volume -- akin to a toddler on a gallon of full sugar cola .....

Given that for many of us the weather has meant that spring flowers started late and so there is a huge flow on as it all comes at once, could it just be that they are feeling stressed to forage and process ( not enough hours in the night to cope with the daytime deliveries !) and that the OSR syndrome is being simulated but the bounty of spring flowers.

I've been breeding mine for temprement and at the end of March I had the most gentle colonies --- now most are hostile...

 

[Black Comb]

No OSR for many miles around here.

 

[drex]

Think mine are suffering OSR withdrawal. The crop has just gone over and they have turned nasty.