Chaaaaaaarge!

[Beagle23]

I carried out an inspection on my hive last weekend and was pleased to see the bottom super filling with nectar. With the weather being so good and my new queen laying like crazy I've seen an explosion in bee numbers and the number of foragers entering the hive per second is the highest I've yet seen.
So yesterday evening I thought I'd pop the top off the hive to make sure I didn't need to see if a 3rd super was needed. Usually the top just lifts easily off but I had to employ the hive tool to prize it free. As I lifted it free I noticed that the crown board was stuck to the roof and a number of frames were stuck to the crown board..both of the latter were absolutely covered in bees (the second super had been empty three days earlier.
So I leaned forward to prize the crown board away from the lid only to notice a line of bees detach themselves from the mess and fly towards me in a ragged line, cavalry charge style. I just about managed to suppress the urge to do a runner and a split second later I was peppered with stingers n the front of my torso. Fortunately my suit did its job but looking down I could see all of these stingers protruding from the front and a bunch of worker bees falling towards my boots.
It all happened in a couple of seconds. I suppose it's as good an example of any as to why you should always wear your protective gear even if you're thinking of just peeking into the hive.

 

[alldigging]

I can second this. I took a hood only with me recently as we weren't planning on doing anything other than looking for a swarm.
We went and looked at the nearby beekeepers bees and my friend offered to give him a hand going through his hive. I got a armful of stings all in the same arm - and went and got a suit out of the car before going near again.
Mind you I have never seen so many bees in a hive ever before. Seriously huge numbers. he says they are normally very calm. I suggested he add more space and they have drawn the first super he put on in a day or two.

But yes, never just taking a hood with me again.

 

[enrico]

If you open the top they will be immediately defensive. I don't use smoke very often when inspecting but I ALWAYS give a puff of smoke in the entrance before removing the crown board, I like to think it lets them know I am coming. Also if you lift the frames with the crown board it rolls the bees in between the frames and they hate that. When taking the crown board off loosen the edges and then take each opposit corner in your hands and twist it like a jar lid, carefully and slowly, this releases the frames from the crown board, do the same with the queen excluder. These are all techniques that you learn by making mistakes!
The final thing is to carry a tin of fabispray, if the bees boil out and you have got yourself in a tangle with lifted frames etc you need to be able to give yourself thirty seconds to reassemble the hive. A good squirt of fabispray will give you those valuable seconds.
E