Confirming the nasty hive(s)

[JonnyPicklechin]

Sorry in advance to all for hogging boards but separating these questions so other newbies can track/index specific answers for the future.

I have a confirmed nasty hive (because hell has broken loose since inspection yesterday with multiple 10s of bees pinging the veil, people, cars etc) but need to ascertain if I have other ones.

Of five hives, was going to close four of them at dusk. In the morning, check for ping activity with the open one until 11.30.

Then open each one in order in lowest order of suspected nastiness first up until the confirmed nasty last. Monitor activity and gauge which ones are wronguns and which are fine. Obviously if I have 2 or certainly 3 I will have to repeat again overnight/tomorrow. I was going to give them 20 minutes each between opening.

Sound Ok or any other suggestions?

 

[enrico]

Worth a try.let me know if it works!
E

 

[Beefriendly]

Then open each one in order in lowest order of suspected nastiness first up until the confirmed nasty last.

I would do it the other way round. Leave the main suspect open....you may get a false positive as the bees will be agitated by being confined.
That way you will get positive affirmation (or not) sooner.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

I would do it the other way round. Open the suspect nasty one first. That way you will get positive affirmation (or not) sooner.

My logic of course is if I do it your suggested way I have an apiary filled with nasty bees with no way of knowing about the others. Remember in my case my inspection yesterday was only one hive of the five. That started all this off so I KNOW that one is a wrongun.

If there are some weather/pollution/local phenomena causing this, I could have 2 or 3 hives.

Make sense?

 

[Beefriendly]

That started all this off so I KNOW that one is a wrongun.

If you know that one is a wrong one then shut that one up only.
You will get confused as confined bees can be quite aggressive when released due to their confinement but may not be aggressive normally.

 

[jeff33]

I don't envy you, sounds like a nightmare. I don't think there are many external factors making a hive so nasty... Apart from the local drones your queen will have mated with. Good luck.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

I would do it the other way round. Leave the main suspect open....you may get a false positive as the bees will be agitated by being confined.
That way you will get positive affirmation (or not) sooner.

Righto...will do if the BF way. So just to double check. I close up the known nasty and then check for ping activity.

What to do if I get said activity? I am sort of back where I started.

Ive got a feeling about two, obviously the known one and the suspected one. Close those up and then open the suspect one at 11.30? then the known one at 12?

Hows that sound?

 

[Beefriendly]

Righto...will do if the BF way. So just to double check. I close up the known nasty and then check for ping activity.

What to do if I get said activity? I am sort of back where I started.

Ive got a feeling about two, obviously the known one and the suspected one. Close those up and then open the suspect one at 11.30? then the known one at 12?

Hows that sound?

Tell you what...move all 5 away at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Bring one back each day and see which one causes issues.
Problem solved.

Do as you think fit.

 

[JonnyPicklechin]

Tell you what...move all 5 away at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Bring one back each day and see which one causes issues.
Problem solved.

Do as you think fit.

I'll get my coat.

 

[citrus]

when I open a hive I have one aggressive/defensive lot that will attack a finger or hive tool as soon as the crownboard is opened ... others dont

been trying to use less smoke based on teh advice on here ... but maybe there is a time and a place

now I wonder if that behaviour at the crownboard translates to 30-50m aggression ?