Fed up with getting stung!

[SarahM]

I have 2 hives on the go one getting ready to swarm - think I have got that sorted - and the other with a new queen - every time I take a look at them I spend the next week almost uable to garden as I get attracked - by the time they have calmed down it's time to look again! How can I find out which hive has the techy bees and could it be just because they are both in a state of flux at the moment - do I wait or do I need to re-queen?bee-smilli

 

[Polyanwood]

I would requeen any that fail this test. Just my opinion - I will no longer tolerate bees that sting me for no real reason. ( If they sting me because i have squashed them or brushed them, then fair enough)

Take off the roof and crownboard. Wave your hand (gloved) over it. About 10 times fast, about 8 inches from the frames. If the bees make an angry buzzing and fly up and attack your glove and stick their bums through your veil trying to sting you before you have even lifted a single frame, they are over defensive in my view and the queen is not worth keeping.

Ordering a new queen is fraught. I think Hivemaker's are good and KBS second best.

 

[SarahM]

Many thanks for that, I already have a newly purchased queen in a neucleus box, so I will get on with testing the hives and will re-queen the troublsome one - hope it's just the one!

 

[Heather]

But- just be aware of the weather conditions- I usually have good hives that nearly ignore my inspections- but with the drought in the South and so the low nectar input- I have 3 hives from hell -and I am feeding them. The bees will settle when the flow increases- I am hoping......

 

[Tom Bick]

If the bees are in your garden you have to be less tolerant to aggression and if you are getting buzzed for just been in your garden then it is perhaps time to re queen.

You seem to have the problem the week after your inspection so what are the inspections like I assume aggressive towards you.

The queen may still be a good queen and perhaps you can offer her to someone close to you with an out apiary, but with a warning.

 

[Polyanwood]

True what you say about nectar flow and weather Heather, but I am not convinced there is any point hanging onto moody bees at all if they are in your garden. If they are moody for the week after inspection and you inspect ewvery week in the Summer, then they are moody all the time and the garden is unusable.

 

[Rosti]

On the otherhand ...

If you are able to tollerate them
... and you have a remote out apiary
... and it is most certainly on private land
... and well away from any public access
... and a potential problem with 'basically good kids' who have been let down by their parents and society in general think it fun to push your hives over ...

then having some home grown security guards certified to asbo standards is no bad thing.

as I said above though "if you are able to tollerate them".

I have a devils spawn hive, they are productive, defensive and need respect, but they put up with my bad beekeeping and I put up with their bad ass attitude. Neither of us put up with the oykes that trashed the allotments just down the road

Home apiaries are great but can never accomodate bees of every different temperament and with changing environmental factors through the year we know that nice bees can get a strop on lets alone out and out asbo cases.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Most stocks of bees are hot tempered as the main honey flow ends at the end of July but by leaving supers on for a couple of weeks they will improve their behaviour.
What we have at the moment in certain areas of the country is a lack of nectar which are causing bees to behave in the same fashion, at the same time new bee keepers are wanting to open stocks to see whats going on, not such a good idea. As I mentioned in a previous thread a lot can be gained from observing the bees at the entrance.
If at this time of the year you think a stock needs an extra super quickly lift the crown board and see if they are white flecking the top bars with wax and if so just add another super, a one minute job with little disturbance.

 

[Widdershins]

..could also be poor handling.

 

[victor meldrew]

..could also be poor handling.

 

[Polyanwood]

Do you think poor handling could explain the bees being always bad tempered?

I think it could explain the bees being bad tempered when they are inspected or immediately afterwards... but all week?

I also don't think poor handling explains following behaviour days after an inspection.

 

[Heather]

. Not always.....I am gentle, I think. Lots of faults- but deny that one!
But admit some aren't...

 

[huntsman666]

A lot of bees are 'grumpy' for many reasons at the moment. Main reason I'd say, depending on where you live, would be the weather. It even has me a tad grumpy;

Are your bees close to Apis mellifera mellifera (native dark bee.) I would think the weather would have less impact on them.

I'd suggest you keep your inspections to a minimum and do them late in the evening. At this stage there should (normally) be little reason to open the brood chamber.

See the thread 'Grumpy Bees,' on this forum.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

I'd suggest you keep your inspections to a minimum and do them late in the evening. At this stage there should (normally) be little reason to open the brood chamber.

See the thread 'Grumpy Bees,' on this forum.

I'd disagree with that I'm afraid. Inspecting in the evening will just mean you have all the foragers to contend with. Plus it's usually colder then.
I'd advise inspecting around midday/early afternoon when the majority of flying bees will be out of the hive.

Re: opening the brood chamber: in a garden setting it is important to be checking for signs of swarming (i.e- QCs), not sure how you do that without opening the BB?

 

[huntsman666]

Yes, the field bees will be a home but consider why the thread started. It was more to do with gardening in peace than beekeeping.

Most colonies have already 'swarmed.' Again considering the problem, I'd leave them alone.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Yes, the field bees will be a home but consider why the thread started. It was more to do with gardening in peace than beekeeping.

Most colonies have already 'swarmed.' Again considering the problem, I'd leave them alone.

The OP said "I have 2 hives on the go one getting ready to swarm" - that's why I made the comment about checking for signs of swarming.
As for gardening in peace, I'm not sure why inspecting in the evening would make any difference to that - it depends when you want to do your gardening. Surely, at this time of year, most of the OP's neighbours will be trying to enjoy their gardens in the evening?

Apologies if I'm being a bit thick here

 

[huntsman666]

<Apologies if I'm being a bit thick here>

Not at all.

Just differences of opinion. That's what makes for horse racing.

 

[beren]

I have one of my hives in my back garden with what are normally the nicest bees in the world.
In the last few weeks they have turned into hitlers bees! They chase me around the garden for fun. Whilst inspecting yesterday they found a hole in my suite's armpit and I was stung four times before I could get the hive back together.
Must be the weather causing this because I have inspected that colony in just shorts before now without any smoke. Stupid I know but thats how confident im am normally with their temperament.
Can a nearby pesticide cause this?