Grumpy bees

[ian wallace]

Hi fellow keepers
Just of late I have had a few grumpy bees
If I go anywhere near my two hives like I used to
I get one girl with a strop on

Be fore I had one hive and I could walk around the hive about a meter and watch them

But a few weeks ago I made a split
So I now have to hives

And I now get one who is a right cow
And will even follow me back to the house

I find this very strange since they there very friendly bees before

And I have been killing wasps for them also


Any ideas

 

[BKF Admin]

Time of year ?
Many hives get a bit protective when they think their winter stores are at risk.

There always seems to be a couple from the odd hive that will not give up and follow around harvest time.

 

[ian wallace]

That's a thought.
There have been a couple of wasps around
That I've seen, amazing what a hive tool can do to them lol.

One have has two suppers and the new hive has one supper that I will be excracting next Tuesday

I also thought it might be that one if the hives is still queen less

She is due out anytime or if not she has only
Just poped out

 

[mark s]

you wait until more than one gets a strop on then,then you will know about it

 

[ian wallace]

Well wife has already gotten stung, but it was her own fault
She was putting the washing out when I had a hive open

It's very strange you can be standing there for afew mins and then one will pop out and try and sting you on the head

They were never like this before?????

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

You say you made a split recently. Do both hives now have laying Queens? We had one (of three) very grumpy hive - to the point where I was thinking of killing it off), but it has changed completely since its virgin queen mated and came into lay.

 

[Zaphod]

All of the above PLUS they don't like thundery/windy/wet weather. Their temperament can change from day to day.

And my lot are particulary stroppy if I cut the grass anywhere near them i.e. within 10 feet of the hive.

Z

 

[ian wallace]

One hive has a laying queen but the other hive
Has a new virgin queen

 

[keithgrimes]

from my (admittedly limited) experience, colonies with no queen or a virgin queen can get tetchy; but as others have said, weather, wasps and other things can affect temper.

 

[kazmcc]

as can illness, i am told......have a good look at them to nip anything in the bud, if that's the reason.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Ian, if you have a queenless hive it will very often be less agreeable than if queenless.

You mention that one might still have a queencell or it has a virgin in it. Or the queencell may be a dud of course in which case it will be hopelessly queenless which can be a problem. I suspect the queenless hive has the followers.

 

[BKF Admin]

AH I see you went on to say one colony was queenless after your original post..

 

[ian wallace]

well im not sure if the hive is queenless or not
my last inspection was on last sunday.

i found two queen cells but i also noticed that the bees were tearing down some other queen cells,

so i dont know for sure if

a, the new queen has just hatched and is in the process of finding any more cells to kill. and the other bees taring down the old cells.

b, she is in the verge of poping out,

c, she is out and has just mated or on the verg of mating? and the other bees are knocking all the unwanted cells down?

i know for sure there are no eggs, just caped brood left over from the split.

 

[louiseww]

My husband was stung on Sunday he walked up near the hive to talk to a neighbour with his shirt off and he had been sitting in the sun - obviously the sweat and sun cream attracted them - this has never happened to me (but I don't leave my shirt off inthe garden lol). Needless to say they are now referred to as 'your little bastards'!!! ha!