Seriously hacked off moody grumpy stingy things!!!

[merylvingien]

Well! I just popped up to have a quick check on a swarm i picked up a couple of weeks ago, and it was like WTF? puffed a little smoke in the entrance to let them know i was coming, a little smoke under the hood and gently lifted the lid off, and all hell broke loose.

A pile of them jumped me and tried stinging, so i smoked EVERYTHING! Myself included. Put the lid back on and moved onto to pastures green.
Next hive were nice and calm and doing really well!
Next nuc were calm, not doing so well. But its early days for them.

Went back to original maniacs, gently lifted lid off again, this time was a little better and managed to get the middle frame out and i can see there is eggs, so popped it back in, again was jumped and lots of attempted stinging going on.

Smoked like mad, lid back on and left them to it.

Is there a reason why for no apparent reason that they will be this pissed off?

 

[peteinwilts]

insect invaders, the weather, power lines, radios or musical instruments... even you being nervous (you will breathe more producing more carbon dioxide which will agitate them) can knaff bees off (after all... most are women!)

I think what you really need is a local beekeeper to help show you the ropes...

 

[merylvingien]

Ive inspected a few times now, so i am getting better at being gentle with them, not squashing etc.

But this was instant, as soon as the lid came off, BANG!

I thinks they was annoyed before i got there, they just took it out on me.

 

[tkwinston4]

Its rather windy here today. I was going to inspect a hive myself but decided to wait due to the wind.

 

[merylvingien]

I just sourced and dealt with the problem...

There was a Jay swooping in and taking bees from the entrance to the hive!
I dont know if he had been doing this all day and pehaps it has been antagonising the hive for a while, it was certainly determined! My presence didnt put it off.

Anyway, its now in the waist disposal system, AKA ferret hutch!

 

[susbees]

the waist disposal system, AKA ferret hutch!

Interesting slimming aid?! Glad you found out what it is...rather than a swarm showing its true colours after settling in .

 

[victor meldrew]

As I posted on an earier thred, get some black thread stretched across the entrance on angled sticks , this should spook the Jay but bother not the bees .
Jays are beautiful birds but can be total Bas***ds .

John Wilkinson

 

[merylvingien]

Interesting slimming aid?!

I was in a hurry when i posted, and didnt bother checking my speeeeeling

 

[MJBee]

I think everyone has/will come across a hive having a "dog day" - you take off the roof and they go WOOF

 

[Mike a]

merylvingien

I when to deal with two drone laying queen hives yesterday.

The first were calm and gentle as I inspected them but couldn't find the queen to remove her so I walked away with the brood chamber and floor as I know she was clipped and shock the small colony out on to a spare crown board. As I went to shake the floor there she was already dead. Feeling a little better about not having to kill her I went to the other hive which was the swarm I collect a few weeks ago and posted the movie about and they were in a foul mood. Similar to your as soon as I lifted the roof off they were leaping out of the holes in the crown board and flying up at me and crawling up my gloves. Queen was found and put in a queen clip as I checked to make sure she still hadn't laid any worker brood before she was dealt with well away from the hive.

Went back today with two new queens (UK Buckfast) and both despite being queenless were lovely... I think they read the manual last night but misunderstood it completely or they knew I was about to feed them and give them both a lovely new queen.

 

[Midland Beek]

Is there a reason why for no apparent reason that they will be this pissed off?

They be starving. I would guess absolutely nowt to do with a bird.

 

[hedgerow pete]

that sounds like my old lot a few years ago, but on a good day some days they were flippin awlfull

 

[merylvingien]

They be starving. I would guess absolutely nowt to do with a bird.

Trouble is, there is contradicting information available as to whether or not a nuc should be fed, some say yea, some say na...

I have fed them a little, but tried not to overdo it.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Trouble is, there is contradicting information available as to whether or not a nuc should be fed, some say yea, some say na...

I have fed them a little, but tried not to overdo it.

Take a 'guestimate' as to how many foragers the nuc has....then decide.

If there isn't much in the way of flying activity, then they they won't be bringing much in.

 

[tonybloke]

as soon as I lifted the roof off they were leaping out of the holes in the crown board .

don't you cover the holes in the crown board?
I cover the holes in the summer, to help the bees control the air-flow, and open them in the winter for ventilation.

 

[VEG]

I have had this with a nuc as well I now take a water sprayer with me as sometimes the smoke doesnt seem to do anything, but spraying them with water keeps them down. Its a handy thing to use if you get a hive that erupts.

 

[merylvingien]

I need a bigger smoker, just popped a feed in for them, touch the roof and they revved up! Barstuards!

 

[mbc]

Trouble is, there is contradicting information available as to whether or not a nuc should be fed, some say yea, some say na...

I have fed them a little, but tried not to overdo it.

You originally said it was a swarm, I allways think its best to give swarms an initial heavy feed to get them going

 

[merylvingien]

Yea, sorry, it is a swarm i collected a couple of weeks ago, i just refer to them as a nuc cause i know not what i say

 

[Midland Beek]

A couple of days of rain and a swarm which was hived a couple of weeks ago can run out of food.