The Fear

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Becoming a vegetarian and practicing Zen may be the way to go?

 

[MartinL]

Becoming a vegetarian and practicing Zen may be the way to go?

Do you mean embracing all the information/propaganda on the PETA website?

 

[Anduril]

Experience of watching a beekeeper wearing but a hat and veil and with shirt sleeves rolled up, bare armed and ungloved hands, confidently handling a so called agressive colony of bees on a warm summers day, with hardly any smoke in the local training apiary... made me realise that the fully suited bang and crash approach was not the best.

Becoming a vegetarian and practicing Zen may be the way to go?

How to pull the wool over your eyes, swap the hives around a few hours beforehand to syphon off the foragers. Go commando and get elevated to immortal status by opening the hive up and showing how good you are with the bees.

 

[philipm]

Experience of watching a beekeeper wearing but a hat and veil and with shirt sleeves rolled up, bare armed and ungloved hands, confidently handling a so called agressive colony of bees on a warm summers day, with hardly any smoke in the local training apiary... made me realise that the fully suited bang and crash approach was not the best.

Becoming a vegetarian and practicing Zen may be the way to go?

From my experience with the bees from hell I had going unsuited I wouldn't have lasted one minute.I had to wear a suit and extra thick clothing underneath as a minimum .My veil would be covered in bees all trying to sting me,Yes it frightened me a bit until I had the situation under control.When I see these things about people handling agressive bees without protection I know they are not that aggressive.Don't believe every thing you see.

 

[Popparand]

Going commando

Anduril, it's been done before!

 

[Madge]

Ouch. I don’t think they were inspecting hives. I think think they were cavorting around having a bucchanal, and accidentally knocked into a hive - and that’s the result.

 

[Tiny Bee]

Becoming a vegetarian and practicing Zen may be the way to go?

He was wearing cycle clips... and did however arrive on his push bike, the rest of us were fully kitted out with full beesuits over long wooly undersuits and big thick beekeeping gloves and best wellies.

Why keep aggressive bees any way?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

He was wearing cycle clips...

And tinfoil hat?

 

[Millet]

Why keep aggressive bees any way?

Start out with Angry bees it will learn you to appreciate the calmer bees further down the line...well it has for me.. three seasons of fighting with angry bees me getting stung which was not too bad but i did not like the dogs getting zapped 50yrds away.. it did not frighten me but it was a challenge trying not to squash them when doing manipulations with balled up gloves and bees dinging of the veil..
In the middle of last year i got help from a kind forum member and what a joy it is to open a hive with mellow calm slow moving bees on the comb.. i am 100% calm and unfazed when working around or with the bees but even more so with these.. maybe if it was the other way around and i started with calm bees and then acquired a metal hive it may have put me of for life and all that money would have been wasted..
As explained to me i started with a baptism of fire but i kept plugging away regardless..many others might not have which will have saved them a lot of money if they could not handle angry bees..
All i am trying to say is i think you need a testing challenge to start with because somewhere down the line the inevitable will happen and you will get a angry colony.. i know i can handle that situation now so i know i am not wasting money buying more equipment..

 

[Tiny Bee]

And tinfoil hat?

I do not think he even wore a cycle helmet!
I am of the opinion that angree bees are as much to do with the bees keeper than as much of anything else.
Saying that did meet some very angry wasps in the local cemetery last year, the vicar said he thought they were about to swarm in dead earnest!

 

[philipm]

I do not think he even wore a cycle helmet!
I am of the opinion that angree bees are as much to do with the bees keeper than as much of anything else.
Saying that did meet some very angry wasps in the local cemetery last year, the vicar said he thought they were about to swarm in dead earnest!

You've obviously never had any bees that turned nasty.Yes sometimes the beekeeper is at fault but there can be numerous other reasons.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Tiny bee...
You remind me of Icanhopit / Cheers / James Templer / Siblybackbees.

 

[Lancs Lad]

Tiny bee...
You remind me of Icanhopit / Cheers / James Templer / Siblybackbees.

OH NO I was just about to come off the Prozac

 

[pargyle]

I always try and explain to people that they should avoid starting out with a swarm because of their unknown temperament. Yet many associations still advocate swarms for beginners.
More beginners stop beekeeping because their first experiences with bees are not pleasant and it stops being the "romantic" pastime they envisaged.

Not always the case ... the vile bees I had to deal with were bought (on the internet) from a so called 'reputable' supplier as a nucleus. They were never even tempered in the nuc and once they had grown to a full sized colony they were absolutely vicious.

Swarms are a matter of luck I would admit but ... they don't usually cost £150+ and if the association have provided the swarm then, generally, someone will be available to assist if they do turn out to be bees from hell ...

What are you going to do three or four months down the line with a vile colony bought from a supplier - take them back ? Ask for a refund ? ... Buyer beware and see the colony at first hand before you accept them ...

 

[pargyle]

I am of the opinion that angree bees are as much to do with the bees keeper than as much of anything else.

You will probably be reminded of that statement at some point when, having gone commando to do a little job on a hive and you find that they come out at you like a swarm ... you are covered in bees, they are in every orifice and intent on stinging you to death. Previously gentle and amenable bees can have their off days and no matter how many calm thoughts you may have - they don't get the message - "Peace, love, positive vibes - Ouch those little beggars are trying to kill me .... Run, hide, look for the antihistamines ..."

~# Post 32
Oh no ... not another Sibleyback clone ? I can do without windups ...

 

[madasafish]

. ,,,,,,

 

[oliver90owner]

When I started, my bees were not the most gentle. Working calmly most certainly reduced the initial inspection problems. But I left a couple of colonies to settle, in my early days of beekeeping, before hurriedly sticking the hive back together and retiring from the area!

Noting weather conditions, time of day, degree of flow (or shortage), etc all helped to make things easier to understand their response.

Wearing two layers is another ploy to prevent stings. Clean suits and gloves (free of previous stings) is also a way of preventing further attacks. Perfumes can also be a no-no where bees are concerned, as well as as sweat/body odour which might give them reason to think you are not a welcome visitor or are already fearing an attack!

It is surprising how better bees ‘behave’ when one is calm and confident while inspecting. Rushing is not the way to keep them calm.

When I eventually collected a swarm of gentle bees, I most certainly noted the difference immediately and ever since have selected queens for temperament, among other traits. I no longer move queens from one particular apiary, if they were raised there - it was adjacent to a bee farmer’s place, whose bees were not well tempered!

Nasty, following bees may be tolerated for a while during a flow at the OSR, but are requeened before bringing closer to home if they don’t settle down. Nothing is tolerated, in the form of poor temperament, in my home garden. Any hint of following and they are removed.

 

[Beefriendly]

Swarms are a matter of luck I would admit but ..

Good you agree with me. In my area there is no luck involved they are all vicious.

 

[enrico]

And then there is always the chance of an accident. If I had not been suited up the day my stacked supers fell on one hive which knocked two others over I would be dead now! They got in the suit anyway but had I not had that........
Accidents happen.
E

 

[applejack33]

Aggressive bees

Beekeeper at fault?
You all probably know the saying; Louis Hamilton and the likes don't wear crash helmets because they are bad drivers,.....
Caution and precaution come to mind.

Remember reading about a chap, could have been somewhere in S. America actually got stung in the eyeball,.... Think about it, accidentally poke your finger in your eye is bad enough, barbed sting embedded?!!!!
When I had my first bees, very very calm and good tempered, spent hours watching the landing board, new toy, no protection. But not any more.

There is always one!!