very aggresive bees

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steve115cbr

New Bee
Joined
Apr 20, 2010
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Location
Witney Oxfordshire
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
2
Dear all, some advise please... about a month ago I put up a thread after one of my two colonies all came out off the hive and stung my chickens to death. Well since then, whilst they have been fine when generally bimbling around the garden, the second I open up the hive, they all come out and and really go for me and have been stinging me through my bee suit. On my last two inspections I have not got past the first frame before having to abandon the inspection, I am sitting here with two stings to my forehead wondering what to do.
Do I destroy the colony now as I have no chance of finding the Q and even if i did, it's too late to re queen.

Do I treat for varroa and feed up for the winter I hope to re queen in the spring?

I know they are supposed to get more defensive at this time of year but these are unmanageable whilst my other colony seem fine.
any suggestions or advise please:leaving:
 
Hi Steve.
Could you move the hive a few meters and place an empty brood box on the original hive stand for a couple of hours to lose a few of the older aggressive bees then dive in and squish her majesty ?

Darren
 
I don't think it's too late to requeen.

If they're that bad might be worth taking Darren's advice re moving hive.
Alternatively you might find they may have calmed down a bit in the spring.

I spent last winter worrying about one of my aggressive colonies thinking I had to re-queen and when the spring came they were much calmer.

How aggressive is aggessive? I remember your thread about your chickens it made grim reading.

If you do the former might be worth asking for help locally.
 
firstly if you have been stung on your forehead I wonder about how good your suit is.

I get stung through mine but usually on my under upper arm as I twist to see the bottoms of the cells. However I am used to it so no bother there.

Aggressive is a word which has many shades of grey in it.

Do you have neighbours as if so you are very constrained?

If not then get a thick shirt on, put on a hat to keep your veil back from your face and frankly get after it.

If that is not an option for you and not that many are up for withstanding a really nasty colony, then see if there is a local who can help you out. Preferably a Bee Farmer as they will be more used to it than most amateurs.

Good Luck

PH
 
firstly if you have been stung on your forehead I wonder about how good your suit is.

Aggressive is a word which has many shades of grey in it.

If not then get a thick shirt on, put on a hat to keep your veil back from your face and frankly get after it.

PH

i agree with PH, what protective clothing have you, who made it and style

if they are that agressive, what happened before,

1] are the supers off
2] have you fed them ie are they hungry

3] base ball cap under fencing vale, thick long shirt and vest,denim jeans and long sock, wellies
4] open midday only if warm with no wind
5] split the brrod frames as you go into a Nuc box or another brood box and cover both old hive and split box with a maniplation cloth or towel as you go

and requeen
 
Last edited:
There is plenty of time to requeen. It is ONLY the second week into August!

Your problem seems to be to find the queen when the time comes.

Compile a plan on paper and follow a logical route. Whenyou expect the new queen will arrive; when to remove this queen; where you intend to do it; how you are going to locate her; and possibly more.

It seems they need to be relocated somewhere where they can cause no further mischief - per eg. your chucks.

You obviously need to be completely (as far as is possible) sting proof. That might mean multiple layers of overlapping clothing - WHATEVER it takes. How you get stung on the forehead is baffling - unless you are allowing bees into your suit! If any other route, you are a slow learner! Wear a hat!

Split the brood to find the less rowdy half; split it again if necessary. Yes, you would need more than just one box! If she is unable to pass a Q/E use one! Sieve the bees!

Have some bee-quick or similar to drive them through, if necessary. Smoke will likely suffice.

Don't expect it to take but 5 minutes - it may, if the queen is marked and you are lucky.

Piece of cake if you get organised; a bl**dy nightmare if you don't.

I am surprised it has taken a month to decide to actually do something.

If your sheet of paper finishes up with 'get Joe Bloggs to do it, and keep the bees, then so be it. No need to destroy a full, healthy colony (what - 200 quid in the spring?) because you are afraid of them.

Sorry, but just my take on the situation.

RAB
 
Regards MM's post he says at the end of his post "split the hive to inspect and requeen."

Once the hive is split if you give them a few minutes then you should have a good idea what half the queen is in by the bees behavour.

If you can,try and get an old hand to help you out with the task,sods law says they will be bloody pussycats just to show you up.
 
If your going to re queen them, make sure you don't have two queens in the hive at this time of year....instant death for the new queen when you try to introduce her else.
 
Split the brood to find the less rowdy half; split it again if necessary. Yes, you would need more than just one box! If she is unable to pass a Q/E use one! Sieve the bees!

RAB


if you have not got a new brood box or nuc, then an emergency box can be made with two supers with sheets of hardboard or carboard for floor and roof

it will even take 14x12 if you rest the two supers on some 18mm strip wood
 
Thanks eveyone (as always) for your suggestions and advice. My beesuit is a one piece made by basicbees, it's the type with the viel attached to a hat with a large ring. They got my forehead as that's the point were the rim of the hat touches skin. I think the suit actually did a pretty good job as when I removed it, it was absolutly covered and I really mean COVERED in stings!
I don't think they are hungry as they got two wet supers to clean as well as a feeder of cappings last Sunday (all cleaned and taken down)and the one frame I did get to look at had plenty of sealed stores on it.
My other problem is I am away for two weeks from this weekend and my plan was to clear the supers with clearing boards which is what I did last night with a veiw to start my apiguard treatment this weekend before I go. But knowing this will anoy them even more and I won't be around I am now wondering if I should hold off my treatment for two weeks and start feeding them instead. What do you guys think?
 
Make sure you wash your beesuit before going near them again. Use washing soda only, no bleach, soap powder or conditioner. The smell of the alarm pheromone will otherwise excite the bees as soon as you go near the hive.

Don't feed with supers on.

I think you should see if you can get a beebuddy to look at the bees with you beofre you go away, or even better, look at them and babysit them.

Good Luck
 
Our bee suits are the same, I've seen them with a band holding the hat bit from your scalp, but these don't have one. I wear a baseball cap under mine now.
 
They got my forehead as that's the point were the rim of the hat touches skin.

No consolation for you, but I've been pinged that way as well. I now wear a baseball cap, protects the contact point, stops the hat slipping down / moving with the wind (wel not completely!) and gives excellent sun shading when you are looking for eggs and the like. Have recently moved to an astronaut hood (Sherrif) on balance the radial veil gives better protection -well it does for a stick out ear person like me, now having to wear a beany hat to stop my ears touching the side cloth and getting pinged - now that really did hurt!
 
My mentor has a fencing veil type suit, but the support has collapsed in some areas, which has put me off getting one. He said it was through washing, as the hood doesn't remove.
 
My suits (BB wear i think) have a fencing style hood with a removeable hood.
They get washed frequently and the hood goes in aswell inside a pillowcase for protection. No probs so far.
 
Are you sure you have a queen in with them ?
Did you see eggs on the last inspection ?
Did they sound like a lawnmower when you took the crownboard off ?
Do they fizz if you tap the side of the hive ?
 
I'm requeening 2 nasty colonies this weekend and I wouldnt say I was scared, just hacked off that inevitably I'll get stung a few times. I like the idea of splitting the bees up and the DIY BB made from 2 supers! I love this site!
 
Dear Admin, I have not managed a proper inspection of the nest since the 10th July when I saw Q Br L and E's, I then had the chicken incident the following week. I cleared and extracted honey on the 1st August replacing the empty wet supers and the cappings the same day. they were v bad tempered on this day but i put it down to me taking their stores. I had expected them to calm down by now.
the queen was a new queen that came from my other hive as the result of an artificial swarm, she has been laying since the end of May. Up until the july inspection they had been very gentle and I very rarely needed to use any smoke.
re your other questions... they seem normal in temperment until you remove the crown board, i can walk through their flight path and stand within 6 ft of the hive entrance without a problem but the moment i remove the crown board, the roar starts and they come flying out the top and go straight into sting mode, smoke just seems to make it worse. so maybe defensive rather than simply aggresive would be a better description. now thinking i might feed them rather than apiguard them this weekend before i go away and see what they are like on my return.
 

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