Very aggressive colony

[Belley]

Carried out full inspections on both of my hives today, which doesn't normally cause my colonies much angst until today.

Both hives are brimming with bees, lots of larvae in both hives, but could only find the queen in my wooden hive (I also have a poly hive).

The bees were very aggressive today and in fact for the first time since I've been keeping them a group of them followed me to my car and wouldn't leave me alone. I waited a few minutes before removing my suit, but in the end I could not shake them so had to jump in my car with full suit and veil still on. Luckily none manage to follow me into the car, so gave them another few mins and I thought they'd gone, but as soon as I got out, bang they were there again flying aggressively into my veil.

In the end I had to drive away still suited, but I'm worried now and wondered what I had done to upset them so much?

Decided to wash my bee suit and throw away my disposable gloves when I got home in case there is something on them that triggered them to react the way they did.

Any advice or ideas would be welcomed.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

As you only saw a Queen in one hive could it be that the other has swarmed and is awaiting a new queen to hatch or possibly Q- altogether. Also I have noticed my bees are tetchy when needing more room. Another super is going on tomorrow.

 

[pargyle]

Weather ? Queenless ? Your smell ? Something smelly on you ? Been eating ripe bananas ? Previous stings in your suit/gloves ? Didn't give them time to get used to what you were doing ? Someone/something else been interfering with them ? New queen with different genes in the progeny ? There's lots of reasons ... you might just find that they were having an off day ...

 

[Belley]

As you only saw a Queen in one hive could it be that the other has swarmed and is awaiting a new queen to hatch or possibly Q- altogether. Also I have noticed my bees are tetchy when needing more room. Another super is going on tomorrow.

Bees from the colony with the queen seemed to be the aggressive ones. Plenty of space as I now have another brood box with capped frames and two supers in situ?

 

[Belley]

Weather ? Queenless ? Your smell ? Something smelly on you ? Been eating ripe bananas ? Previous stings in your suit/gloves ? Didn't give them time to get used to what you were doing ? Someone/something else been interfering with them ? New queen with different genes in the progeny ? There's lots of reasons ... you might just find that they were having an off day ...

Thanks Pargyle, I'm hoping they were having an off day. I'm thinking now it was something to do with my inspection, given it was the hive with the queen. I was sweating quite a bit as it was a bit warm at my apiary.

 

[pargyle]

Thanks Pargyle, I'm hoping they were having an off day. I'm thinking now it was something to do with my inspection, given it was the hive with the queen. I was sweating quite a bit as it was a bit warm at my apiary.

Yes ... I got stung at our Association apiary after I had been spray painting using cellulose thinners, I had been in an overall all day and very sweaty ... still don't know whether it was my sweat or the lingering smell of thinners. There were six or seven of us there but they singled me out for attention and one of them managed to sting my chin through my veil ..I felt victimised !

 

[ratcatcher]

I too have an angry hive, but they are great honey makers, so I put up with it, and wear two suits

 

[Mrs Shoot]

In 4 years of beekeeping I have only had one sting. Had a hive in the garden, was out hanging the washing out, one must have got on my shoe and the climbed up the inside of my trousers and stung me on the knee. This was 2 years ago.

In the last two weeks I have been stung on two occasions. The 1st time I was inspecting a relatively calm hive when the got a bit pingy. I then received a sting to my thumb through the gloves, and another one to the underside of my upper arm through bee suit, jumper and t-shirt. I closed up the hive and within a couple of minutes it started raining.

The 2nd time I was inspecting a hive in the evening. Think they decided it was late enough and they wanted to go to bed. I was just closing them up when I received a sting to my tummy again through bed suit, t-shirt and jumper.

Don't blame the bees at all, beekeeper error.

 

[Travelator]

Nothing particular in your description to suggest this is the case, but robbing is something that can make normally well-behaved colonies very aggressive.

I think I've caused outbreaks of robbing in the past by moving equipment around the apiary, but it can start for no obviously identifiable reason.

 

[Finman]

Any advice or ideas would be welcomed.

My only advice is that change the queens. Get mated queens that virgins do not mate with those gangsters.

Couple of years ago I had a hive which drummed against car windows.

 

[Finman]

I too have an angry hive, but they are great honey makers, so I put up with it, and wear two suits

Good yield comes from pastures. Angry bees do not gather honey better.

But..often hybrid vigour hives are the best. But many kind of hives may be angry.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

In 4 years of beekeeping I have only had one sting. Had a hive in the garden, was out hanging the washing out, one must have got on my shoe and the climbed up the inside of my trousers and stung me on the knee. This was 2 years ago.

In the last two weeks I have been stung on two occasions. The 1st time I was inspecting a relatively calm hive when the got a bit pingy. I then received a sting to my thumb through the gloves, and another one to the underside of my upper arm through bee suit, jumper and t-shirt. I closed up the hive and within a couple of minutes it started raining.

The 2nd time I was inspecting a hive in the evening. Think they decided it was late enough and they wanted to go to bed. I was just closing them up when I received a sting to my tummy again through bed suit, t-shirt and jumper.

Don't blame the bees at all, beekeeper error.

I think a thicker bee suit is in order

 

[Finman]

.
Opening the hive in the evening couple of hours before sunset makes most hives bad.

.

 

[Elaine]

The weather can also have an effect - if it is threatening thunder or rain.

On Saturday one of our colonies was (by our standards) bad tempered - as soon as I cracked the roof open - they started pouring out, and making a lot of noise, some pinging, but not too bad. They calmed down a bit, but I did resort to wearing gloves to inspect, as needed to know if swarming could be on their agenda. Decided that they were short of space, so took some full frames from them - and added a super. About half a dozen followed us down teh garden, and hung around for a while, but yesterday I was working in the garden, and inspecting other hives, but no attention from the 'bad tempered' one at all.

 

[London-Scottish]

I have a similar situation with my new colony of black bees. They're doing super well but over the last month they have become increasingly aggressive.
My apiary is at the bottom of my garden and it's now almost impossible to go out without getting attacked. Never had this problem with previous colonies so will need to look at relocating.

 

[Dishmop]

I have noticed a lot of complaints from members about aggressive bees this year.

Football related perhaps.........

 

[Belley]

Thanks everyone for the help and advice.

I think on reflection that I probably didn't help matters.

 

[Teemore]

I have noticed a lot of complaints from members about aggressive bees this year.

Football related perhaps.........

The increase in posts about aggressive bees may be down to an increasing awareness of what docile bees are like...... but it might also be down to people experiencing really strong colonies for the first time.

I called with a beekeeper recently who had a couple of colonies of "aggressive" bees. They started with a couple of Nucs this year and their assessment of temperament was based on the way the Nucs behaved when purchased. What I found was two big (double brood) colonies with 3 supers on each. They behaved the way I expect big colonies to behave. Certainly there were a fair number of bees in the air (mainly returning foragers) during the inspection but there was no veil pinging, no stinging or smell of alarm pheromone and no following. A spray of water was all that was needed to put the bees down when the hive was reassembled. That beekeeper has now been around the hives of a couple of other beekeepers and is now more aware of what a range of colonies are like to work with (including one Q- where they were advised to wear wellies and a heavy jumper, jeans and a baseball cap under their beesuit....

 

[itma]

The increase in posts about aggressive bees may be down to an increasing awareness of what docile bees are like...... but it might also be down to people experiencing really strong colonies for the first time.

I called with a beekeeper recently who had a couple of colonies of "aggressive" bees. …
... That beekeeper has now been around the hives of a couple of other beekeepers and is now more aware of what a range of colonies are like to work with …

"Getting experience" can be dramatically accelerated by getting experience of other people's colonies. If you don't have yardsticks, you can't make comparisons.

 

[REDWOOD]

Defensive or aggressive, wasps perhaps