Nannysbees
Drone Bee
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2020
- Messages
- 1,486
- Reaction score
- 1,144
- Location
- Barry
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 5
Ok this one isn't going to be popular with everyone but this evening I euthanised a colony. It was a pretty strong brood 1/2 but they were getting more and more aggressive over time. I inspected them last week and they were really grumpy and smoking them had no effect. They were following for a fair distance too.They were still managable for now but would have become a real handfull in the next few weeks. The apiary site is next to chickens and people work nearby too. The Q was 2 years old and all the combs were old and manky so no great loss there.I also wanted to get the job done before the colony started producing drones. I waited till dark, blocked the entrance up and poured a few litres of soapy water over them,this worked instantly and I don't think the bees suffered too muc
Yes I agree, a new queen arrived today to replace a feisty colony, would have to try a few things before id destroy the hive, but as you say it's a personal choiceIt's too late now and it's always a personal decision but I would have left them a bit longer.
It's not been the best weather for inspections and bees can be a bit grumpy when you tear their nest apart in adverse weather conditions (it may be sunny when you inspect them but bees are more adept at knowing what weather is on its way). The test for a really grumpy hive is when they attack you for just standing near the hive and then follow you as you try to escape. Just being a bit defensive when you open them up doesn't count in my book. I've had colonies that objected to being opened one day and were pussycats the next ...