what's that smell

[Aneebe]

I've only smelt a weird sweet smell from a hive once.
Some 40 years ago during a bad storm in Lincs I heard a crash. Outside light went on and I saw one of my hives had been blown off the flat roof where I kept them.
I grabbed a golfing umbrella, leather cycling gloves and went outside.
Stuffed umbrella in the hedge to try and keep it over me and the bees.
I righted the brood box, super etc and began scooping bees into the brood box. Then I smelt a weird smell. Amazingly I did not get stung once ! Maybe they knew I was there to help.
I must have looked a funny sight in my pj's, knelt under an umbrella talking to bees saying its alright I'm helping you. My own moral support I think lol.
I rammed the umbrella further into the hedge. Put the hive back together and kept my fingers crossed.
Next day there were a lot of dead bees but also a colony back in the hive.
No sign of the golfing umbrella, probably in the farmers fields.
Honey bees never cease to amaze me and I love having them again.

The wonderful woman who taught an intermediate course here I attended, said that some even describe it as a tomato plant smell but that most go for banana or pear drops when describing. I remember being mystified as I'd never smelt anything! Looking back I blundered through hives much more than now but I think the sheer panic I felt along with the loads of smoke I was blarging all over them as a matter of course would have totally masked that.
As soon as I managed to put the smoker to the side and enjoy my inspections I began to notice the smells of the hives and oh boy is that "we're not happy smell" so easily detectable now. I find myself apologising to the girls and assuring them I'm nearly done.
I wish there was a way to share a library of bee smells from beautiful wax, propolis, alarm and eww even the smells of disease.

 

[Wingy]

Sounds like the attack pheromone, some says it reminds them of bananas, others think it smells like pear drops, is that acetyl something or other? It can be very strong sometimes, on one occasion my wife could smell it on me as I walked in to the house after taking my bee suit off. Five minutes later a passing bee rushed up and stung me on the nose....

Yes pear drops for me

 

[JamezF]

I wish there was a way to share a library of bee smells from beautiful wax, propolis, alarm and eww even the smells of disease.

I'm sure it ought to be possible. In wine tasting there's a thing called (I think) a "Le nez du vin" which is a box of something like fifty vials containing chemicals that smell of different components that make up the "nose" of wines. I believe it's used to train people to recognise the various aromas.

Not sure what they use to produce the "farmyardy" aroma often associated with French Pinot Noir, or the "Cat's pee on a gooseberry bush" that is a classic tasting note for Sauvignon Blanc

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

In wine tasting there's a thing called (I think) a "Le nez du vin" which is a box of something like fifty vials containing chemicals that smell of different components that make up the "nose" of wines. I believe it's used to train people to recognise the various aromas.

I thought they just winged it a spouted a load of bullshite about tannins, berries, nappies and old socks to try and make them sound superior to everyone else.

 

[judy12]

I remember reading an old book on beekeeping where we were recommended to drink half a pint of bitter before an inspection - apparently the bees like the smell (?).

 

[JamezF]

I remember reading an old book on beekeeping where we were recommended to drink half a pint of bitter before an inspection - apparently the bees like the smell (?).

Perhaps I should cut down then.

James

 

[alancooper]

If a smell is unique and strong (as is bee sting pheromone), is comparison pointless?

 

[JamezF]

Roger Patterson has a video of a banana skin laying across the top bars of one of his hives and the bees couldn't care less

Iso-amyl acetate (what gives bananas their smell and is part of the flavouring for pear drops) is only one component of alarm pheromone. There are quite a number. It's entirely possible that bees don't care about bananas because they require multiple compounds to be present before the alarm response is triggered. It's an evolved mechanism for avoiding false alarms, if you like. It may even be that some of the components trigger the "go on the defensive" response whilst others relate to "target location".

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Roger Patterson has a video of a banana skin laying across the top bars

whatever floats your boat I suppose - As a Customs officer I've encountered worse perversions (but I won't mention which cabinet members)

 

[Cuckmere couple]

whatever floats your boat I suppose - As a Customs officer I've encountered worse perversions (but I won't mention which cabinet members)

lol

also, i doubt things smell the same to us as they do bees i.e. we associate alarm pheromone with pear drops or bananas but that will be a long way off what bees pick up and react to from that pheromone

 

[Amari]

whatever floats your boat I suppose - As a Customs officer I've encountered worse perversions (but I won't mention which cabinet members)

Oh, go on JBM, give us some clues.....

 

[manek]

Definitely smells like bananas to me. Always the time to close up and walk away....

 

[Bryang]

I've never smelled it either. I suspect that I have gone noseblind.

James

Neither have I.. But my excuse is I cant smell anything after having a trachy. ( Vocal chords removed, so I breath thru a hole in my neck)

 

[Sutty]

Neither have I.. But my excuse is I cant smell anything after having a trachy. ( Vocal chords removed, so I breath thru a hole in my neck)

Best excuse I can think of!
Can't help wondering if you have a backup piece of mesh over your tracheostomy in case an errant bee gets in your veil? Inhaling one could be problematic!

 

[jarmo henttu]

i read it smells like bananas....i think that is right

To me it is like bee venom

 

[Sutty]

To me it is like bee venom

Ah, but do bananas or pears smell like bee venom too?

 

[Bryang]

Best excuse I can think of!
Can't help wondering if you have a backup piece of mesh over your tracheostomy in case an errant bee gets in your veil? Inhaling one could be problematic!

I wear a "bib" when I'm working the bees.. Normally I use a HME (Heat and Moisture Exchange) filter. They brought out a new one just before corvid called the "Micron". It "blocks" 99.9% of viruses, but it restricts my breathing, so I get short of breath. I cant wear a filter when I work the bees, because if I cough up some mucus it could possibly block the filter... panic stations.

 

[Sutty]

I wear a "bib" when I'm working the bees.. Normally I use a HME (Heat and Moisture Exchange) filter. They brought out a new one just before corvid called the "Micron". It "blocks" 99.9% of viruses, but it restricts my breathing, so I get short of breath. I cant wear a filter when I work the bees, because if I cough up some mucus it could possibly block the filter... panic stations.

Thanks for being so upfront.
I've often wondered what attracts defensive bees to apparently concentrate on the face - there seems to be far less bouncing off my chest for example.
Do you find they concentrate a bit lower for you? In which case it could be breath rather than eg seeing eyes.

 

[Bryang]

Thanks for being so upfront.
I've often wondered what attracts defensive bees to apparently concentrate on the face - there seems to be far less bouncing off my chest for example.
Do you find they concentrate a bit lower for you? In which case it could be breath rather than eg seeing eyes.

I haven't noticed if they are active around my traccy.. Before I had the opp they (sometimes) were more active around my mouth.. There is very little odour produce from my breath.. Most odours produced from normal "breathers" is caused by the food you eat/drink.. One of my fellow traccy mates I used to meet in clinic enjoys a good "booze up". He used to help his mate who kept bees, but he had to stop going because they were"attacking" his vail. Probably they could smell the alcohol on his breath... I no longer drink alcohol after the opp, I have very little taste and (obviously) no smell,, so any thing with alcohol in it tastes absolutley foul.

 

[JamezF]

Thanks for being so upfront.
I've often wondered what attracts defensive bees to apparently concentrate on the face - there seems to be far less bouncing off my chest for example.
Do you find they concentrate a bit lower for you? In which case it could be breath rather than eg seeing eyes.

It's a question I've often pondered, especially given that we don't really know that they perceive a face to be a face or a face behind a veil to be a face behind a veil, particularly when combined with a moustache or beard which may be any one of a variety of colours and stragglinesses.

It seems logical to propose that there must be some other trigger and one's breath could be it, perhaps because of the increased CO₂ or moisture levels in the air exhaled. I wonder if anyone has done any experiments in this area? Say, breathing through a "snorkel" of some sort? Or could it be something else? The heat given off by one's head, for instance. Perhaps they're inclined to target the warmest part of whatever they perceive to be a threat?

James