Why have my Bees gone Aggressive?

[mbc]

MBC - i've been leaving them well alone for 4 days (except the succesful move this AM) they have been horrendus, harrasing all comers even when they are 50 yards from the hives and nowhere near their flight path motorway. How on earth do beekeepers in towns cope? there must be a few very annoyed neigbours out there at the moment!

Its when they behave like that its time to make a decision about whether it'll pass and they'll settle down when they burn all that aggression collecting you honey or they are a mean, unacceptably defensive lot that need re-queening for you to continue to enjoy your hobby.
Beginning beekeepers perhaps aren't made aware enough of the responsibility of keeping bees, I have seen some kept in totally inappropriate places where the slightest bit of aggression would have serious consequences and the people responsible could hardly believe the negative advice about the placement of their lovely, environmentally friendly little pets.

 

[Panteg]

Ouch panteg ........hows the nose ?

Scabbed, but not too swollen now thanks. Still not a good look! Bees seem to have calmed down a bit, thank goodness.

 

[Swarm]

Beginning beekeepers perhaps aren't made aware enough of the responsibility of keeping bees...

Couldn't agree more.
That is something that has been addressed at our association beginners' sessions.

 

[johnmcc]

Same here. I came close to selling up last week when my Wife was stung three times in quick succession, but I've found a friendly field to put them in and they're moving house on Tuesday. I suspect it'll be a bit of a bloodbath as I'm going to have to take the lifts and supers off before I attempt to move them - very heavy. Might be extracting first if the honey's capped.

This is my fourth year of beeking and the first time they have been so defensive. One hive is worse than the other. As I see it there are three possible reasons for this, or maybe a combination of all three:

a) my nice docile bees have got some aggressive genes from somewhere;
b) peculiar weather has sent them into overdrive - huge numbers of new bees flying in the last couple of weeks after feeding them right up to the end of April;
c) very big OSR crops all round me for the first time since I've had the bees.

I'd be interested to know how widespread this is. I'm in Norfolk.

Fingers crossed for me on moving day!

 

[zippy573]

MBC - pleased to hear you tell beginers a few facts! Funnily enough i moved them all this morning and despited this they are now behaving themselves again - all be it in the middle of a 30 acre field!

 

[zippy573]

johnmcc - dont think it is anything to do with osr, i think mainly a result of the very unusual weather combination - good - bad -good.

As i've already said bees been in same place for 15 years co existing with a busy agricultural yard, lawn mown by walkbehind mower all this time right up to the hives with zero stings. This week they have attacked multiple times despite being left well alone by me, one attack occured inside a barn over 100 meters from the hives - never seen anything like it!

 

[stoneleighhouse]

Bees settled right down back to normal with cooling breeze after acouple of days of following me everywhere.

Beekeeping.. a bit like golf, all new members will be patronised and assumed to have have no intelligence. no skill and no common sense until they achieve full acceptance at the age of 80 when cadet membership expires

 

[Sammo]

Just finished inspecting my other hives today. Bloody hell, it was like a war zone. Got stung a few times even with lots of smoke, slow movements, ect. The bees were really going after me and would even followed me over 80 feet away. Very strange compared to previous years!

 

[Craig1961]

Mine the same today. Trying to tidy the garage some 30ft away. Getting attacked by lots.
My answer has been to retire to the house with a bottle of red wine.

 

[VEG]

Mine were not too pleasant today dont know why.

 

[Black Comb]

I removed the v aggressive (previously calm) hive from the gArden last week.
Now the gentler one is stinging at the back door.
Need to move this too.
Strange season.


Only apideas at home now.

 

[Alabamaeee]

Keep the red wine for when you get stung, apparently it helps negate the effects of the bee serum.

 

[VEG]

ohh I will drink lots now just in case i get stung lol

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Some flavour of bee seem fine whether they are queenless. Others change markedly.

Some seem to be bad tempered after the OSR has finished. Some not.

One of mine was fine last year and the year before but as the queen got older they got much more flighty - especially so just before she went this year. The old queen has now gone and a youngster has been laying for 2 or 3 days and they are now happy again.

I rank mine from 1 to 10. (10 being BAD). I only breed from 4 or below and plan to replace the queen if 6 or above. (I do take into account the general mood in the apiary. A bright sunny day and the bees are flying well brings the numbers down). If it's an 8 or more then it's united with another colony pretty much straight-away.

Any followers from dodgy stock are clapped as they fly around the head. That seems the best way of killing them there and then - before the veil comes off.

 

[bushman1872]

I find walking through a bush a really good way of loosing persistent followers that coupled with a good amount of smoke.

 

[Cazza]

I find walking through a bush a really good way of loosing persistent followers that coupled with a good amount of smoke.

I have a clump of Bamboo that does the job perfectly.
Cazza

 

[BBG]

People throwing stones at or thumping the hive makes them aggressive - someone not like you or youngsters with nothing to do except tease your bees??

 

[zippy573]

BBG - looking forward to someone come to tease mine, the mood they are in they will only do it once! Alternatively post the emergancy move on Friday they are currently sitting on a very nice road trailer in the middle of a field, with one hive just in front of the drawbar so if someone fancies nicking that they might get more than they bargined for!

 

[Hivemaker.]

I find walking through a bush a really good way of loosing persistent followers that coupled with a good amount of smoke.

I find re-queening with bees that don't have the habit of following works quite well. I have a couple of candidates for this treatment lined up.

 

[bushman1872]

I quite agree but there are always one or two who take umbridge when you nick their food lol.