Worst bee's ever!

[BKF Admin]

A couple of years ago I had a frantic telephone call from a beekeeper who said they could not get anywhere near a hive they owned due to the aggresion of the bee's.

The hive in question had a queen that was an Italian import from Hawaii originally that had been superceded.

It took me 3 attempts to get in amoungst the frames,I tried going at a different time of day when it was warm and the foragers were out collecting,I showered first and washed my beesuite in a non smelly washing powder,I tried a little smoke and another evening tried lots of smoke,I think I even tried a prayer at one point!
These bee's were b*stards!

I really had to psych myself up for each attempt,although I was very confident regards hive inspections this one hive got to me,I sat for a few evenings trying to work out the best plan of action,I admit that the word "Petrol" even crosed my mind once or twice.

I eventualy managed to get in to do an inspection and found the queen and removed her to a nuc.

Even after the inspection those bees chased me 300 yards!
On all 3 occasions they would meet me at the farm gate 100 yards from the hive and start to bounce off the car windows.

Have you ever had a hive as bad/worse?

 

[victor meldrew]

Yes I certainly had a colony as you describe . The bees chased me to the farm house , once inside and chatting with the farmer he said "I see your mates are looking for you " I looked up and dozens of the blighters were head butting the farm house windows.
I thought of petrol, more than that I used it that very evening just on dark! End of problem, I couldn't afford to upset my host .

John Wilkindson

 

[Finman]

.
I have had very bad hive but not 300 yards !

Last time, a couple of years ago I had many bad hives when I had crossings between Italians and Elgons.

On big hive I killed because I saw that it can be ethal to by walking humans or horses. A man may collapse down and hundreds of bees cover him and give stings.

Another hive was a such that It attacked on car windows and mirrors 2 years ago. Of course I got stings and perhaps by passers.

There are a belief that angry hives are good foragers but it is not true at all.

I rear plenty of queens and change unwanted layers. But still, *.* happens.
.

 

[oliver90owner]

Not quite as bad as that I think.

I have one colony where they actually crawl in under the bottom of my beesuit jacket unless I secure it better than the elastic in it. It is not long before I have bees in my veil and I can not tolerate that! I left it to unite while I was on holiday - a rushed affair as I was not wanting to get stung before leaving for Spain, and didn't have much time, so I did not find the queen to eradicate the offensive head of operations. I (wrongly, I think) assumed/hoped the uniting queen would win the battle as she was certainly a young queen, but their temper does not appear to have appreciably altered, so I am probably left with the problem to resolve next spring. Ho hum, no particular problem, she will go next year! My bees range from very docile to stroppy. It does not worry me too much.

Regards, RAB

 

[PaleoPerson]

Helped a colleague who had a really bad set in one of his hives, the one arrived at apiary to find hive sealed and full of petrol.

End of problem?

No! not all the buggers were in the hive at the time and when they could not get in, made themselves at home in random hives around the apiary, then for the next few weeks would pop out and catch you.

Fortunately, these looked totally different from the rest in the apiary, so if you saw a big black bee coming at you (and they most certainly came straight for you, always at the eyes) you too offensive/defensive measures. A few weeks later and problem gone.

 

[thurrock bees]

i had a swarm that were very bad tempered, they would be waiting for you and try to sting you thought the suit on the legs, after removing the queen with the intension of requeening them they got worse, so after a night of thinking of what to do. i went to esso for the solution. i gave them 3 doses to kill them, im thinking of seting a out apiary to prevent the dromes getting to my bees.


p.s. i also got two swarms infected with nosema, one has died just before xmas

B
TB

 

[oliver90owner]

thurrock bees,

p.s. i also got two swarms infected with nosema, one has died just before xmas

Sorry to hear that. I did send a pm on November 5, but did not get a response to my offer. Assumed you had got sorted elsewhere.

Regards, RAB

 

[thurrock bees]

thurrock bees,

p.s. i also got two swarms infected with nosema, one has died just before xmas

Sorry to hear that. I did send a pm on November 5, but did not get a response to my offer. Assumed you had got sorted elsewhere.

Regards, RAB

what was that RAB?

i treated them with vitafeed. the hive that died were badly infected, i did not expect them to survive

 

[oliver90owner]

Fumadil-B might have been more effective?

Regards, RAB

 

[thurrock bees]

Fumadil-B might have been more effective?

Regards, RAB

fumadil b was out of stock. and i ordered the treatment before i got your offer. sorry

TB

lesson lreant, stock fumadil-b

 

[MJBee]

Not long after I started beekeeping I responded to an advert from a commercial beekeeper who was packing up and selling complete colonies. We met at his apiary - 12 hives spaced out in the corner of a pasture field full of bullocks.

Being new I missed ALL the clues:-
1. No fencing and livestock in the field.
2. Full height grass round the hives and extending out to about 100 yds into the field ungrazed.

The bees were fiesty but he went through them and they were in good nick so I bought 2. I go them home and that is when the fun started. ANY movement within about 70 yards was attacked - My mentor fortunately had an isolated out apiary and they were moved there and requeened with Italian queens. Six weeks later they were as good as gold.

Those two colonies set the aggression benchmark for me:-
Aggression before the hive has been touched and following beyond 5 yards is not tolerated.
Mike

 

[peteinwilts]

lesson lreant, stock fumadil-b

fumidil-b = banned in most of Europe and is likely to be so in the UK soon.

Thornes sent a letter out last March saying they may not be able to get any more after their current supply had run out. (Expiry date October 2010)

I am not sure if they have had any since, or if any batches beyond Exp10/10 have surfaced?!?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Thornes ran out of fumidil, but now have new supply in, exp date 10/2011