Nasty Bees

[GSF]

I've heard from a couple of beeks that their bees are getting nasty. I noticed one of my hives pretty nasty last time I went through them. Now for the second time I've been stung by another hive just for getting too close. Today two popped me on the head.

A friend of mine told me that I went in at the wrong time of day. He recommend between ten am and two pm. I was wondering if anyone else is having a problem with their hives getting hot. Both of my hot hive are queen right.

[keeper]

I'm just a newbie but my hive is cranky. It however is queen less after a swarm. Await arrival of new queen from breeder. As far as I can tell they did not raise new queen. And there is no brood left in hive.  I'm hoping it's not to late to requeen.

[iddee]

No flow, mean hive. In most areas, the flow is slowing or stopped for the summer. Until the fall flow gets here, the bees will continue getting meaner and meaner.

[Edgy]

What breed of bees are they?   If you don't mind me asking.

[BeeMaster2]

I've heard from a couple of beeks that their bees are getting nasty. I noticed one of my hives pretty nasty last time I went through them. Now for the second time I've been stung by another hive just for getting too close. Today two popped me on the head.

A friend of mine told me that I went in at the wrong time of day. He recommend between ten am and two pm. I was wondering if anyone else is having a problem with their hives getting hot. Both of my hot hive are queen right.

Gary,
First of all 10 and 2 is way too tight of a window. In the morning, are most of your bees out working, if so and  if the weather is good then you can go in. I have learned to bee out of the hives at least an hour before sunset. I have been in my hives later with no problem but not always.
I would bee willing to bet that during your inspections, several bees are being killed or injured. They remember for up to a month and their buddies let you know. Wearing thick leather gloves is the biggest cause. You cannot feel the bees and they get crushed. They sting the gloves and the pheromones on the gloves irritates the bees.
When you are rebuilding the hive, are bees all over the edge getting crushed. Use some smoke to heard them in then put the box down slowly on an angle and slowly twist it into place. Same with the inner cover/STB.

[Intheswamp]

Last Saturday I had my first experience with what I would call "hot" bees.  I had replaced bottom boards on three hives and had gone in four others to install or replenish Beetle Jail Baitables.  Being as I had removed some bottom boards and bumped around a bit with them I had my gloves on earlier.  Well, for some reason I had only one on when I removed the top box off of the last hive.  The bees seem a little defensive so I decided to put the other glove on.  I started to pull a frame from the second box when suddenly I had a dozen bees attack my freshly gloved hand.  About the same time I had a group of about a dozen land on the front of my (bluejeaned) upper leg in a tight group.  Plenty of bees were bumping my veil and trying to sting my jacket.  I guess I've grown use to more laid back bees or something as this did take me completely by surprise.  I will try to go in this coming weekend and see if possibly they've gone queenless or not.

What is interesting is that I after checking the oil traps I mowed and clipped grass/weeds from around the hives.  I don't have a weedeater so I get on my hands and knees and use a set of manual hedge clippers to get the grass between the hives and right up against them.  This means I was more or less face-to-face to the entrance of this hive when I clipped the grass there....after the assault earlier the bees barely paid me any attention.

I'm not sure whether to ride it out with these bees and see if their attitude changes once the fall flow starts.  All the other colonies seem "normal".   The way this one jumped on my leg...makes me wonder about getting a full suit or figuring something to add another layer to my bluejeans.  :-\

Ed

[iddee]

ITS, Something smells. Wash your gear.

[Intheswamp]

iddee, maybe so.  My first "odd" behavior Saturday was towards a paper towel I used to wipe up drips of mineral oil on my Beetle Jails.  While in a different hive I had 2-3 bees attack that wad of paper towel.  It could be that I wiped some mineral oil from hand onto my bluejeans as I was working.  But, that is the only time I've seen them be defensive in that way and I saw no reaction from them as I placed freshened up oil traps between frames nor filled oil trays beneath.

One thing I did that I don't ever recall doing is "hugging" a hive.  When I was swapping bottom boards on one hive I picked up two brood boxes (8-frame mediums) together and in doing so "hugged" them against my body with the edge of the bottom box resting against my upper legs and naturally my arms pressed against the hive body pretty snuggly.  Maybe the scent of the previous hive aggravated the "hot" hive?  The bottom edge of the lower box would have been against the bottom board and would have a pretty strong scent of the bees that traveled in and out of that hive...and the spot on my jeans where the group of bees attacked would have been about the right location...I still wonder about the paper towel, though.   :? 

My wife did comment Saturday about how it was probably time to wash my jacket again.  It's probably time to clean up my act, anyhow.  :-D

Ed

[BeeTexas]

I have to agree with IDDEE= when there is no flow, our bees get less tolerant--and sometimes straight up nasty if We don't follow some basic beekeeping guidelines.

[flyboy]

I'm just a newbie but my hive is cranky. It however is queen less after a swarm. Await arrival of new queen from breeder. As far as I can tell they did not raise new queen. And there is no brood left in hive.  I'm hoping it's not too late to requeen.

I had a swarm also and could not find the queen. I called the Provincial Bee Inspector and she advised that it may take 3 weeks for her to mature and be mated so you may have a virgin Queen in there.

[keeper]

Thanks for advise. Are you waiting to see if queen mates ?? How long is to long before requeen

[keeper]

Italians

[rwlaw]

 Maybe they are smelling the oil and think there's a beetle there. When I kept traps in my hives, I'd pop the cover and there were up to a dozen bees trying to get at the ones they chased into the trap.
 Maybe I'm thinking abstract but, bees are instinct driven and don't have much of a think tank

[GSF]

Edgy; One was a package hive that was requeened and the other was muts. Both hot hives looked like "smutty" Italians. I'm not sure what kind they would be.

Sawdust; I'm pretty careful about how I procede through the hive. I dare to say I didn't squash any. I did pull honey from that hive about 2-3 weeks ago so they may still remember that. I wasn't sure about the time frame mentioned. Pretty much like was mentioned, not to late and not to early and never during thunder. This gentleman also told me that he was told when a virgin queen hatches they'll start laying drone brood so she can be mated. I told him the math didn't work out on that one. Someone he had a lot of confidence in told him that so he stuck with it.

I watched them yesterday fly off and return from the direction of the cotton fields. So maybe in their world the flow is still on?

[jayj200]

I was using wood chips packaged for bedding. the girls got meaner and meaner every time I went in
My mentor told me to use pine needles, this helped some but the girls still got me.
I gave the HOT hive away to another friend. moved to the farm
I am told this hive went berserk when relished. (opened to the air). killed some chickens and turkeys.
really stung some porkers and chased the horses horrifically, nailed them also.
my friend then pinched the queen, life is good now.
my mentor says they they were AHB's didn't want to here that.
cause a few weeks ago a small swarm  moved in. was told to re-queen. or pinch her.
In Alabama you to are not immune to AHB's.
if they are popping you on clear days can you risk your child or a neighbors children and animals.
I think not.
my mentor says this year has been particularly nasty here. for HOT hives.

[bud1]

listen to iddee; flow over bees get pissy

[OldMech]

   Bees do tend to be more defensive in the fall, and as stated when there is no flow.
   I had two hives I had been struggling with. The first one I opened after a little smoke came out the moment the inner cover came off. I took about six stings. hands and through the jeans.  That was the end of that story. I put my gloves and veil on, smoked my pants and took the hive apart. Frames of bees got distributed among the needy hives in my yard and the queen was summarily executed.   Apparently the other hot hive saw what happened and were as gentle as kittens when I opened their hive.  I had hoped to get them through to spring and requeen them.
   I will deal with them being a bit uppity when they have a reason, as mentioned, no flow, no queen, Mites, disease, or pests like skunks riling them up. Beyond that I don't put up with it. I keep bees because I enjoy it. The hives I do not enjoy get new queens or dispersed.
   Look for the reasons as stated above. 
   I go into my hives in the morning hours when possible, 9 am to noon, and usually do not wear a veil or gloves. In mid to late summer and after I put the jacket on so I can raise the veil if necessary. Bees buzzing me bumping etc I will put up with. Outright attacks I don't. Hope you can figure out why they are angry and correct the situation!

[Intheswamp]

Maybe they are smelling the oil and think there's a beetle there. When I kept traps in my hives, I'd pop the cover and there were up to a dozen bees trying to get at the ones they chased into the trap.
 Maybe I'm thinking abstract but, bees are instinct driven and don't have much of a think tank

I could have understood that, in regards to the paper towels, but the traps and oil were both brand new with no traces of beetles on them.  :-\

Ed

[10framer]

i had a swarm trying to invade a fairly strong hive yesterday.  i had no idea where it could have come from.  since the bees have been working the last few days i decided to pop some tops just in case i had a beetle problem and bees were absconding (i've never seen a swarm this time of year). i got tow what was one of my hotter hives in the spring and they ate me up and followed me to the truck.  i've decided to buy a bee suit and go in and requeen them.  i've been doing this off and on for 35 years and have never owned a suit or gloves.  i've even inspected a yard of true german bees in my lifetime and either i've gotten soft i my old age or these bees are just too mean.  the good news is that out of the dozen or so tops i pulled i didn't see any beetles.   

[jayj200]

Ed
I'm not sure whether to ride it out with these bees and see if their attitude changes once the fall flow starts.  All the other colonies seem "normal".   The way this one jumped on my leg...makes me wonder about getting a full suit or figuring something to add another layer to my bluejeans.  Undecided

ride this one out. must of done something dumb this time. if they hit you two more times.
 RE-QUEEN just pinch her

when you get HOT bees you'll know they bite hard
got my baptism wasn't funny. my wife laughed.

[jayj200]

listen to iddee; flow over bees get pissy

There is a difference between pissy and mean. When they  sting ta fifty times they are AHB's

even if you have a full suit on. they hit the suit hard, a lot, when they land on your vial or,
 one hundred swarm the vial they are not pissy girls are mean.

[BeeMaster2]

10 and Jay,
Are the hives that are real pissy your most productive?
My father in law took a swarm from my dad when it swarmed into a small tree right in front of the front door. He used a hose to ball them up and we put them in a trash bucket due to a 150 people were just arriving for a christening party for my daughter. My dad kept warning my father in law that they would bee hot and they were but they were the most productive hive he ever had.
Just wondering if you have experienced the same thing.
Jim

[jayj200]

I doubt it. this state has decided "all feral hives are AHB's" this is what they say not me.
I can only what the state agent told me.
look at the agreement they want you to sign.
states that you must re-queen every 6 months. What?
some where buried in state literature it says you cannot label  your honey as honey.  you must call it some other name. say sweet stuff.

[BeeMaster2]

I doubt it. this state has decided "all feral hives are AHB's" this is what they say not me.
I can only what the state agent told me.
look at the agreement they want you to sign.
states that you must re-queen every 6 months. What?
some where buried in state literature it says you cannot label  your honey as honey.  you must call it some other name. say sweet stuff.

Jay,
That re queening every 6 months was one of the things that we fought to get rid of.
Why can't you call your honey, honey?
Jim

[10framer]

jim, they aren't one of my most productive hives.  they did ok in the first flows, though.  i've got enough hives that did as well or better with much less aggressive bees to be ok with eliminating them from the gene pool.

[jayj200]

Jim
haven't you seen this?




https://www.flrules.org/gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-03379

[BeeMaster2]

Jim
haven't you seen this?




https://www.flrules.org/gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-03379

Yes, Jay, that is what we were contesting. Notice that out of all of the states clubs, only Jaxbees contested it. That was really surprising to me. It was a lot worse in the original form.
Jim

[jayj200]

Then I must thank you

I did not find out until it was done

my club has decided not to become political.

that could be because the are democrats or progressives

It still sucks

again thanks for the good fight

Please continue along that line

PM me when we need to know some thing weather or not bee related Ill forward as best i can

[BeeMaster2]

Thanks. If anything comes up, I will post it here.
Jim