Let me do some fearmongering.

[Understudy]

Well after all the cut outs in Florida I have been doing. It appears my lucky streak my have run out. I may have encountered a potential AHB hive. Let me state this first and foremost. This is my guess, it is not yet backed with a DNA test. These could be some bees who are simply being defensive for 101 reasons or just have an attitude problem.

Here is what is going on. I received an email from PBC Beekeeper president about some one wanted a hive removed from a soffit. I contacted the person. I do cut outs over three visits. First visit is a survey, second visit is the cut out and transfer into a hive box, third visit is the follow up and removal of the hive boxes with the bees.

This was visit one in the survey I do a black cloth aggression test. That is done by taking a black piece of fabric and waving it in front of the entrance for 30 seconds. I will also brush a bee or two with the fabric. The objective is to see how many bees get worked up  and attack the fabric. Now the next door neighbor was mowing the lawn so I wasn't to concerned. The resident has worked in the yard no problem. The agression test, well there was a problem I got the fabric in front of the entrance waved it twice and the bees came at it en mass. Then they decided I was ugly and my mother dressed me funny. I took nine hits immeditally. Now I can do nine stings no problem. and I would have probably gotten more but I decided I wasn't going to stay around and hang out. Now nine stings when I am cutting out a hive is nothing. However I hadn't touch the comb. I was just waving a piece of fabric.

Now I have dealt with hot hives so I am going to do this cut out but I will be wearing the protection I normally don't wear when I do them. And since in Flordia testing is free (even if it isn't a DNA test, which is a whole different topic I will post later), I am going to send in some samples. It will be interesting to see what the results are.

When visit 3 happens I should have my results my then(maybe). If the results are AHB I will requeen. If the results are not I will see how they behave. The cut out may be all that is needed to calm them down.

I want to state again, I am making a guess here. Based on the behavior of the bees. I will give you follow ups as I get them. I will remove the hive in about 3 weeks so you will have to be patient.


Newspaper headline to read. Idiot beekeeper stung to death by really nice bees.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

PS. Note to self, remember to send bad bees to pdmattox.  :evil:

[tig]

aw man my sympathies even if it turns out not to be AHB.  its such a pain to have to handle an aggresive hive.  i got a batch of queens from australia and they were the meanest bees i've ever handled. if you smoke them they come swarming out of the box to sting you and the rest spill out of the box.  i have to approach from the rear of the box because if they spot me coming they immediately come flying out!  i've resorted to taking out most of the brood frames and farming those out to other colonies and leaving the aussie queens as 4 framers. i can't wait for my queen order from Kona to arrive so i can requeen those boxes. those boxes definitely take out the joy from beekeeping!

[Jerrymac]

Those girls don't sound too bad. I evicted a hive from a church that was meaner than hee..... well you know. They didn't like me from the git-go. What was even better? It was a stucko wall and all the banging ripping and cussing really got them riled up. But after I got them home and left them alone for a while they did calm down.

I don't know if this was a factor or not, but they tried to swarm for a week before I got there to remove them. A bunch of bees would gather on a small tree about thirty feet from the colony and they would return at night. Then start the same thing the next day. When I got to the church there were no bees on the tree, but soon there was a lot of activity and a bunch started gathering there. I got the limb cut out of the tree and the bees knocked into a hive body before I started on the ones in the wall. By evening there were no bees in the hive body from the tree and there were a whole big mess of bees in the wall where I took out the hive.







No. There is no comb beneath those bees

[Jerrymac]

Here is some more on that story.

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=2410

[Cindi]

Jerry, some really nice pictures.

Brendhan, good luck.  I would rather think that these are certainly a very aggressive species and you are very wise to do the aggression test with the black cloth.  LOL.

I still think you all are nuts to go and do the cut out thing.  Doubt if I would ever want to do that type of work.  I would be curious how many people in my part of the woods have bees living in places where they need to be cut out.  Is this a more common thing in the warmer parts of the world?  Curiosity reigns.  Have the best day.  Cindi

[indypartridge]

At a bee meeting a few months ago, I ended up sitting next to a young lady who had just returned from serving in the Peace Corps in Paraguay where her assignment has been to teach beekeeping. Being South America, the bees were AHB and they used top-bar hives. She said the key was LOTS of smoke. Besides full suits, they always worked in pairs - one to work the bees, one to provide constant smoke. So, Brendhan, do you have a buddy to help  on this hot cut out?

[Understudy]

At a bee meeting a few months ago, I ended up sitting next to a young lady who had just returned from serving in the Peace Corps in Paraguay where her assignment has been to teach beekeeping. Being South America, the bees were AHB and they used top-bar hives. She said the key was LOTS of smoke. Besides full suits, they always worked in pairs - one to work the bees, one to provide constant smoke. So, Brendhan, do you have a buddy to help  on this hot cut out?

I will tackle this alone. I have a suit. But it annoys me that I have t do it this way. It is funny that the Peace Corp beekeepers wear full suits and the native brazillian beekeepers wear shorts and tank tops. Yes I believe the key is smoke and lots of cold sugar water. It is going to be interesting. I actually hope the DNA tests prove me wrong. I would rather it be a hot hive that might have been robbed recently than AHB. Because Queens are darn expensive and I don't want to destroy the hive.

I am going to need to start some mating nucs next year so I have a steady supply of queens.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Cindi]

Brendhan, do you use the cold sugar syrup to spray the bees in the event that smoke fails?  Talk about the cold sugar syrup.  I would be curious if this may be a method that I might want to entertain instead of smoke.  Give pros and cons.  Best of the good day.  Cindi

[Understudy]

Lots of smoke. And yes I will use cold sugar syrup.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Cindi]

Brendhan, sorry, but your eye still really bugs me.  Don't know why, but I can't stand to look at it (and it always catches my eye).  Awesome day.  Cindi

[Understudy]

Brendhan, sorry, but your eye still really bugs me.  Don't know why, but I can't stand to look at it (and it always catches my eye).  Awesome day.  Cindi

Cindi, I am watching you.  :evil:


Sincerely,
Brendhan

[AllanJ]

Thats the beauty of Firefox with AdBlock..  right click the image and press 'begone creapy image' and tis gone.. :)

[Cindi]

Eeeh gads!!!!  Brendhan strikes again!!! :roll:

Should have Firefox with AdBlock, then I would have no worries about the creepy eye.  Best of a great day to come.  Cindi