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Author Topic: aggression after supercedure  (Read 1845 times)

Offline 10framer

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aggression after supercedure
« on: August 11, 2013, 10:04:13 am »
well, my old laying machine finally lost the battle.  these bees have been trying to supercede her since february.
i went through the hive for the first time in a month friday and found eggs in an upper brood chamber i added recently and to my surprise a very large queen.  the queen in this hive was always small but she would lay in every cell available, even the outside of the outside frames always had brood.  anyway, back in the late spring i found her with a damaged wing and a big dent in her abdomen but she kept laying until i last saw her a month ago.  as i was going through the hive i was getting pounded.  these bees have always been a little on the mean side but they were nailing my hands and forearms.  i pulled a couple of frames from the lower brood chamber and one had a lot of emerging brood and the other was only eggs.  would the lack of open brood cause the bees to get more defensive?  or is it just because of a higher percentage of field bees in the population?  i'm considering carrying a long sleeved shirt the next time i go through that hive.

Offline sc-bee

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Re: aggression after supercedure
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2013, 02:45:55 pm »
and weather and dearth or slow flow. My experience this time of year is a little more feisty.
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Offline Finski

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Re: aggression after supercedure
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2013, 04:50:38 pm »
well, my old laying machine finally lost the battle.  these bees have been trying to supercede her since february.
i went through the hive for the first time in a month friday and found eggs in an upper brood chamber i added recently and to my   i pulled a couple of frames from the lower brood chamber and one had a lot of emerging brood and the other was only eggs. 

When you go to lowest box, there are , mean old farts.

But what is your situation? - Eggs, have you a new queen, which has started or what?

You should be worried about winter bees, who lays them?

Defensive queen uses to make defensive daughters.
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Offline 10framer

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Re: aggression after supercedure
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2013, 09:42:11 pm »
well, that's what's odd sc.  i'm in the middle of a decent flow, this hive is actually drawing and filling new comb in a super.  i usually expect a few stings from this hive but i was getting pounded.

finski, the new queen has filled several frames with eggs and there was a good bit of capped brood there just wasn't really anything in between.  it's too early to know what the bees from the new queen will be like. 
winter doesn't really exist here by your standards.

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: aggression after supercedure
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2013, 12:48:31 am »
Once past mid-summer and the closer to fall we get the more aggressive the bees become, this is natural, they are attempting to protect the bounty of their hard work of laying in stores.

At mid-summer is when the queen begins to taper off of brood laying and the bees begin backfilling the cells with  honey stores for winter.  They will also continue to lay up stores in supers until late August when all will concentrate on backfilling the brood chamber and the birth winter bees is taking place.

A queen with a dented body is going to be superceded sooner or later.  I had a split hatch a queen with a dented body, the bees balled her almost immediately and killed her.  I had to insert another frame of fresh brood to grow another queen. Any injury, regardless of how slight, or regardless of how productive the queen is will usually result in a supercedure taking place.
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