[ocba] Mean Bees

Tom Wright twright at vicksburg.com
Wed Apr 29 10:00:56 EDT 2009


Pardon me, but you probably don't smell good, at least not to bees! Wash 
your clothes and your body with ivory soap. No body wash or scented 
soap. No deodorant, perfume, cologne or hair spray. Smoke yourself a 
little with the smoker. Use pine straw if you can. Put a little wad of 
green grass in the smoker nozzle to cool the smoke. I assume your 
stretch pants are synthetic. Bees don't like that, either. Go with all 
white cotton, including socks.

You're correct about the weather. They really get surly in storms or 
when the temp and humidity are high. Try and work in mid-day when there 
is no wind and the bees are busy.

Try not to squash any bees. When squashed or when they sting, they 
release an alarm pheromone known as "shreckstoff" or fright substance.

If the pitch of the hive goes from a modest hum to a high-pitched whine, 
it's time to close up and back off.

Requeening with a gentler queen will work if the queen is the problem 
but you may be inadvertently inciting them to riot. Remember that there 
should be a nectar flow when you requeen to maximize acceptance.

On the rare chance that AHB's may have arrived and they will eventually 
you need to check with an apiary inspector. Strangely, aggressive bees 
are often the best producers. Beekeeping should be fun, not agony!

Good luck,

Tom

Jeff Bollinger wrote:
> My bees have a reputation for being "mean", but there are so many
> factors to account for their "attitude".  Weather is probably the
> biggest.  I once went out in full suit right before a big
> electrical/thunderstorm and they lit me up all over my ankles!  I think
> they can feel the static in the air and sense instability in the atmosphere.
>
> I have also been out when it was really cloudy/overcast and experienced
> the same thing.
>
> Other thing is smoke - I learned (after last year's excellent field day)
> that I was WAY oversmoking the bees.  Be sure you're not filling the
> hive with smoke - just a little every now and then is enough to keep
> them calm-ish.  Too much and they will get angry.
>
> Its also a good thing NOT to stand in front of the hive entrance unless
> there's a really good reason.  I stand to the side or behind the hives
> when putting on feed or working inside the hive.
>
> If you're just putting on a feeder like a boardman/front feeder, you can
> do it quickly and not worry about getting stung unless you're making a
> big racket.  For the internal style feeders, if you have to pull off the
> cover and start moving things around there's definitely a higher chance
> of getting stung.  This is just one of the many reasons I exclusively
> use the front feeders (then again I have never had more than 3 hives at
> once).
>
> Jeff
>
>
> Lewis Cauble wrote:
>   
>> Mary Lou,
>> It's hard to say from here if your bees are overly aggressive.  It  
>> might be helpful if you could tell us what type of feeder you are  
>> using, where the bees came from, how large the hive is, and when the  
>> hive was established.
>>
>> It's no fun dealing with aggressive bees.  Simply re-queening with a  
>> gentle queen should adjust the attitude of the hive.
>>
>> Lewis
>>
>>
>> On Apr 27, 2009, at 9:24 PM, Mary Lou Bethune wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> I am new to owing a hive and I am wondering if it is normal to get  
>>> stung
>>> every( and several) time one goes to feed the bees?   WE have the  
>>> hood and
>>> gloves and cover up totally but still get stung( we just learned  
>>> that they
>>> can sting through stretch pants).
>>> Thanks
>>> Mary Lou Bethune
>>>
>>>
>>>       
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