[ocba] Mean Bees
Lewis Cauble
Lewis at hivebody.com
Wed Apr 29 13:38:15 EDT 2009
Mary Lou,
If you have a bee buddy that has a year or 2 under their belt, ask
them to come over and have a look at them. If you don't have a bee
buddy, let us know where you live and there may be someone nearby that
can take a gander.
I believe a hive that isn't queenright tends to be grumpy as well.
Let's see if someone will take a look at them with you and assess the
situation.
One more thing to consider...The bees in your hive are not related to
the queen in your hive yet. You may want to hang in there for a few
weeks and see if her offspring have a better disposition.
Lewis
On Apr 28, 2009, at 1:31 PM, 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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