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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Jeff Bollinger <jeff01 AT email.unc.edu>
  • To: Lewis Cauble <Lewis AT hivebody.com>
  • Cc: NC Beekeepers Orange County <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Mean Bees
  • Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:31:10 -0400


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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