While working today on several things, one being a cutout on a shed where there was a massive hive that filled 4 boxes with comb, brood and bees, also, while moving some boxes from one location to another and taping closed a hive at night (not fun), I swear, I smelled bee venom, very strong. It is as if I was being sprayed with it. At night, I smelled it even heavier and I was quickly covered with bees as if they "marked" me. A few got inside of my veil and I got nailed on my neck several times, eh, I expected as much, I figured they were going to be angry being messed with at night, but I wanted to seal them up in the hive before I left for the night as I will be moving them to my place from my mentors place in the early am and just needed sleep. So, ulti8mately, my question is: Do bees actually spray their venom on a "target" to mark them with alert/attack pheromone?
More like emit, alarm pheromone, smells like banana extract and a lil something else. Once you smell the odor mad bees are very near for sure.
I was helping a friend with his hives the other day, one of the hives was quite crooked and needed straightening. I was the put the blocks under the guy man after removing the bricks dude. His chore was no menial task as he was the pick up the deep dude, why I do my thing.
Fully drawn deeps are a little cumbersome and to give himself a little weight break he set the deep against a bath tub he uses for a pond, that's when the fun started.
I heard the clank, then smelled alarm pheromone big time, followed by, "I think I just p'oed the bees dude!"
I had on a short sleeve shirt, long pants and a veil that was open at the top. Long story short, we both got nailed quite a bit, he a lot more than I.
His girlfriend was peering through the glass doors with this devilish grin and thinking, I am certain, what a bunch of idiots!!!
We licked our wounds and went back in and finished the job of righting all three boxes of mighty angry bees, both our smokers were nice and lit and flowing smoke could be seen for miles.
...JP
>More like emit, alarm pheromone, smells like banana extract and a lil something else. Once you smell the odor mad bees are very near for sure.
And after the first sting they have a good mark (target) :-D!!! Just watch the number of times you are hit near the same location after the first sting.
The bees in my example really liked going for my buddy's leather gloves as they were marked from other inspections, in fact I believe his jacket and veil were marked as well, told him he better wash off the evidence real good!
...JP
I notice it more in the winter when I do quick checks, but the bees will all parade around the top with their butts in the air, stingers out, wings fanning, and then I smell the alarm smell.
Even only checking the syrup bottle on my observation hive will trigger this, and I can smell the alarm.
When you do anything to alarm the hive, they will instantly raise the alarm smell which puts them on red alert so they will all be ready for intruders. That being you. You don't need to be marked by smell because they can see you moving and know you are the intruder.
Rick
Now, see, I have always thought the alarm pheromone smells just like BO.
Funny thing, too, I always smell it before I even get to the hives - as soon as I put on my bee suit, in fact.
Well, the a box w/ super filled with the girls are at my place now. What a difference daylight makes. They were still a little miffed from the jostling from riding on a trailer to my place, but smoke sure calmed them down. I couldn't smell the pheromone this morning, I am sure it was there, but I smoked them fairly well and the smell of it probably masked the alarm scent I would have smelled. They seem to be settling right in. The rest of my boxes are down at a farm that is a member of my mentor's co-op to winter there. I was given many frames of honey for the super that is sitting on top of the box I have at home to help get them through the winter as I am at a higher elevation where it snows. The cut-out boxes I made up yesterday from the shed we took a hive out of the walls will be left at my beek buddy's house to calm down for a few days, they were so NOT happy about having what was tantamount to a dynamic breach served on them complete with eviction.
Now the study of how they handle the remaining fall, winter and early spring begins. I'll get a good education here. I didn't think I would begin beekeeping with so many hives as well as jumping head first into a beek co-op for farm crop pollination. It is much to absorb as I have had lots of information presented to me by my buddy in such a short span of time. The home hive is slightly over crowded, so, I will wait a few days and pull the super off and add a box on top of the brood box to give them room to live, I'll stick the queen excluded on top of that and place the honey super on top of that after I've made sure the queen is not in there.
Thanks to those here that have given me some good info. The even cooler thing is, many of the things I would have never thought to ask were located in threads someone else brought up in many places on the forums that have really made a difference as well as given me topic to bring up to my buddy that is helping me start up. I still have 4 more cuts outs to help my buddy out with, thus far, I seem to be getting the better of the deal, he's been allowing me to have the bees I cut out. Although I am slightly unnerved by next weeks capture, it's very high up in a tree, and I have never had to climb up that high whilst dodging angry bees before. Thus far, I have a total of 6 hives going as of today, all of which are free feral bees. On another positive note, in moving my home bees to the back yard, I didn't get nailed today! Yippee! (Unlike yesterday, *chuckle* I got it good, on my neck no less! Poor suicidal girls) Thanks again folks, I need a shower, my bee suit and gloves smell like sweaty socks, and, so do I. Time to clean the stuff and myself up.
-Dennis
There's hive scent and alarm scent, the hive scent smells like bananas/flowers/and fresh cut Douglas fir to me, the alarm pheromone smells like bananas and burning plastic, at least to my nose. I really have to get hit 20+ times before I can smell the alarm scent.
My bees pretty much have to hit me 5+ times before they really mark me for death. My girls really do not like leather gloves. After that, its game over. I just have to walk away, let them cool down and get a change of clothes.
I read about Tillie, using butyl rubber gloves, and gave it a try. Worked wonders, my hands are practically invisible to them. Now, when they are really p/oed they go for my armpits instead of my hands; which is hilarious to watch but not nearly as painful.
Once I get popped, I generally smoke the area so the alarm is masked. Smells like bananas to me too.
David
I wish that I could smell that scent of banana....if I get stung it may only be once, maybe twice during a visit to the apiary. I don't get stung very often, guess I could consider that good, maybe bad, depends on how one looks at it. I can only imagine what the scent of the bees' sting must be, I like the smell of bananas. Maybe one day I will be privy to this long-sought-after scent, hee, hee. Have the most wonderful and awesome day, Cindi
Quote from: Cindi on October 10, 2008, 11:16:47 AM
I wish that I could smell that scent of banana....if I get stung it may only be once, maybe twice during a visit to the apiary. I don't get stung very often, guess I could consider that good, maybe bad, depends on how one looks at it. I can only imagine what the scent of the bees' sting must be, I like the smell of bananas. Maybe one day I will be privy to this long-sought-after scent, hee, hee. Have the most wonderful and awesome day, Cindi
Cindi,
I don't know if you would actually like that particular banana smell, it has that banana smell to it, but it also has some other smell to it, kind of like what you would find in a dentist office but a little more subtle, well, if a dentist office could be referred to as subtle in ANYTHING! *snicker* I like the smell of real bananas, this smell is not pleasant, it is not pungeant by any means, but I would not want a food item to smell like that, nor would I run out to buy a bottle of cologne that smelled like that. ;)
However, the smell came in handy last evening, I had turned the corner by my house where I was maybe 20 feet from the hive as evening fell, and I smelled that scent then I heard a buzzing near my face and ears, it gave me the opportunity to turn around and casually walk away before I got stung. Funny thing, their attitudes sure change after the sun goes down.
I'd describe it as "artificial banana flavoring" smell.
It reminds me of suntan lotion
the first time I ever smelled it I whipped my head around because I thought it was sun tan lotion. I was hoping to see the Swedish bikini team, or Bud Girls parachuting in like they do in those old commercials.
But no only angry bees when I turned my head back to what I was doing :'( :'( :'( :'(
Keith
Maybe thats why the fermented banana peel in in a moth trap works.
Quote from: keith13 on October 10, 2008, 05:46:09 PM
It reminds me of suntan lotion
the first time I ever smelled it I whipped my head around because I thought it was sun tan lotion. I was hoping to see the Swedish bikini team, or Bud Girls parachuting in like they do in those old commercials.
But no only angry bees when I turned my head back to what I was doing :'( :'( :'( :'(
Keith
Such a rude awakening to such a pleasant daydream!!
...JP
Quote from: Bill W. on October 09, 2008, 10:21:34 AM
Now, see, I have always thought the alarm pheromone smells just like BO.
Funny thing, too, I always smell it before I even get to the hives - as soon as I put on my bee suit, in fact.
Haha. Maybe it's time to wash that suit, Bill. :-P
Quote from: JP on October 10, 2008, 10:35:25 PM
Quote from: keith13 on October 10, 2008, 05:46:09 PM
It reminds me of suntan lotion
the first time I ever smelled it I whipped my head around because I thought it was sun tan lotion. I was hoping to see the Swedish bikini team, or Bud Girls parachuting in like they do in those old commercials.
But no only angry bees when I turned my head back to what I was doing :'( :'( :'( :'(
Keith
Such a rude awakening to such a pleasant daydream!!
...JP
Keith and JP, bad boys, I'm gonna tell your Wives :-\ :-X ;) :) :) :)Cindi