I got a new package of Italian bees last week and installed them in a previously used hive with old comb. Last years tenants met with a catastrophic end including pesticides and the loss of their Queen later in the season.
This package of bees is infinitely more aggressive than those I had before. I can't step out in the back yard without them giving me warning and was stung yesterday even though I was not near the hive.
With my last hive I never had to wear protection and rarely used a smoker. I MUST with these. I was feeding them when they arrived but they are already filling brood comb with the feed (or honey). Almost an entire side of one frame is full. So I stopped feeding
My wife is not very happy with me or the bees right now and I need to figure this out. "Cause if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!
I'm thinking of moving the hive to the side yard which is only about 4' from the wall to the 6 1/2' privacy fence separating us from the house directly adjacent. Is this too close to the neighbors or will the privacy fence limit any issues I may have? Also, this area is predominately shaded throughout the day. Will that be an issue?
Another problem is the presence of a new Queen cup even though the Queen that shipped with the bees has been accepted and is laying. Anybody got any ideas on that one?
Where did the package come from? AHB? Requeen them anyways.
I'm not one to put up a product review or anything being and extremely new keeper but these particular bees came from Honey Bee Genetics. Last years were from Koehnan. I think maybe Honey Bee Genetics are for a higher level bee keeper? LOL I don't know.
Some of the bees in this package are absolutely the largest honey bees I've ever laid eyes on, ever, anywhere. Should I wait for the current queen to hatch her brood and see what happens, or just cut my losses and requeen?
I would re-queen with a more gentler strain that should stop the meanest in them after the new queen bees start taking over the hive. I f you got neighbors and they get stung that is not going to be good.
thomas
Quote from: kudzu80 on April 09, 2012, 11:14:27 PM
I got a new package of Italian bees last week and installed them in a previously used hive with old comb. Last years tenants met with a catastrophic end including pesticides and the loss of their Queen later in the season.
This package of bees is infinitely more aggressive than those I had before. I can't step out in the back yard without them giving me warning and was stung yesterday even though I was not near the hive.
With my last hive I never had to wear protection and rarely used a smoker. I MUST with these. I was feeding them when they arrived but they are already filling brood comb with the feed (or honey). Almost an entire side of one frame is full. So I stopped feeding
My wife is not very happy with me or the bees right now and I need to figure this out. "Cause if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!
I'm thinking of moving the hive to the side yard which is only about 4' from the wall to the 6 1/2' privacy fence separating us from the house directly adjacent. Is this too close to the neighbors or will the privacy fence limit any issues I may have? Also, this area is predominately shaded throughout the day. Will that be an issue?
Another problem is the presence of a new Queen cup even though the Queen that shipped with the bees has been accepted and is laying. Anybody got any ideas on that one?
This is a new package ???
Do not stop feeding Bees need a lots of resource to get gooding good.Whan the bees full about 70% if the box put on next box.Did I say do not stop feeding.
I hope the pesticides is not enbedced in to the wax
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
The Queen that comes with a package is probably not the mother of the bees in the package. Package dealers usually dump bees from a hive or two then put a queen in the package and ship. So re queening may not be necessary until some of her brood is working in the hive. Then you can judge the queen.
I helped a friend last week check his five new packages [about three weeks old] and all had queen cups but none had eggs or larva in them. From what I can tell it is not unusual for packages to make queen cups.
They build and tear down queen cups constantly.
I agree with keep feeding. If it's a ten frame box,one side of a frame is nothing to be alarmed about.They often spread it out to help dry it down.As long as there is somewhere for the queen to lay you will be alright.Bees that feel they are short of stores will be more defensive.
I hived a swarm on Saturday. On sunday they drained a quart of syrup on the Boardman entrance feeder. Draining another today. FEED'Em UP!
Thanks for all the help everyone!
I will resume feeding and let the Queen do her job and have more patience on my end. I will wait for the first generations of brood to come around before I make a decision on re-queening.
I just have to keep the Queen of my house happy until all gets up to speed. :-D