bitchy bees!

aww honey · May 16, 2014, 01:57:26 PM

2 week old swatm. the day they swarmed they killed a puppy. my cousin called and asked me to come get them. had no problems getting them into the hive of course they were little pissy then , that's understood but they haven't settled down since. They do not seem to be stressed just busy working. Should I just give them time and lots of smoke or think about requeening? Thanks! ;)

D Coates · May 16, 2014, 03:05:24 PM

Do you have a laying queen in there? If they are queenless, there's the issue.

If they are queenright split the hive, requeen the queenless portion and see if the queenright hives attitude improves (give it a week or two). If the attitude doesn't improve, are they getting messed with by something (skunk, kids throwing rocks, etc)? If they aren't getting messed with unceremonially dispatch and replace the queen.

Vance G · May 16, 2014, 04:54:05 PM

If these bees were defensive enough to kill a dog the day they swarmed that is a large warning! Swarming bees are full of honey and of more value to their colony alive carrying honey than they are as some jihadi defending the true hive. Now if it was the first day the swarm was noticed, not its first day after swarming and had about exhausted the honey they took when they left, that is another thing totally and they can be very defensive no matter what their normal nature.

Only you can judge whether their behavior needs modified by requeening. Until you know, keep small people and animals well away from them.

RHBee · May 16, 2014, 06:10:13 PM

IMHO, requeen if you can't approach the hive or walk nearby without being stung. What you have could be a colony that was forced to abscond. I have a friend who had a colony that was so hot that he couldn't walk in his backyard without getting stung. This colony was 100ft away. Once he was able to identify which hive it was he simply destroyed it. Not every colony needs to be kept. Extremely defensive genetics need to be removed from the pool. Good luck.

iddee · May 16, 2014, 09:36:29 PM

If the weather is sunny and 70 plus, and they are still mean, requeen.

buzzbee · May 16, 2014, 09:45:47 PM

If they are near a residential area or penned animals,move them or terminate them. They have already shown behavior problems.

GSF · May 16, 2014, 10:02:33 PM

...killed a puppy? There must have been a lot of dead bees after that event.

I can hear the prosecuting attorney now; "Mr Aww Honey, when did you first notice your bees were hostile?" it's down hill from there.

I can't see keeping something like that. It is suggestive of AHB.

MsCarol · May 17, 2014, 01:05:29 PM

Question:

In requeening a bitchy hive such as this one, wouldn't the best tactic be to take the lumps (stings) to locate the existing queen to cage her? Keep her confined but in the hive until any eggs she has laid are past being able to be made into a new queen? Then add a frame of eggs from a sweet hive and dispatch the nasty one. I don't think I would want her daughter who well could create an equally snotty colony. But by keeping her caged within the hive, they might be less apt to immediately create emergency cells, maybe?

D Coates · May 19, 2014, 10:26:52 AM

Buy a new queen. Find the old one. Crush her and drop he back in the hive. Come back a day later and put the new queen in there (IN THE CAGE). Let a 3-4 days pass. Go back in a see how they are treating the new queen. Are they 1) feeding her, or are they 2) balling or biting the cage trying to kill her? If it's 1 remove the cover to the sugar plug for them to eat her way to freedom (it normally takes a day or so). If it's 2 give them more 3-4 more days and review again.

AliciaH · May 19, 2014, 11:32:32 AM

Second on D Coates' plan.

Ms. Carol: Even the nicest bees can get bitchy when there are queen issues. I like your plan and would use it if the problem was a general queen failure (poor laying pattern but good temperament - that sort of thing). But if they are queenright and still acting like this, I wouldn't give them another reason to be hostile. 30 days from egg to laying queen might just put this hive, and everyone/everything around it right over the edge (and it sounds like they're already there). Pinch the current queen and get a new, mated queen in there to help settle things down.

beesNme · May 19, 2014, 09:37:14 PM

hopefully you can figure out what is wrong, and hopefully they don't sting any non bee keepers causing you some trouble. and a negitive outlook on bees in general

best of luck

Steel Tiger · May 19, 2014, 09:56:16 PM

This guy says it all...

Requeening A Vicious Honeybee Hive