Weather question

Cricket · April 13, 2015, 09:42:04 PM

Hello all,

I am sorry if this has been asked in the past I didn't see if off hand when i searched. I am in central Arkansas and we are stuck in a weather pattern where we are getting showers daily and wet most of the day on and off. My bees have always been temperamental when there is weather around but I need to get in and check the status and get some splits going. I opened one box up today and they were fine until I took the super off and then they got hot and jumpy quick. The hive sounded fine and were fine at the entrance but once I exposed the brood chamber without pulling a frame they went off. These bees are normally nice when the weather is fine. Anyone have some suggestions other than suiting up and just working them? I will keep trying when the weather improves but I am sure someone has had to work bees when the weather has not been the best.

rookie2531 · April 14, 2015, 03:11:38 AM

Following, because i have queen cells that have to come out of the finisher Thursday and need to split some either tomorrow or next, and radar shows bad weather then.

rwlaw · April 14, 2015, 09:40:43 AM

Keep apologizing to them and do what you have to do in the least amount to time to do it. It sucks, I know, but if it was easy everybody'd be doing it.

Michael Bush · April 14, 2015, 09:43:49 AM

Good news will keep. Bad news won't go away. But if you have something that has to be done on schedule (such as queen rearing and putting cells in mating nucs before they emerge) then you suit up and work in whatever weather you have.

GSF · April 14, 2015, 09:50:07 AM

Cricket, Welcome. Don't worry about apologizing for something like that. Ask as much and as often as you'd like. There's numerous reasons your bees will get hot. Queenless, robbing, ants, dearth, or something else aggrivating them at night. I have one of my hives that are okay "until" you open the hive. I try not to wear gloves but I make an occasion for this one.

Cricket · April 14, 2015, 06:37:20 PM

Thank you for the replies! I figured sometimes you just have to suite up and get r done. It looks like we might have a good afternoon here on Thursday so I will give them another shot. The more I think about it, could it be that most of the workers were home also due to the weather or would that make any difference?

iddee · April 14, 2015, 08:14:29 PM

I made up 2 nucs and loaded grafted cells in 2 more today. I may put my armor on 2 or 3 times a year, but it was on today. Rain and thunderstorms all day. What has to be done, just has to be done. After 30 to 40 stings Sunday, I didn't want a repeat today.

Michael Bush · April 15, 2015, 09:00:19 AM

My point is that MOST things will keep and there is no reason to go opening a hive if it will keep. Queen cells about to emerge will NOT keep and if you are rearing queens on a schedule it doesn't pay to get off schedule or you can't keep track of anything. So in those cases you suit up and do the work. But if it's just a "check on the bees" kind of thing, it can, and should, wait for a sunny day.