how to find an aggresive hive

Keith13 · April 17, 2010, 01:02:46 AM

if you have 10 or so hives in a specific yard, how do you find the aggresive hive. This time of year I have bees boiling out of all my hives foraging on the flauna. But i'm told you can't get within 75 yards of them or they will pop you. my question is how do you trace it back to a specific hive to find the aggresive one. Normally i have fairly gentle hives with the exception of one colony of bad tempered communist bees that were done away with. not much i can do till next year but i would like to know your thoughts

Keith

applebwoi · April 17, 2010, 02:18:29 AM

I bet when you get home and are able to work them you'll quickly be able to identify the hot hive once you open each one up. Good luck and be safe.

Michael Bush · April 17, 2010, 04:09:06 AM

Pop the tops. If that doesn't tell you, run your hand over the top of the bars (with a glove on of course). The hot one usually will hit your hand. If that doesn't tell you try blowing on each of them (with a veil on of course).

JP · April 17, 2010, 08:31:20 AM

Keith, purple hat trick. :-D

...JP

b reeves · April 17, 2010, 10:16:25 AM

stand in back, tap on the side of the hive, the bees that run out like they are on fire are the hot hive :evil:

greenbtree · April 17, 2010, 12:24:50 PM

Hey Keith,

Quick question - you said you got rid of one aggressive hive of "Communist" bees, were you talking about Russians? I have a friend who is all hot to requeen with Russians (We are both brand new beekeepers) and I have been hearing mixed reviews on temperment. He has 8 children between 3 and 12 (It is a combined "Brady Bunch" family ) and tends to do things a little impulsively... :-D

Jan

sarafina · April 18, 2010, 12:02:46 AM

Once you get back where you can go through all of them I don't think you will have any doubt. My hot hive would buzz louder when I smoked them like it made them mad and would pop me through my gloves just for taking the top cover off. Talk about some pissy girls! Re-queening them fixed them right up in about 4 weeks.

Michael Bush · April 18, 2010, 12:26:19 AM

"Communist" bees is redundant... they are the original REAL communists...

Keith13 · April 18, 2010, 12:43:30 AM

Quote from: greenbtree on April 17, 2010, 12:24:50 PM
Hey Keith,

Quick question - you said you got rid of one aggressive hive of "Communist" bees, were you talking about Russians? I have a friend who is all hot to requeen with Russians (We are both brand new beekeepers) and I have been hearing mixed reviews on temperment. He has 8 children between 3 and 12 (It is a combined "Brady Bunch" family ) and tends to do things a little impulsively... :-D

Jan

Yes they were Russian but i don't want to speak badly about them as a whole because i did have another colony of russians that did fine and were very gentle.
Michael Bush the bees are the original communist very true

Keith

Koala John · April 18, 2010, 01:22:24 AM

I would pop the top without smoke and see what the reaction is, I expect the angry girls will make themselves known.
If I was over your way I would volunteer to go take a look a them for you, because I seem to have a knack at finding the aggressive hive every time without really trying :-D

Take care over there Keith and all the best,
KoalaJohn.

Scadsobees · April 19, 2010, 09:49:55 AM

Sling shot.
Hit the front of each hive and the one to react the most is probably the culprit. :-D

Or you could suit up and wave a swatch of black cloth in front of each and see which one acts most aggressively.

Rick

Hethen57 · April 19, 2010, 03:40:11 PM

Pretty much like scadsobees said....the slightest movement or vibration will set off an agressive hive. I had to slide my hives down the hive stand about 6" last year, and none of them minded except one...everytime I touched it, the bees flooded out and started attacking. This spring, I noticed they are just as agressive, you put a hand near them (as in changing their syrup jar) and they are relentless attackers....all of my other hives could care less and are as gentle as can be. You can also tell by the way they greet bees returning from the field, they frisk everyone on the way in the front door. I'm trying to decide whether to deal with mine, or leave it as is. They don't seem to bother anyone outside the general area of their hive.

bluegrass · April 19, 2010, 07:03:16 PM

I preserve aggressive hives. They don't get robbed out and then starve over the winter, they out produce my calm colonys and build up much faster in the spring.

Hethen57 · April 19, 2010, 07:51:39 PM

That's kind of what I was thinking...I will keep them so long as I can deal with them and they don't become a nuisance in our yard. My agressive hive is definately a strong hive, early risers, and they worked on many cool winter days when the other hives chose to take the day off...