bees suckering me in

[slacker361]

This is my first hive ever. I have the buckfast bees. they seem to be extremely calm bees, so much so , i am tempted at times not to wear my full bee suit when i go to check on the hive. i am sure they are suckering me in , and when they see me with out my bee suit i will hear this tiny bugle blowing "charge"

I understand buck fast are one of the more docile bees, which bees are the more aggressive, and is aggressiveness necessarily related to honey production?

[Wynoochee_newbee_guy]

Just wait till your hive makes a virgin Queen and she mates with a Italian drone. you will have hot nasty bees.

[bigbearomaha]

I guess if you feel afraid to be stung, you can wear that getup as long as you like.

The most important thing is being calm and comfortable while you work with the bees.  If you are agitated, moving with lots of fast movement and jerking or shaking around, that will affect the bees temperament.

If wearing a suit makes you calmer, and more confident to move slowly and deliberately, then go with what helps you do that.

The hardest thing about working with bees is mentally accepting that you WILL get stung.

Once you have truly accepted that in your mind, you will find you don't need a suit at all.  At least all the time.

There are certain circumstances  where you are knowingly going in to agitate bees that no amount of calm on your part will change their temperament quickly.  Like doing a removal from a house.

Big Bear

[AllenF]

When you are inspecting the hive, make sure and smash any bees you see toting a bugle.

[vermmy35]

Last year I started with my first hive of Carniolans which are very calm and I love working with them.  I go 2 new hive's this year of Italians which are not so nice, well I can say they are nasty little things.  So it might just be that the buckfest are real easy to work with.  My brother-in-law swears by them and loves them. 

[iddee]

After his buckfast supercede a few times and cross with other strains, he will swear at them, rather than by them. The hybrids are the hottest.

[vermmy35]

LOL idee, he's had them for little more than 10 yrs and still loves them.

[iddee]

He's lucky.

[slacker361]

ok went to check on them 2night and I must say that was the most unhappy I have seen them. they had loud buzzing and had a couple bumpers come and smack me in the hood. I guess they are mad about the rain we have had, or one of them has a wireless connection and read that I thought they were docile.

[AllenF]

Ya, they read that you said about them.   Next time you'll think twice about free wifi in the hive.