Bees angry when fed?

[indypartridge]

Background: 1st year beekeeper. 1 hive, located about 60 yards BEHIND my house. I live in the woods. None of my immediate neighbors (1/4 to 1/2 mile away) have bees.

Going into September, my hive had no honey stores (none for me this year),  but plenty of brood. By the end of Sept,, they had nearly filled one deep, but that's only about half of what is recommended by fellow beekeepers as needed for winter in my area.

I began feeding 2-to-1 syrup, about a quart a day, in early October (boardman feeder) and it really seems to agitiate the girls. All spring and summer I never saw them around my FRONT porch, but when the feeder is on, we can't even sit on the front porch because of being buzzed non-stop. We get buzzed just walking in the yard, nowhere near the hive. Didn't have this problem in the spring when I fed them 1-to-1, nor anytime else. If I leave the feeder empty for a day, then no problems.

Any ideas? Comments?

[bassman1977]

Could it be that they are fighting with bees that are trying to rob them?  Some say that the boardman feeders (and feeding in general) will trigger robbing.

[Michael Bush]

If feeding is making them mad, I'd guess they are being robbed.