Aggressive Behavior

[PaloAltoMark]

Hi:

I'm a new bee keeper and wanted to ask about some recent behavior to determine what might be causing it.

In the last couple of days, both my young son and I have been buzzed by individual bees that will exhibit aggressive behavior -- fly straight at us, chase etc.
We might be 20 feet from the hive when this occurs, so it's not like we are threatening them.  This has happened more than a few times in the last several days.

Please let me know what might be causing this.

Thanks

[rast]

 You say individual bees, so they are probably just aggressive guard bees. Most of us get some like that at times.

[AllenF]

Check your hive to see if it is queenright.

[montauk170]

When I failed on a cutout at my sister's place, the next few days there were these aggressive bees that would chase you. Even look at you through the glass door! I really angry them off when I tried the cutout and failed to capture the queen. Hopefully the guard bees will calm down.

[Michael Bach]

I have four hives, all this year packages.  About 3 weeks after hiving them, there was a single bee that would not leave us alone for a entire day.  She would follow us around and buzz all around our heads.  There was nothing aggressive but annoying.  I would walk into the greenhouse and she would leave for a few minutes.  When I walked back into to field.......buzz all over again.  This happened one day and one day only.

I have been head butted by a few aggressive guard bees every now and then.  Usually just before a thunderstorm or following a hive inspection.

A day in the life, I guess.

[PaloAltoMark]

Hi All:
Thanks for your help.  I want to check on one particular comment.....

Hi AllenF:

I just want to clarify, by queenright, do you mean that a queen is present?  Now I'm a little concerned.  I put on a honey super yesterday.  When I went into the hive, I saw a queen cell formed on the first frame.  I cleaned this out, fearing that it would cause a swarm.  But I really didn't check for signs of the queen or really do much of an inspection because I really was checking on how much comb had been drawn out and weather to add a super.  Any advice would be appreciated.

[AllenF]

Check for eggs to make sure you have a laying queen present.   That is the easy way, because she is normally real hard to find and even if you see her, you don't know if she is laying, or laying in a good pattern.   Cutting out swarm cells will not stop a swarm if they are capped.   You may end up with a queenless hive when they do swarm. 

[iddee]

Never, ever, destroy a queen cell.

[Paynesgrey]

If you don't destroy a queen cell, what do you do with them? If you don't have enough extra bees to make a split? Won't you lose half the hive to a swarm?

[luvin honey]

You could try to capture your own swarms and then merge them again. The danger in destroying queen cells is that they may have already swarmed, and then you would have just destroyed their future queen...

Does your hive sound differently? A queenless hive (IME) sounds loud and upset. Not the quiet, undulating hum of a happy, queenright hive. Also, just look for eggs. Eggs would show the presence of a queen in the last 3 days. Good luck!

[Finski]

Hi:

I'm a new bee keeper and wanted to ask about some recent behavior to determine what might be causing it.

In the last couple of days, both my young son and I have been buzzed by individual bees that will exhibit aggressive behavior -- fly straight at us, chase etc.

I had a msame kind of hive 4 years ago. The whole summer i got stings but I did nt know where they come from. I just walked in the garden and with out warning I got sting in the back, stomach head and where ever.

In autumn it revieled out which hive it was. I went to take honey before winter feeding and I got 70 stings. During 3 days' trial they gived me about 150 stings. I poisoned the hive.

But if you have a hive which stings too much, change the queen.
To me the limit is 10 stings/per hive in a day when inspecting. Then I am more aggrssive than bees and kill the queen.

.

[beee farmer]

This time of year when populations are up there is a greater chance of old guard bees nearing the end of their life being out there, simply due the the increase of numbers.  Add in the possability of a mini dearth between nectar flows and or one of the hives being queenless or messed with by a skunk or othe animal due to the honey stores being present and you have what many including me tend to call pissy bees.   THe simple fact is with higher numbers you increase the odds of encountering a defensive bee.

[iddee]

>>>>If you don't destroy a queen cell, what do you do with them? If you don't have enough extra bees to make a split? Won't you lose half the hive to a swarm?<<<<

Or lose the whole hive to queenlessness. Your choice.

[Finski]

.
If the hive is good beehaving, it does not attack 20 feets distance.
'
In nature that feature is good but not in home beekeeping.

[Michael Bush]

The agreesive bees are doing their job.  They are guards.  Did you smoke them?

If a hive isn't strong enough to split, then they probably aren't swarm cells... or you let them get very crowded or you kept feeding after the flow started...

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfallacies.htm#queencells

I would assume a weak hive with queen cells is trying to replace the queen and I would let them.  I would assume a strong hive with queen cells is trying to swarm and I would split them.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm

[beee farmer]

.
If the hive is good beehaving, it does not attack 20 feets distance.
'
In nature that feature is good but not in home beekeeping.

well said