Tell me why I should not use the can of Raid in my hand!!!!

[Paperman]

Im sitting here shaking mad at my bees!!  I have not touched them in 1.5 weeks.  They are 100' from my home and 75' from my shop.  I wake up to not much activity on the hives.  Then as the sun comes up they start to take flight.  By 10 AM the yard is crazy full of flying bees and the enterance is full of bees.  So I think possible robbing and not being an experienced keeper I just add a reducer to the enterance for good measure.  No mass attack or anything out of the normal.  (jacket gloves and smoke).  Working in my shop 20 min later one land ing hair and starts chewing and trying to find a soft spot.  5 min go by and one plants a sting right on my ear as I am siting at a bench cutting some paper. 

I can t stand the constant arrent stings these things hand out.  You always here dont mess with them and they wont mess with you BS.  Two weeks ago the guys delivering my stove didnt mess with them, my son (4) riding his bike in the drive didnt mess with them.  Maybe bees are not my thing.  I can stand the stings if I an in there or even a few hours later maybe even a day.  I dont want to live in fear of the bee evertime I try and enjoy MY outside.  Im not shaking now.  But am still mad.  I even went out there can in hand but they did not a single thing as I stood there for 5 min.  Why sting me in my shop but not 5' from the hive?

[AllenF]

First check to make sure they are queenright.  If they have a good queen laying, they must be hot for a reason.  Check to see if there is honey stores and watch to see if robbing is occurring.   You may want to requeen now to calm them down.  Another thing you can do is turn the hive around, 180 degrees facing away from you.   That way most of the bees should be flying higher through the yard.

[L Daxon]

That is weird.  Every hive has a different temperament but what you have described is a bit unusual in my experience.  This time of year the girls can get a bit more testy as the seasons winds down and they have winter stores to protect. Were you wearing cologne or aftershave?  Different scents can set them off.  They also reportedly don't like dark clothing but I notice JP wears a dark colored shirt frequently when his is catching swarms/doing cut outs.  I wouldn't give up on 'em just yet.

[BjornBee]

I'm not sure where you bought bees, what your hive is doing, or what other problems you might be encountering that makes your bees nasty. Could be pests such as a skunk, or vibrations from machinery. Many reasons.

But I will suggest, that it is the beekeepers responsibility to requeen hot hives. And yes, we all get them if you have bees long enough. It comes with the territory. Your supposed to be a beekeeper, then start acting like one. Find out why they are like that, and take measures to guard against it.

If you can't deal with it, ask for help. If you can't find help and not the guts to do what is needed, then give them to a young beekeeper that perhaps needs a hive, and let someone else deal with it accordingly.

But to come here and rant while suggesting spraying them with a can of raid gets NO sympathy from me.

For the record.....I think this whole "Lets keep bees without any intervention" and other "hands off" approaches, are somewhat questionable. I'm glad it is you getting stung, and not a case of a neighbor who lives next door to a beekeeper, with questionable beekeeping practices, that ultimately could effect many other more responsible beekeepers when complaints start being made.

[danno]

I only live about 5 miles from you so before you point the can of raid give me a call and I'll give those nasty little buggers a new home

[bigbearomaha]

 I agree, there is much you need to find out the situation before resorting to drastic measures.  although a beekeeper who reacts so lethally, so quickly, probably doesn't have the temperament themselves to be beekeepers really.

I would also like to make a completely irrelevant comment about how  I think trying to micro-manage bees and using excessive interference is really kind of questionable.

Perhaps you should take danno up on his offer.

Big Bear

[Kathyp]

they are more testy at this time of the year.  if they have good stores, robbing would be my first guess.  that really stirs them up.  if they don't have good stores, try feeding them.  requeening is a good idea, but do it right now so that if it's not successful you can try again.  with only one hive and as late as it is, there is some risk.....but less risk than the can of raid.  :-D

to tell the truth, i have had some of the same problems this year and with different hives on different days.  i never did identify a reason.  they seem to have settled down now, but i am not going near my hives without protection.    

when i started beekeeping i used to down a good size shot of something before going out...did the same thing when i was breaking colts.  it's the only time i drink!

[Paperman]

Ok I am a bit better mood now.  I did not see any pest that bothered the girls this AM but cant rulw that out.  The hives have been very easy to work with in the past and have been no trouble until about 4 weeks ago.  Thank you Danno for the offer and I will keep you in mind if I get jacked again.  At least you could tell me if I am missing something. 

I will pull them apart later today to check for queens in each of them.  Both hives are VERY populated an heavy with stores so I hate to break in and stir them up.  Especially with the mood they seem to be in.  The other 6 I have at other locations dont seem as touchy.  They all came from the same source and have been nice to work with. 

[Kathyp]

this is the time of the year when you need to make sure there is a queen.  take a couple of empty boxes and covers out (towels will do) and put frames that you pull into the empty boxes and cover.  also, if you pull an entire box to check underneath, cover that box.  walk a way if you  need to.  we all have done it.  if doing one hive gets the other stirred up, do the 2nd later.

do your check during the warmth of the day so that not so many bees are in the hive.  check only deep enough to find eggs or very small larvae and call it good.  don't spend time trying to find the queen.  it's not worth it.

[iddee]

All I can say is, That's not normal honeybee action. There is a problem at the hive. Find it and fix it. Maybe ask Danno to come over and do an inspection with you. Two people looking will make a difference.

[luvin honey]

Well, if you want us to answer the actual question proposed in your thread title, how about the concept of being a beekeeper instead of a beekiller?

People have given you great advice here. I'd take it. Perhaps you are quite afraid of your bees and that's why you have the tone in this thread that you do. I hope you get help soon with your bees.

[hardwood]

If they are that aggressive you have a problem of some kind. Queenless hives act like that (especially strong ones) and can often be detected by simply listening to them...they will "roar" more than a queenright hive. Scratches on or near the landing area are a good indication of skunks and robbing should be quite apparent during flying hours.

It does sound like they are queenless from your post.

Scott

[danno]

man if you want to ruffle feathers around here just use the word "RAID".     Were the bee's agressive before you pulled honey.  Mine can get that way for a couple of days after I rob from them.  The difference with mine is that I pull at the end of thistle or about 3 weeks  ago and they still have alot to keep them busy

[JP]

Im sitting here shaking mad at my bees!!  I have not touched them in 1.5 weeks.  They are 100' from my home and 75' from my shop.  I wake up to not much activity on the hives.  Then as the sun comes up they start to take flight.  By 10 AM the yard is crazy full of flying bees and the enterance is full of bees.  So I think possible robbing and not being an experienced keeper I just add a reducer to the enterance for good measure.  No mass attack or anything out of the normal.  (jacket gloves and smoke).  Working in my shop 20 min later one land ing hair and starts chewing and trying to find a soft spot.  5 min go by and one plants a sting right on my ear as I am siting at a bench cutting some paper. 

I can t stand the constant arrent stings these things hand out.  You always here dont mess with them and they wont mess with you BS.  Two weeks ago the guys delivering my stove didnt mess with them, my son (4) riding his bike in the drive didnt mess with them.  Maybe bees are not my thing.  I can stand the stings if I an in there or even a few hours later maybe even a day.  I dont want to live in fear of the bee evertime I try and enjoy MY outside.  Im not shaking now.  But am still mad.  I even went out there can in hand but they did not a single thing as I stood there for 5 min.  Why sting me in my shop but not 5' from the hive?

Something is definitely out of place but could be resolved with some detective work on your part. I urge you to contact Danno, or some other experienced beek who could help you go through your hives and see what's up.

I'm also wondering if its not possible a swarm might have moved into your shop or a tree close to your shop and you are disturbing them when you work.

Walk around your shop and look for bee activity to see if this occurred.


...JP

[Michael Bush]

I have had bees like that.  I would not tolerate them, but neither would I kill them.  I would requeen if it isn't another issue, but it sounds like the issue may be robbing.  That will certainly make them angry.  Try setting up hives that have blown over.  They never appreciate it.  They are looking for something to blame and do not make rational choices in that regard.  They go after the first thing that looks like it could possibly be responsible...

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesrequeeninghot.htm

[deknow]

...perhaps you should use the raid....i'm just not sure which direction you should point the nozzle!

deknow

[buzzbee]

paperman,
If your bees are calm five feet from the hive,perhaps it is not your bees stinging you. Could a swarm have established in a hollow tree around? a late season swarm that has not accumulated stores and are threatened by you encroching upon them? Look around a bit. It would be a shame to dispense of your bees and still have the problem.



Sorry JP,missed your post  asking the same question! :-X

[buzzbee]

...perhaps you should use the raid....i'm just not sure which direction you should point the nozzle!

deknow

Thats not really what we need here. :roll:

[Jim134]

...perhaps you should use the raid....i'm just not sure which direction you should point the nozzle!

deknow

       
   Paperman....  


Hope you can learned to bee come a beekeeper and NOT a bee have.

  BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[JP]

...perhaps you should use the raid....i'm just not sure which direction you should point the nozzle!

deknow

Is that what you'd tell a family member? I don't think so.

Paperman has already proven that he is looking for suggestions to his problem. Why beat a horse when he is down?

"WE" meaning other beekeepers are here to assist other beekeepers to become better beekeepers. That is what this site is about.


...JP