View Full Version : Hot Hive ? Gentle Bees?
Last year I had 3 hives and could work them easily with out a veil. They are probably mixed dark Italians. I got 2 more hives going from nucs for a total of 5 which were a more yellow Itialian mix.
The yellow hives are very strong with a lot of bees of which I split one not long ago. This year I can not even walk near the yellow bee's hives with out getting stung. They mostly go after the face.
The black bees are not mean.
What are your thoughts? I do not want mean bees. Should I requeen with a gentler breed now or wait until after the honey flow? Which breed of bees in your opinion are the gentlest? Any tips on where to get any gentle queens in NC?
Your input is appreciated.
Ravenseye
03-29-2008, 07:27 AM
You'll get a bunch of discussion re: which bees are gentle vs. which are not. A lot of folks will say that Italians and Carniolans are gentle and the discussion will be whether it's the Italians or the Carni's that are the most gentle.
That being said, hot bees are hot bees regardless of the race. If it were me, I'd make sure that they're not hot because of something environmental. For example, my bees are hotter in the fall when they're often being robbed and have stores to protect. Bees can get hot if a skunk or other critter bother them all night. If there doesn't appear to be any reason for their mood, you need to requeen. Order new queens from a breeder that's been around for a while and that you get good references from. Find the old queen, dispatch her, make sure that they're not making their own already, and introduce your new lady. It can be a chore dealing with the old queen in a hot hive so think it through ahead of time so that you won't cut corners when you're out trying to get it done.
Like Ravenseye said, before requeening make sure nothing's bothering them. I've had my bees get testy in early spring when there's no nectar flow but as soon as the nectar flow starts they calm right down. This year my girls are as sweet as their honey, but I still wear a veil when I work them!
Michael Bush
03-29-2008, 12:31 PM
>The yellow hives are very strong with a lot of bees of which I split one not long ago. This year I can not even walk near the yellow bee's hives with out getting stung. They mostly go after the face.
The black bees are not mean.
Like everyone says, if they are not being bothered by skunks etc. then requeen. The sooner the better.
AstroBee
03-29-2008, 03:15 PM
Like Ravenseye said, before requeening make sure nothing's bothering them. I've had my bees get testy in early spring when there's no nectar flow but as soon as the nectar flow starts they calm right down. This year my girls are as sweet as their honey, but I still wear a veil when I work them!
You mentioned that you split the yellow ones. Did the new queens take? Are all your colonies queenright? Have these bees been nasty since before the maples bloomed?
If all the above checks out then I believe that Tia may be on to something. Quite often after the maples and before the main flow many hives can get down right nasty. This usually subsides dramatically as soon as the flow restarts. Perhaps your yellow bees are just meaner now because they just have more bees. Personally, I do not tolerate mean bees and will requeen nasty bees, but I almost never requeen hot hive at this time of the year because of the likelihood of what was just described. Further, queen supply is not great this time of year, so you may want to hold off for a month or so.