New urban beekeeper, bees bothersome

[laurelmtnlover]

My formerly calm bees are now bothering me to the point where I had to come in from my deck today. Yesterday they were buzzing loudly at the entrance before I went to work. The weather here has been cool and rainy, today is the first sunny nice day in a while. I was feeding them, but I didn't know if the entrance was being blocked by the feeder, so I took it away this morning after my night shift. I got up this afternoon and went out on my deck with my tea, and they wouldn't quit bothering me.
I did examine them last Monday, there is a lot of capped brood and some capped honey. They looked healthy and happy, but now they seem different. Is there alot of new bees? Are they being robbed? Will they calm down enough for me to sit and enjoy my deck? If they are bothering me, I'm worried about them bothering my neighbor. There really isn't another place in my yard to put them. It is a top bar hive, and I established them with a swarm about two months ago. This is the first time they have been like this. Yesterday I did mow in front of the hive and that section of the yard, and they accepted me with no difficulty. They have been calm and happy up til now.
Thanks in advance, looking forward to your opinions. I understand people keep hives on roofs and balconies.
Carrie

[USCBeeMan]

Dearth? Something that you put on that smells sweet to them? Having a hard time finding water?

Tried feeding them?

[laurelmtnlover]

Possibly earth, from all the rain, and lack of urban nectar sources. They do seem a little calmer today after I removed the feeder from the entrance, and yes, I have been feeding them to build up comb, and because of the long, cool rainy spells. I am not putting anything on. They are going to my water source. They are still bothering me on my deck though. I am going to work for another 12 hours, it is supposed to be nice again tomorrow. Thanks, Ken. I think the hive is building up!!!

[USCBeeMan]

I live in town and have 14 hives/nucs in my back yard. When in a dearth they get very testy. My back yard is probably 20' in depth. I will have to say that the bees seem calmy with top feeders (I use 1 gallon paint cans). Other bees are not trying to rob the feeder like they do on a front entrance feeder.

Since you removed the front entrance feeder they are probably not as defensive. And when you are sitting out on the porch, it's possible that you just took a bath, came home from work or something else where you are wearing perfume or the odor from body bath/soap/hair conditioner/hair spray. When working in the yard you probably don't have any of these on you or you could be sweating which masks they odor.

Just thoughts?

[laurelmtnlover]

Yes, I think there is alot of brood hatching with new bees, there is nothing different of what I'm wearing, no hairspray or lotion etc, I also think since the sun came out and there is no pressure system (?) and I took the feeder from the they are calmer, but still coming to bother me. I just hope they're not bothering the neighbor!!! Thanks for your response.
Carrie

[dcross]

Are they just hovering around you? Or running into you? Stinging?

If it's just hovering/circling it could be part of orientation flights.

[laurelmtnlover]

Are they just hovering around you? Or running into you? Stinging?

If it's just hovering/circling it could be part of orientation flights.

They are landing on me, haven't got stung yet, but I will if I sit on my deck, they are just more "bothersome", this is new behavior!! If I had another hidden sunny corner I would put them there, but I have no where else. I can deal with them right now as long as they don't bother my neighbor......
I will go into the hive tomorrow...
Thanks for all your responses,
Carrie

[waynesgarden]

Any honey in that tea?

Wayne

[laurelmtnlover]

Nope,no honey in that tea. I always spend alot of time in my yard and deck. Not wearing any new lotions, etc, don't wear that stuff. This behavior is new.

[Maine_Beekeeper]

Bees are super curious/inquisitive. This is a big part of their toolbox of behaviors that allows them to survive. they look in puddles and streams, they look at flowers, they look inside old soda cans and bottles, they look at people.
If they aren't butting you or stinging you, they're exploring you. Do you have flowers/attractants around the area where you are sitting?
Are your neighbors complaining?

[laurelmtnlover]

Bees are super curious/inquisitive. This is a big part of their toolbox of behaviors that allows them to survive. they look in puddles and streams, they look at flowers, they look inside old soda cans and bottles, they look at people.
If they aren't butting you or stinging you, they're exploring you. Do you have flowers/attractants around the area where you are sitting?
Are your neighbors complaining?

This behavior just started two days ago. So far the neighbor has not complained. It isn't an occasional bee, and I will get stung if it is attached to me or crawling on me and I shift or move and cover one. Could this be drone behavior or queen issue?
Again, much apprciated,
Carrie

[NeilV]

How far away from the hive are you when this happens. If you are fairly close, I'd guess you are sitting in the middle of orientation flights. If you had a break in the weather, you can get large numbers of "orienters" at once. And they are looking at everything to get oriented.

If you are away from the hive and they are landing on you in an aggressive way, I'd check for a queen. If they are queenless, that could be it. If they have a queen, give them some feed, and see if they were antsy from lack of food.

If none of the above seems to fit, requeen it.

Neil

[beedeetee]

As a hive grows and builds up assets it has more to defend. Guard bees are a part of that defense. The distance from the hive that they defend seems to depend on genetics. It seems to be line of sight though.

So I can work right behind or beside a hive and not get a notice. If I am in front guard bees may come out to check me out. Again the distance seems to vary depending on genetics, time of year, weather, if you have been in the hive lately and if they are being bothered by some other person or animal.

I still don't know your setup, but if you can see the entrance from your deck, you might want to change that in some way. You can turn the hive 90 degrees or put a barrier between the entrance and the deck. This can even just be a low fence.

I suspect, but haven't actually tried, a woven wire fence might work. I have one that is 10 feet high near my hives. I have hopps growing on it. The bees fly up to it and then about 50% will stop and then fly through one of the holes. The other 50% slowly fly up and over the fence. The holes are about 3"x1.5".

If you can't see the entrance from the deck and they are harassing you, I would probably be requeening the hive. I have been keeping bees since 1985 and have never had a hive bother me when I couldn't see the entrance except on honey robbing day, nuc making day and any other bee shaking day.

[laurelmtnlover]

Neil, thanks, I will check tomorrow. Before I started my 12 hr shift on Sat they were buzzing very loudly at the entrance, and very chaotic. Could this be a weather system? The loud buzzing was not present today, just the bothersome behavior. At work now and will check and report in the am.
Thanks all.
Carrie