Hello from N Central Florida! Hot Hive! -Stung thru suit..What next?

**marzipan** · 06-30-2012, 02:45 PM

What an amazing resource this is! I'm a local club member, and Bee College grad, but what I see here is THE BEST!

Problem: 1 hive is so hot I can't even check it. I've been stung twice-seperate occasions- through the suit. Other 2 hives are quite docile. I think I need to re-queen, but is there any way to make it less aggressive?? Is there any smoke fuel that calms them like catnip for cats? I can't imagine how many stings I'll take just trying to find the old queen to off her....

marzipan

**Solomon Parker** · 06-30-2012, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by marzipan

I think I need to re-queen, but is there any way to make it less aggressive??

A consistently mean hive, yes. There's no special smoke. There's some that will make you mellow.

**SRBrooks** · 06-30-2012, 04:36 PM

Mellow, but paranoid. Who wants paranoid bees?

**abejorro** · 06-30-2012, 05:29 PM

Wear an extra cotton layer underneath the suit. The extra thickness is what you need...

**marzipan** · 06-30-2012, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by abejorro

Wear an extra cotton layer underneath the suit. The extra thickness is what you need...

Very good idea, one I dread thanks to the summer heat, but...... Thank you.

**Riverratbees** · 06-30-2012, 08:10 PM

Requeen and if the bees are everywhere. You can send her to a bee lab and see if she is AB positive they are in florida. Was the original queen marked and if so is it the original queen. If I have to where extra clothing under my suit to work my bees I will for sure make a queen change.Later

**AmericasBeekeeper** · 07-01-2012, 06:49 AM

Welcome M! Watch the heat with an extra layer. Drink plenty of fluids. The best time for the bees is 10:00 to 2:00. The best time for you may be the cool of the morning. Your inspector can take a sample for testing. Did you sign up for BMP when you registered?

**Specialkayme** · 07-01-2012, 07:18 AM

Welcome to the site!

**marzipan** · 07-01-2012, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by AmericasBeekeeper

Welcome M! Watch the heat with an extra layer. Drink plenty of fluids. The best time for the bees is 10:00 to 2:00. The best time for you may be the cool of the morning. Your inspector can take a sample for testing. Did you sign up for BMP when you registered?

What is BMP?

Also, in response to riverratbees, This hive came from a new nuc this spring. She has swarmed 2X already, even though she was split before swarming. I doubt the queen is still the original, but I don't know for sure. It has been highly active these last couple of days. Could it be getting ready to swarm again?

I'm quite sure, I will get into the hive to requeen, and will not be able to find her. Then what do I do?

**AmericasBeekeeper** · 07-02-2012, 04:11 AM

Best Management Practices BMP is the Bee College, Master Beekeeping class you had right before the lunch break, when they showed you samples of different diseases, pests, and parasites, and biological, chemical, and mechanical controls. If you were there in the last two sessions, I taught the opening bee biology lesson.
If you do not find the queen the first try, you need to try again another day. Take an extra super or two and seperate brood frames into smaller groups. Move them to an empty super after you check for her. If you are brave and patient enough, move brood frames to a second super if you miss her the first time.

**abejorro** · 07-02-2012, 04:25 AM

If really desperate, you can also use a queen excluder (or even several, if it's a huge hive) to limit her to a smaller area, making it easier to find her. She'll be wherever you find eggs.

**marzipan** · 07-02-2012, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by AmericasBeekeeper

Best Management Practices BMP is the Bee College, Master Beekeeping class you had right before the lunch break, when they showed you samples of different diseases, pests, and parasites, and biological, chemical, and mechanical controls. If you were there in the last two sessions, I taught the opening bee biology lesson.
If you do not find the queen the first try, you need to try again another day. Take an extra super or two and seperate brood frames into smaller groups. Move them to an empty super after you check for her. If you are brave and patient enough, move brood frames to a second super if you miss her the first time.

OK. I wasn't in the Master Beekeeper class, although I was in an outdoor class for new beeks that you taught at Bee College.

I had been taught that I didn't necessarily need to always find my queen as long as there was lots of obvious brood . Therefore, I haven't seen the queen in a long time. I suspect she's not my original. I like the extra super box nearby to help eliminate which frame she is on. And was thinking that I probably needed to add another brood box to the hive anyway. NOW, am I correct, if I need to re queen, I shouldn't add another brood box for a little while? duh?

****I felt so smart, like I GOT IT all at Bee College. But putting it into practice in my own hives.....I feel so unsure! Like the obvious can be staring me in the face , and I don't see it. (sigh)