[oregonsparkie]

Had my first experience with "ANGERY" bees. They have been great since I started(late june). Even extracting bees out of walls was more fun than today... must of gotten stung atleast 20 times.. They chased me forever... Had to finally resort to killing a few very persistant bees...

 

[Michael Bush]

I'd take a look around the front for any piles of dead wet bees or scratches on the fronts of the hive. They aren't usually that angry unless something has been messing with them. Sometimes they get mad because of a change in the weather or because of queenlessness too.

That's why I would always wear at least a veil.

 

[oregonsparkie]

Thanks MB,

Ill take a look next time I go over to feed them. I always wear a long sleeve shirt, veil, gloves and sleeves. They just stung through the shirt. I have a pair of tyvek coveralls I use to extract bees from walls and such, guess I will just use it next time.

There is no flow going on here and hasnt for a long while, do you think this could have made them aggressive???

 

[Michael Bush]

No flow certainly puts them in a bad mood.

 

[Whitey]

I live north of you in Wash state and my bees are acting more like hornets now than honey bees. We have nothing blooming and it looks like nothing coming one with the cool wet fall . I think the early spring and after the long dry summer it feels more like Oct Nov conditions to the bees right now. Very defensive.

 

[bjerm2]

My bees are happy, flying and getting aster and golden rod. One small problem, they want to kill me!

I was hauling fire wood from my woods using a wheal barrel and been doing that for about 3 hours. Stopped to cool off and take a brake. Just about 30 feet into the woods and away from the hives. Next thing I knew they were all over me and one little ##@@@*** , lack of words fit to print, got me inside my nostril. Talk about tears and calling for my better half for help! It was sunny and no skunks, did have a racoon up in a tree sleeping. I don't know what got them so angry but I am careful right now. Good thing I don't swell up with the stings but boy is that a sensitive area to get zapped.
Dan
PS I might have gotten them mad at me when I fogged them 2 days before.

 

[Michael Bush]

Odd that more than one would be after you that far away. You sure there isn't a colony in a tree nearby?

 

[Darrel Wright]

I think it's some kind of conspiracy. My bees were perfect little ladies all summer, through queenlessness, laying workers, no stores and little flow through August. Sweet as peaches. I opened up on Sunday about 5:00 pm, sunny and flying hard, but I swear it was like they were waiting for me. No sooner did I lift the cover than they blasted out and popped me two good ones on the hand and one under the armpit!. Cover down, bashed my knuckles with the hive tool, run away and live to fight another day. Is this just a fall thing? I know chicks hate football season, but this is ridiculous.

 

[bjerm2]

MB no just my bees. The girls hate me. I thought I was nice to them all summer but I think they think I'm a bad boy. Hunting season is comming and I won't be around for 2.5 months.
Dan

 

[honeyman46408]

<got me inside my nostril. Talk about tears>

Been there done that it will make a BIG MAN cry

 

[beebarf]

Glad to know I'm not the only one with mad bees. my nicest hive is now on the defensive since the weather has changed. they dont sting, or even land on you, but the second you enter their little 5 foot area they are in your face buzzing around till you leave. they also follow to make sure you leave.

 

[BeeMiner]

******,

I'm just north of you (Carnation) and my bees are bringing in Japaneses Knotweed that's still blooming. There's a lot of it along highway 203. It is starting to peter out a bit though.

When I was putting my two hives that the bear smashed the second time back together the bees were so angry I got stung a few times through the socks on my ankles. I should have put on some boots. My ankles and feet are so swollen now I look like a hobbit!

Mark J.

 

[bjerm2]

BeeMiner
Good news (?) no arthritis of the ankles.

I hope the loose the swelling soon.

Dan

 

[dtwilliamson]

I had one nasty hive.....couldn't go within site of it. Checked and they had a queen and eggs but there were supercedure cells. So I let them bee. The new queen hatched 8 weeks ago and the hive has only gotten gentle in the past 2 weeks or so. Now I can walk right up to the hives with no problem. But it was a nasty 7 weeks or so before they settled down. They were getting me through my bee suit.

 

[BeeMiner]

Bjerm2,

Thanks. The swelling's going down but boy are my ankles getting itchy now and then.

A beekeeper buddy of mine said he got stung on a varicose vein on his leg and the vein is not longer visible. I did a google search on "Apitherapy varicose veins" and got quite a few hits about treatments for varicose veins using bee stings. Cool!

Mark

 

[ox]

I'm in Tiller Oregon. All summer I sat by the new swarm watching and enjoying the activity of the hive. Last week I took a break from Fall chores and sat by the hive. I looked down at my arm just in time to see her hump her back and nail me. I was out of there!

------------------
the ~ox-{ at www.singingfalls.com

 

[bjerm2]

OX, it was her way of saying I love you.

Dan

 

[dickm]

This is certainly the time of year for angry bees. I had 1 hive that boiled out at me, after being nice all year. I closed them up twice to come back on a better day. Today I put 2 bee suits on and took a couple of nuc boxes to find and change that queen. I found all of the brood chamber empty except for a few patches of brood. These were mostly drone brood in worker cells. Aha! I said, A clue! Either a laying worker or an infertile queen. Which, though?
Having taken a leaf from MBs book I split the frames between the nucs and carried them away from the cloud of bees. Then I clamly sat and studied each comb. "Believe she's there", I could hear beesource saying. Then with a yelp of surprise I found her. Apparently she just ran out of semen, Though some of the cells were normal there was no attempt to make a replacement queen. I killed the queen and will merge the colony tomorrow. These bees better calm down.

Dick Marron