[Guest]

Went to get the bees this morning. I had a full suit on, used a little smoke, and bees came pouring out. The queen excluder had a hole in the wood, so there were two hive openings. I decided to maybe wait till almost dark, then on second thought i decided to just go far it. I took the top with the shallow hive, and put it on my bottom board. The brood box was already stapled to the existing bootom board, so i loaded that. I sliped a ratchet strap around them both, and bees were every where, and p---- off. That is one bunch of aggressive bees. I tryed to insert the #8 hardware cloth, but couldn't get in the opening, and they were still comming out. I let them settle down for maybe 15 minutes, and just walked away. I walked maybe 100-yards, and maybe a dozen was still buzzing my head net, and bouncing off my gloves. I had a pair of old work pants, I stuffed them the best I could in both hive bottoms, closed the tail gate, and left. there were no hive boddies left for the remaining left behind bees. I had a half donen in the crew cab with me. I was glad for the extra room. I kept my suit on for the ride to the farm, some 20-miles. I backed up to the concrete tile well lid and stared unloading. I put a newer queen excluder on above the single deep super. I installed their shallow hive box on top of that. I had a new deep super that I put on to give them some room, a telescoping hive top, and the old top. Their queen excluder had several big spots of wax, with honey on it. I left it by the opening, and they were cleaning it up. I went back after a couple of hours to find that I didn't remove the hardware cloth from the opening, and bees were everwhere. I suited back up, and removed it. I walked through the heavy woods to brush them off me, but they kept comming. I hopped on my 4-wheel mule, and left the truck with them, and the bees didn't follow. I have bee drops all over my windshield, and on the metal body. It's kinda yellow looking. Do you think I might have a african colony, are just some aggresive bees? Now what should I do with them next?

 

[James Urbish]

Hey Rooter

Are you still worried about the hogs messing with your bees??? I think that you have
Normal mean bees they will probably make lots of honey. Tomorrow they might be fine. If
They start hitting you a hundred yards away while you are approaching then you have a problem.


James

 

[clintonbemrose]

I think I would re-queen that hive after killing the old queen.

------------------
Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

 

[Michael Bush]

I'm pretty sure I've had AHB here. Pretty much EVERY bee in the hive is trying to kill you and won't give up even if you leave. Then for the next two days they track you down by the pheromones they marked you with and sting you hundreds of yard from the hive. Interestingly they don't try to sting any non-beekeepers that far away.

Yours just sound mean, not vicious.

Personally, I don't much like mean bees. You can try removing the queen to a nuc and let them raise a new queen. A young queen might calm them down.

 

[Guest]

I went to the hive this afternoon around 4pm and every thing was was fine. The bees were foraging, by comming, and going. There were some bee's hanging around on the bottom board just before dark, but just on one side. I did notice a not so pleasant odor when i working the moving the hive this morning, but it wasn't bad, or rotten smell. i can't remember what a healthy hive smells like. This morning when I worked them, it was after daylight, and it was 48-degrees, under clear skys. the high today was in the 70's. I didn't take the hive boxes apart to inspect, I just moved them, and they were stressed. How long should i wait before looking into the brood hive? It is supposed to be in the 80's, and the low in the 60's tuesday, and the rest of this week. we had almost 9-inches of rain this week. How long before they start working the new super? the hive seems strong, but i am not a beekeeper to know, just a want-a-be.

 

[Guest]

I forgot to say that as i went to the hive this afternoon, they didn't pay any atention to me being there. Just before dark, i was within 3-feet of opening collecting hive top, and i laid the queen excluder against the block wall, and they weren't alarmed. I didn't have my suit on either, as i did earlier.

 

[Oxankle]

Rooter;

Sounds pretty much as if you just picked up a hive that had been shaken up and was very defensive.

In a few days check the hive for brood pattern and new brood. If it looks good, nice tight pattern and few skips your queen is working well. If they continue to be non-aggressive and build up nicely you don't have to do a thing other than straighten up the hive/comb etc.

Wash your truck. That yellow stuff is bee poop.
Ox

 

[Michael Bush]

Any hive is grouchy under certain circumstatnce. Queenlessness, Skunks, People, rain, wind, cloudy. All of these factors make them "in a mood". If at all possible just work them on sunny calm warm days. We had one of those once around here.

 

[Guest]

How do you straighten the hive comb? are you just talking about the brood box, are the whole thing? i have ordered from dadant the 4.9mm foundation, how do i start converting over once i get it into the frames?