Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Charles Wright on May 19, 2022, 05:06:20 pm

Title: Aggressive bees
Post by: Charles Wright on May 19, 2022, 05:06:20 pm

I had a top brood box filled with honey. I extracted 4 frames to lighten it up and give the queen room to lay. That was Sunday. Now the bees are attacking everyone who goes into the backyard. I was even stung in the front yard this morning.
My question is"how long will they be like that?" Thanks.

Title: Re: Aggressive bees
Post by: The15thMember on May 19, 2022, 05:27:46 pm

It depends on why they are acting aggressive.  I can't see that taking four frames of honey would be causing it, especially since I imagine your flow is still pretty strong.  Could it be something environmental that irritated them?  Did someone mow around the hives lately, or could an animal be messing with them?  How strong is the hive?  Could they be experiencing robbing?  Do they have a newly mated queen, who perhaps mated with some nasty drones?  Maybe it's an older queen, but she's just working on the sperm of a nasty drone or two at the moment?  Any more information you could give us would be helpful to try and diagnose it.  How did they look last inspection?  Anything changed in their environment?  Things like that.       

Title: Re: Aggressive bees
Post by: Ben Framed on May 19, 2022, 05:41:00 pm

Adding another, could it be the queen was accidentally and unknowingly killed during the time of removing frames, leaving the hive queen-less?

Title: Aggressive bees
Post by: TheHoneyPump on May 20, 2022, 12:32:30 am

If were kittnes before and all of sudden seems not ?. Are you sure the mean ones are yours?  Are there other hives in the nearby area? Neighbours ..

Title: Re: Aggressive bees
Post by: Bob Wilson on May 20, 2022, 01:29:11 am

I am assuming you have been beekeeping a while, and know the difference between an attacking honeybee, and an attacking yellowjacket.
Yellow jackets are beginning their build up here in Georgia, and get mean when you get near their hole in the ground.
My hives were more defensive this spring, but have settled down in our honey flow.

Title: Re: Aggressive bees
Post by: FloridaGardener on May 23, 2022, 10:07:03 pm

Stickies cause beesrobbing.

Bees - not from this hive as HP mentioned - are frustrated if they can't get in the hive with the stickies.

Your own bees may feel threatened and defensive becaue robbers are trying to get in.

Since you said it was a "top brood box" then the sticky frames may have drooled on the brood, and the bees needed "all hands on deck" to clean up the mess and it was a setback to them.