Post by heavyhitterokra on Jun 21, 2019 20:44:16 GMT -6
Any suggestions about what to do with a productive hive that has become too aggressive?
I have a hive that has gone rouge, stinging people without provocation, and robbing and killing thousands of my "good, domesticated honey bees". The colony they killed and robbed out had never stung me, even while I was in their hive with both hands or actually bumping against their hive with the riding mower. I didn't even need smoke to work that hive; they were "good bees."
The rouge hive has killed all of my "good bees" and have stolen two seasons worth of their honey, not to mention they've stung me in the face, while working in my garden on three separate occasions over the past 11 months.
The first time they stung me under my eye, was in July of 2018. I was picking squash and cucumbers at the time. At first, I thought a bee had come out of a squash blossom and stung me, then, I saw more of them headed my way, straight from the hive. The hive faces South; I was about 50' feet away from them, on the Northwest side. My dog was with me that day and they stung him first. He came running straight toward me and I was stung a few minutes later, so I figured the dog had stirred them against me and let it go at that.
The second time they stung me in the face, I was plowing the garden with the tractor. I was near the same place as where they had stung me the year before, but was I plowing this time, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt and blamed it on the big, noisy, red tractor.
This time, they stung me even farther North than that, and while on the opposite side of an apple tree. When they stung me this time, I was driving away from them on a riding mower. I've mowed around my hives for several years, without incident, even bumping the hives with the deck of the mower on occasion, so I know it's possible to mow around my hives and not have bees come after me. This was actually the second time today, that they came after me; the first time, they didn't get me, they just got the mower. I was about 20' feet away and to the Northeast when they came after me the first time.
The second time they came after me, I had left the area for about half an hour to let them "cool down. "They got me on the second pass, when I came back to finish mowing along the garden fence, about 75' feet Northeast of their South facing hive.
I think the 3rd time will be the charm for these bees. I'll either kill the Queen and give them a chance to breed a more docile colony, or just open the hive and let the wild bees have at them.
Any one have a better suggestion? I'm open to comments and other possibilities.
You think I look bad? you ought to see the other guy, or other girl, actually. That poor bee is laying out there somewhere with no stinger and its guts are probably hanging out everywhere. Good thing that's my blind eye, or I'd be having a hard time typing this thread about right now.
I have a hive that has gone rouge, stinging people without provocation, and robbing and killing thousands of my "good, domesticated honey bees". The colony they killed and robbed out had never stung me, even while I was in their hive with both hands or actually bumping against their hive with the riding mower. I didn't even need smoke to work that hive; they were "good bees."
The rouge hive has killed all of my "good bees" and have stolen two seasons worth of their honey, not to mention they've stung me in the face, while working in my garden on three separate occasions over the past 11 months.
The first time they stung me under my eye, was in July of 2018. I was picking squash and cucumbers at the time. At first, I thought a bee had come out of a squash blossom and stung me, then, I saw more of them headed my way, straight from the hive. The hive faces South; I was about 50' feet away from them, on the Northwest side. My dog was with me that day and they stung him first. He came running straight toward me and I was stung a few minutes later, so I figured the dog had stirred them against me and let it go at that.
The second time they stung me in the face, I was plowing the garden with the tractor. I was near the same place as where they had stung me the year before, but was I plowing this time, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt and blamed it on the big, noisy, red tractor.
This time, they stung me even farther North than that, and while on the opposite side of an apple tree. When they stung me this time, I was driving away from them on a riding mower. I've mowed around my hives for several years, without incident, even bumping the hives with the deck of the mower on occasion, so I know it's possible to mow around my hives and not have bees come after me. This was actually the second time today, that they came after me; the first time, they didn't get me, they just got the mower. I was about 20' feet away and to the Northeast when they came after me the first time.
The second time they came after me, I had left the area for about half an hour to let them "cool down. "They got me on the second pass, when I came back to finish mowing along the garden fence, about 75' feet Northeast of their South facing hive.
I think the 3rd time will be the charm for these bees. I'll either kill the Queen and give them a chance to breed a more docile colony, or just open the hive and let the wild bees have at them.
Any one have a better suggestion? I'm open to comments and other possibilities.
You think I look bad? you ought to see the other guy, or other girl, actually. That poor bee is laying out there somewhere with no stinger and its guts are probably hanging out everywhere. Good thing that's my blind eye, or I'd be having a hard time typing this thread about right now.