Author Topic: Killing Queen That's Making Agressive Bees (Read 4506 times)

Jen · « **on:** March 28, 2022, 12:58:32 pm »

Over my years of beekeeping I've had to destroy two entire hives due to very aggresive bees.

What is your opinion on what makes bees very aggresive over a two season period?

iddee · « **Reply #1 on:** March 28, 2022, 05:45:06 pm »

"What is your opinion on what makes bees very aggressive over a two season period?""

My opinion is a new queen mated with a number of aggressive drones.

Aggressiveness travels down the male lineage.

Jen · « **Reply #2 on:** March 28, 2022, 11:17:36 pm »

Hi Mr. Wizard

I do know this, but it is a rather unknown part of bee science, so I thought I would present this in learning mode.

I did come across this bit of info some years ago. When the virgin queen goes up into the drone pool and mates, Hopefully she mates with around 15 drones at the least, and hopefully she doesn't mate with her sons, and actually tries to avoid her sons. If she does get nabbed by a son or more she will produce mean bees.

The first drone contribution is the first layer, the second drone contribution is the second layer, the third drone contribution is the third layer ... and so forth. If the queen is mated mostly with other drones from around town, but gets a son or two in there by accident. That isn't too much of a big deal, and we can wait until those particular set of bees have died off in 6 weeks or so. However, if she has mated with mostly her sons then that is going to be a mean set of bees.

Am I correct so far?

iddee · « **Reply #3 on:** March 29, 2022, 04:43:08 am »

Seeing as how a queen only mates once in her lifetime, she has no sons to mate with. If she mates with her brothers, the workers remove the larva, as their DNA is recognized and forbidden to emerge.

Gypsi · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2022, 06:08:39 pm »

If your hive temperament changed that is a new daughter queen, and she mated with drones at a DCA that had some hot visitors. I would order a mated queen, kill the old one, smear her on the front of the new queen cage, put it in for a day before pulling the plug, maybe 2 days, give a couple of drops of water a day then remove plug and you should be good. I've done this.

Jen · « **Reply #5 on:** April 13, 2022, 03:18:59 pm »

Hi Gypsy, two questions:

What is DCA?

And why smear the old queen onto the screen of the new queen?

Zweefer · « **Reply #6 on:** April 13, 2022, 04:01:11 pm »

DCA drone congregation area

My guess is so that her pheromone helps transition? I have never done that, so will wait for Gypsi to respond…

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Gypsi · « **Reply #7 on:** May 11, 2022, 08:33:04 pm »

Sorry it took so long. Cleaned about 100 koi ponds in between visits.

I believe the pheromone smell of the smashed old queen on the cage calms the bees and kind of blends with the new queen so when I let her loose in a day or 2, she is most often accepted. I've not done well with just killing and removing the old queen and putting the new queen in, whether same day or after a couple of days queenless, those hot bees beat that California queen up and threw her out on the front porch for me to find.

RAST · « **Reply #8 on:** May 12, 2022, 07:26:57 am »

Agree that requeening a hot hive can present queen acceptance problems, divide and conquer can often make it easier, but requires obtaining 2 new queens. By this I mean splitting the hot hive.

Jen · « **Reply #9 on:** May 12, 2022, 12:01:43 pm »

Agree with Gypsie, I've witnessed far too many queens get mauled and suffocated right before my eyes. I've tried different suggested methods whether it's the type of cage, or the length of days. Many times introducing queens turns into a $100 day.

For the last 5 years I now use with great luck, the 'push in cage' that I make myself. When I bring my purchased queen home and put her in this cage for 5 days... I haven't lost a queen since.

rober · « **Reply #10 on:** May 19, 2022, 05:04:38 pm »

i had a virgin mate with some bad drones a few years ago. when i opened the hive it was on. i could barely see out of my veil. i had bees in my nose, ears, & butt crack. i found & snuffed the queen & installed a new queen the next day. within 5 weeks i could work the hive without a suit. i walked thru the brush to knock them off of me & drove half way home in my bee suit with the windows open.
a county cop saw me in my suit, u turned it & pulled me over. i got out of the truck & told him to stay back. when he got close to the truck his official posture melted & he turned & ran & told me to G.T.F. out of there

. i had several thousand stingers in my clothes.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #11 on:** May 19, 2022, 11:37:57 pm »

Holy cow... I bet that wasnt fun! I've been stung up badly twice by nasty bees... man it felt like my whole hide was lit on fire.

Jen · « **Reply #12 on:** May 19, 2022, 11:41:04 pm »

Rober, Those two hot hives I had were just like that, it was years ago. The first hive, I didn't have time to wait out the 6 week recycle to nicer bees. I live in town and we had new neighbors move in right next door with a toddler and an infant. So I got my courage up and asked my bee people on this forum how to dispatch these bees. I was surprised and relieved that... Yes! sometimes you have to 'off' a mean hive. Iddee walked me thru the sulfer in the smoker style. Boy! was I relieved to be done with that mess.

Jen · « **Reply #13 on:** May 19, 2022, 11:44:14 pm »

Lazy, the worst I've been stung is 30 stings and quite unexpectedly, really angry bees and the stingers went deep. It's scary!

rober · « **Reply #14 on:** May 31, 2022, 10:59:54 am »

as stated i requeened that hive & that fixed the problem BUT it takes 4-6 weeks for the bees to turn over. this hive was in a rural location so no neighbors to worry about. i know a guy who procrastinated requeening 2 mean hives & because of neighbor's complaints his H.O.A.
banished his hives permanently

Zweefer · « **Reply #15 on:** May 31, 2022, 11:53:42 am »

Quote from: rober on May 31, 2022, 10:59:54 am

... i know a guy who procrastinated requeening 2 mean hives & because of neighbor's complaints his H.O.A.
banished his hives permanently

I'm surprised a HOA would allow them in the first place!

rober · « **Reply #16 on:** May 31, 2022, 12:43:18 pm »

properly placed & managed hives can easily go unnoticed by neighbors.

Zweefer · « **Reply #17 on:** May 31, 2022, 12:51:45 pm »

I'm not disagreeing. it was more of a statement about HOA's than anything.

rober · « **Reply #18 on:** June 01, 2022, 12:18:05 am »

i wasn't being contrary. bees might have been overlooked when the rules were drafted. i was just pointing out that if he hadn't run up flags & kept 2 aggressive hives close to the property line the bees would never have come up. it's hard to defend your position when your neighbors are being attacked on a regular basis.
i caught a swarm a couple years ago. it so happened that a beekeeper lived behind this property. he had 8 hives & none of his neighbors were aware that they were there. i'm for keeping a low profile. my hives at home are in a corner of my lot where there is no traffic across the 6' fence. my out-yard is rural.

Jen · « **Reply #19 on:** June 01, 2022, 12:56:04 pm »

Hi Rober, I have to stay quiet in my neighborhood as well. I live in the city limits, on a court mixed in with other courts and close neighboring streets, a few blocks from main street.

6 years ago we got a bee club established in our town, set up by our county ag commissioner. I was hesitant to go to the meetings because I was sure I would be told to move my hives somewhere rural. I just wasn't going to do that, and that was final!

I got my nerve up and went to the meeting and simply wouldn't give them my address. When we were asked to tell our name, where we lived, how long we have been keeping bees. I did that without my address. THEN! Someone else said 'Hey Jen, you live up there in the neighborhood where the community swimming pool is, right?!!

'S...'

The ag commissioner slowly turned his head towards me and said "Jen, you mean... you have been suburban beekeeping for 8 YEARS, and our office has never had a complaint?! Congratulations! would you be interested in helping others who want to be suburban beekeepers in this county?"

Wheeew! I lowered my horns, softened my gaze, and said "Well Sure! Why Not!"