Angry Bee Experience - Hive Inspect

Beekeeping - Basics
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Yesterday, I had my first angry bee encounter during a hive inspection. I came off with 4 stings through my gardening gloves which I’d been using because it’s been easier to lift the frames than the bee gloves.

Inspecting the first 3 frames went fine and then the bees got agro, hitting the chest area of my suit and face guard. I used plenty of smoke which calmed/distracted them for a couple of minutes.

I got to frame 4 which was heavily propolised and made it hard to lift which the bees didn’t respond well to. In between me calming them, walking away and coming back, trying again, we had this dance going on for a few minutes

During the attempt to inspect frame 5, I received the 4 stings and decided to close up. I found it difficult to line up the QX and super with it being my 1st time, fuddled around, squashed few bees in the process, while trying to stay calm.

I’ve been reviewing the exercise today. The colony is strong and thriving, took the bur comb off the QX, there’s full and capped honey on frames 1 and 2, plenty of capped and uncapped brood on 3 and 4. Far less chalkbrood on the pest tray, though I spotted some CB’d cells on frame 4.

Didn’t see the queen, or any drone cells. I noticed on frame 4 that the bees were moving fast and in places, crawling on top of each other, like they were about to drip off. Wondered what this was all about?

Next time, I will remember to start inspect from frame 8 backwards.

It was a beautiful warm late afternoon, a breeze but nothing dramatic. Although we did have a strong wind come through in the evening, I wonder if the bees already knew.

Putting this all down to experience and trusting they won’t be as cranky next time and I’ll move slower and with more dexterity.

What’s the best amount of time to leave them before I try the next inspection?

Are there any other considerations and things I could do to make the experience better next time?

Thanks for reading.

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Sorry for your harrowing experience, but we have all had days like that, so you are not alone!

I have a few ideas for you:

  1. Try not to start too late in the day. The closer you are to noon, the more bees will be out of the hive foraging, far away from where they can sting you :wink:
  2. Smoke the hive well before you start. Give them a couple of minutes to gorge on honey and lose the will to fight, before you open the hive top fully.
  3. Definitely start with an outside frame first, and if the queen is not on that frame, leave it out to give you more space to move the other frames as you separate and then inspect them. I put it in an empty brood box on top of an inner cover, but you can use a frame rest etc
  4. Consider using a couple of linen “tea towels”, like you would use for drying dishes. They shouldn’t be towels with loops of fabric. Pillowcases also work. Lay the towel over the top of the hive after you have taken the inner cover off. Pull it a little to one side to inspect your first frame. When you are done with a couple of frames, use the second towel to cover the tops of the inspected frames, and move the first towel over. That way, you are only dealing with bees from one or two frames at any one time. The ones under the towels stay mostly calm. You may need some extra smoke as you move across the hive. I love this method, and it usually controls bees really well
  5. Move slowly, calmly and try not to bang things around against the hive. Gently does it, is the name of the game

I would give them 2 or 3 days, and then go in as described above, starting with smoke. I hope you have a better experience next time, but the above suggestions have all been useful to me over the decades. :blush:

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Hi Sam, I’m also finding bees to be aggressive. They get very defensive during these frequent periods of rain we’ve been having. Definitely wait 3 days before going back in after a bad experience. However wait until this on & off again rain has passed.

I can’t add any more to what @Dawn_SD has said.

I’m noticing a lot of paperbarks in flower, which always seems to coincide with rain. Once we get into dryer weather, we should see a drop-off of chalk brood.

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Hi Sam,

Inspectng a hive is always a stressfull time for the hive and we as Beekeepers do need to try and work with the bees. Opening the hive when its warm and favourable does increase the probability that the older forager Bees are out of the hive. Its these that typically have the least patience with quicker defensive behaviors.

Going into the hive with a precise plan is key to minimising stress on the colony. Keeping your inspections quick, on point with your intentions and also precise with your movements is always key. The colony will react if you knock or impart sudden movements. Killing Bees only aggrevates them further. If your just entering the hive to feed sugar water then consider closing them up thereafter. If its a colony inspection. look for the presense of resources and brood of all stages. One also needs to discern if the hive is dealing with any pests or diseases. A colony loses its patience over time. Some are more tolerant while others not so much. In moments such as this with hightend defensiveness, withdrawing for a few moments is helpful to assist with moderating thier aggrevation. Smoke the Bees to clear them and restart, focus on getting through with your plan. When the hive is open and we are commited, the colony is relying on us to get our plan done. “Do we close up now and come back another day?” - my answer us that you may want to simplify your goals. But getting as much done is kinder on the colony then closing them up now and opening them a few days later.

My mistakes that I made when i first started was that i was clumsy - killing Bees which created an absolute swarm, sloppy movements - knocking the Bees which again angered them. My worst mistake was time management. I was taking way too long and frankly i overstayed my welcome with an open Hive.

With a recap - always remember to keep your inspections to be as brief as you can, the translation will manifest into numerous positives for you and also your Colony.

I know that Im reiterating things that @Dawn_SD has previously mentioned but with a wider perspective we all glean a guidance that we require. - you will develop your own working technique that is yours and unique to you.

I wish you all the best with your Bees Sam.

@Dawn_SD - that idea with the Tea towels is a fantastic idea. - its the Guard Bees looking upwards that can trigger an aggrevated episode. Shielding their line of sight is a means to minimise this occurance.

Kind regards,

Scol.

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Hiya Samlenn, never a good time with angry bees :flushed_face:

The apparent escalation as you got closer to the heart of the hive makes me think perhaps your bees are in the process of requeening? I’ve found that my colonies are often more defensive during this period, and of course when there’s a nectar dearth.

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Thank you @Dawn_SD for your kind words and suggestions. The tea towel idea would have been so useful, I can see. Will definitely give that a go next time. I’ve purchased a frame rest now, before I was leaning them against the side of the brood box.

I’m more happy that this experience hasn’t put me off!

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Thanks for your support @Jeff It’s good to know my bees aren’t extraordinary! I was so keen with the 3/4 days of clear sunny weather to get in there with some inspection practice, and knew we were in for a few days of rain incoming.

I haven’t seen any of the paperbark in these parts, plenty of Golden Penda though. I got to have my first taste of the honey too. Makes those 4 stings kinda worthwhile :slight_smile:

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Thanks for your kind words and support. Clumsiness is definitely something I have to work on changing.

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Thanks for your perspective @eva.

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