[Eric Young]

Super thanks to Ceebs and Susan. I got your email Ceebs. I do totally understand the situation especially at this time of year.

This incident is one of those that unfortunately is not unlike a dog biting a neighbor. I have to move the hives and of course it became an immediate issue for me. This is especially true to the extent that I want to promise the neighbor the issue will be dealt with.

It is worth noting as I try to troubleshoot what exactly happened I can only think my hive requeened between November and January without my knowledge. I was in the hive in February and did not see signs of requeening and the hive was not unusually ornery. However, in the past month I was attacked by bees in my garden. At the time, I figured that they were native bees and I was destroying their in the ground habitats. In hindsight, I think the bee population in the hive had turned over under the new, Africanized really meany queen. I have been beekeeping now for about 5 years I think and I have never seen this level of aggression.

If I thought I had a few months, I would requeen in place. This is certainly a lesson worth sharing on this site. Had I recognized the issue earlier, I would be well on my way with a new queen and re-calmed hive.

Thanks again everyone. I will either speak to the neighbor and see if I can get a reprieve while I try to relocate. Or I will have a rescue company come and take the brood boxes. It should make it pretty straighforward to requeen and take off.

Susan–a special thanks to you. My oldest hive came from a great swarm you gave me many years ago. And I probably ignored a high level of aggression in the past two year just because this hive produced a lot of honey for me. Greed is not always good.

[Eric Young]

I have sent two different emails to CEEBS@honeylove.org without a response.

I have to assume at this point that I am left to deal with this another way? But thanks for the consideration.

[Eric Young]

Thanks. I will.

[Eric Young]

Did you get bees eventually? I may have a hive I need to relocate and/or donate to someone.

[Eric Young]

Thanks so much for the help. My friend wound up going with someone else. I did hope they would use one of our folks.

Thanks a bunch,
Eric

[Eric Young]

Ronni;

I can also offer help with your hives and/or help with the allergy issue.

I developed a bee allergy last year after it not bee-ing:) an issue.

I have had the allergy shots, but I also had the worst reaction during the therapy. So I can talk about it.

I still have my hive, and I still tend my bees–but I have learned how to “Nuclearize my suit.:)” And I have learned some protocols for making sure I avoid the post suit sting like yourself.

You can email me at: numbersix@icloud.com for help with the hives as well– and/or information on what I do now.

Good luck,
Eric

[Eric Young]

Wow. This video would seem to explain a lot. It is very sad since I would have assumed a package I ordered was all from the same hive. So much for thinking a package of bees was thoughtfully put together.

[Eric Young]

Thanks. This could be the best article about queens I have ever read. Nice photos and good information.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Eric Young.

[Eric Young]

This is so perfect. And you are right about the video. I just thought it was funny. But it also shows about the level of bees that are getting on me. My hope it that just adding the brood box will offer some help. And I planned to add the other box you mentioned this Sunday.

I do believe management is one big issue. And I suspect I might be making it worse right now with a lack of zen calm due to the current hive issue. I am very open to advice. And I think if a mentor came on site–they might be able to quickly point out some sort of bad hive management that might very likely be causing all the problems.

We will talk on Sunday and I think a split might be a great thing to do. I have everything I need to do that. I was going to split last year, but they barely had any honey. So I have an extra bottom board and two extra covers.

See you Sunday

[Eric Young]

Super advice again. I have had this hive for almost two years now. I have hoped to harvest honey last September, but there were less than 8 full frames of honey in 3 medium supers. So I condensed the hive down from 5 boxes to 4. Now–as I mentioned–they seem to have filled the two boxes with at least 16 frames of honey.

I don’t plan to throw them over–so take heart there. I thought I would start with the advice you gave before. So I have added the new brood box. I figure I might try to look in the hive again after our Honey Love meeting on Sunday. And yes I will look into some onsite maintenance. I know that you are somewhat against requeening a hive in our backwards beekeeping–but I have been reading Micheal Bush’s advice on requeening a hot hive here:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesrequeeninghot.htm

I also felt comforted by watching this Youtube video on working a very hot hive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alQCQh_3V8Y

My bees are about half as aggressive as these.

[Eric Young]

First, of all–thank you so much Susan for your advice. For my own sake, and possibly for others, I am going to continue this thread as I sort out the sudden evil change of my bee hive. (Remember that 12 months ago, my hive was wonderful. No one bothered me as I worked the upper boxes. When I got to the two brood boxes on the bottom–there was minor harassment. But it was just a few bees. Now they are a terror from the moment I take the top cover off.)

I went back in the hive today to follow up on your advice. There were a bunch of bees already at the front entrance when I started my work. I smoked the hive (very little this time), but few if any bees went inside. I got the top cover off and started working my way down.

The two upper supers are filled with honey. There are probably 16 frames with patches of comb on the other 4.

By the time I got to the top brood box I was covered with 1-200 bees easily. They did a lot of stinging on the chest of my bee suit. Thank goodness I wear a Brushy Mountain suit with long sleeves underneath.

I wanted to take the top brood box off (box #2), but I was afraid I might be about to get stung alot. (When I inspected the hive in November–I was stung through my suit so many times–I later realized it might have been an occasion to use the epi-pen.)

Per your advice, I composed myself enough to move up 3 frames from box #2 into a new brood box (new box #3). I interlaced empty frames with full frames and stacked the new box #3 on top of the upper brood box (box #2).

I managed to re-stack the hive and get away relatively unharmed. I eventually got in inside and was only stung twice while taking off the suit. The suit, however, did not fair so well. There were something like 30-40 stingers in the suit around the chest area, and a few on the hat part.

Tell me if this is OK . . . I am thinking of harvesting some of the honey in the two upper supers (now boxes #4 & box #5). I was thinking of harvesting one full super (10 frames) and then leaving them with just 4-6 frames of honey. Does that sound OK?

[Eric Young]

Thanks Susan. First–you are amazing. I have put into action most everything you ever told me. And I am glad I got to be a part of your mentoring this past Sunday.

Thank you for your comments. I have been starting with the first box. You suggested that to me last year, and I have been doing it since about August or September.

I generally do my hive inspection between 10 and 2 for reasons you have discussed many times (a lot of bees out foraging). I also use a hive inspection form and keep pretty good records. I track what frames are getting built out and what is in the frames. I had two additional mediums in the stack for a lot of last year. But the bees never built them out, and I took them off last November. I will add at least one on my next inspection this weekend.

Thanks again

[Eric Young]

Do you think you will be getting swarm boxes for much longer?

[Eric Young]

Sweet. I am going to look him up now. Nice to know.

[Eric Young]

You are a great mentor Susan. Sadly, it was your swarm that left my hive after a week. I live in the valley and just figured those Manhattan Beach bees did not like the valley.

Thanks for your advice. They are in mediums. As noted I took off the bottom box since it was still empty.

At this rate, I expect to be putting it back on top within the next week or so. And I will take a more involved look for brood on my next inspection.

Thanks again,
E

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