# Aggression study in honeybees



## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...cial-culture-of-hive/articleshow/49640200.cms
Not a lot of data and analysis here but the findings are amazing. Would like to know more about this stuff and participate in these studies. 
UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) has been having trouble keeping beekeepers. Maybe I'll give it a shot.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

This make it even more complicated for those of us attempting to combine AHB trait of workers emerging at 19 days (instead of 21 days with most other races) and mite mauling expressed in Russian bees, then trying to breed out the extreme hive defense response in AHB.

Now we have to breed the crosses and raise them in docile hives, then evaluate them...this ain't gonna be easy!

I've long known that strong hive defensive bees are better survivors, make more honey, and give fewer problems for the beekeep'. But it is not an option when situating the bees on other people's property - if you want to keep the location! Gotta go with the mellow bees, give the landowners honey, and mead. They get stung, and its Goodbye Viet Nam! I lose a bee drop. Happens too often.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

kilocharlie said:


> This make it even more complicated for those of us attempting to combine AHB trait of workers emerging at 19 days (instead of 21 days with most other races) and mite mauling expressed in Russian bees, then trying to breed out the extreme hive defense response in AHB.


Wow! Good luck with that...




kilocharlie said:


> I've long known that strong hive defensive bees are better survivors, make more honey, and give fewer problems for the beekeep'. But it is not an option when situating the bees on other people's property - if you want to keep the location! Gotta go with the mellow bees, give the landowners honey, and mead. They get stung, and its Goodbye Viet Nam! I lose a bee drop. Happens too often.


Not sure I agree with much of this, particularly the "...give fewer problems for the beekeep'" I consider hyper defensive bees a HUGE problem, on my property or elsewhere.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Yeah, I gotta remember that my indifference to bee stings is not normal. I went into this figuring that I'd be getting stung a lot.  Guess what? I DO get stung a lot. Only ones I don't like are the ones on the eyelids or on the neck.

The part about them being better survivors is a generalization, and I'm well under the number of colonies to make a statistically significant statement. My apiary has always had that tendency, though. Nasty bees = lots of honey and few pests / diseases. Some of my AHB crosses were excellent bees.

The part about mellow bees on other people's property is dead true, however. Best to stick with commercial orchards.


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## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

Wasp are aggressive honey bees are defensive which is a biological fact, just saying.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

kilocharlie said:


> I DO get stung a lot. Only ones I don't like are the ones on the eyelids or on the neck.


But the nose septum is okay?


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## SRatcliff (Mar 19, 2011)

I think I've bred my bees to sting under my fingernail. this is like the 3rd or 4th time.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

SRatcliff said:


> I think I've bred my bees to sting under my fingernail. this is like the 3rd or 4th time.


It hurts so much it buzzes, doesn't it.


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## SouthTexasJohn (Mar 16, 2015)

Down here we just have to manage the AHB swarms that we catch and our locally produced virgin queens that open mate. We just deal with it and when they get nasty, re-queen. It always helps. I believe that we need the feral genetics. I get a good 3, sometimes 4 months from a feral queen before I have to change her out. In the last year 2000 to 3000 acre around me has been cleared for hay growing so that is a bunch of their homes being flattened. They move further out, my hives swarm, so my virgins have to be mating with a watered down version. I only keep feral bees here at my place so no worries for my out yards. To each, their own.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Michael Palmer said:


> But the nose septum is okay?


 Yeah, actually after about 4 or 5 stings there, its not so bad now. 

I got one on the ear recently and it kept that ear warm all night in freezing weather, I wanted to have one on the other ear. Sheesh, I'm gettin' to be a hopeless case.


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## jms86233 (Mar 18, 2015)

The septum is the worst my eyes watered for hours


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

Yep, feels like you've been to the dentist for a filling. My son said something about Kris Kringle...

They certainly like the nose and eyes. Add that to your list of traits, guards that don't go for the head..... I suspect that will take a few years.

I'm requeening now in an attempt to get calmer hives. With open mating in Texas I'm not sure how good my odds are. They all seem to be swarmy and too hot for my urban environment. I may have to break down and purchase a queen or two.

I hate to loose the build-up traits, but it seems to be a trade-off with swarming.


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