# Why are my bees seeking me out.



## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Why is it that everytime i go in backyard there
is at least 1 or 2 bees trying to sting me.
Hives are 50 yds away and 1 got me on the ear
today for no reason. Just don't know why there
doing this. Do i need to requeen or what do i
need to do. Thank's from my sore swelled up ear.


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

<<<If your gettin stung your doing
something wrong...>>>  

Probably cologne, after shave, or something along that line that they don't like.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Yea i know my line.      
But its like there coming just to sting me.
I dont wear cologe or aftershave just use
zest soap this started about 2 or 3 weeks
ago. I dont like it, it hurts to much. Think
maybe i need to requeen my hives. Got 2 
superceide queens laying now. Guess i'll have
2 order 4 from purvis brothers in georgia.
But would like to get them 2 stop stinging
me. Thanks for info iddee


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Figure out which hive and requeen.







Try opening them all without smoke (gently of course) and see which one is the hottest.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Ok will try that tomorrow. I think i know
which 1 it is. But will find out tomorrow.
Thanks. Just wish my ear would go down.
Look like dumbo on left side.


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

Just remember, a person puts off an odor when scared. The more nervous you are, the more stings you will get.When you get to the point that you don't know one is buzzing your head until your buddy points it out, you will quit getting as many stings. That's why very few oldtimers wear suits, or for many, even a veil. The bees feel their comfort and respond accordingly.

Another thing that will solicit a sting quickly is waving your arms and ducking and jumping. If you just walk away at a normal pace without waving, 99% of the time you will not be stung.

AH, but I just couldn't pass up that tag line.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

>Hives are 50 yds away and 1 got me on the ear

At 50 yards, I'd expect to be able to mow the grass untouched. Make sure that nothing is getting to them, like skunks, etc. Check for scratch marks on the landing board. If you don't find any external cause then requeen asap. Someone also mentioned recently that you may want to consider killing as many drones from this queen as time/will power permits. You guys should be in a big flow right about now and should have "happy" bees. If they're mean in April what will they be like in August?

If you don't mind telling, what was the origin of these bees??


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## Jeffrey Todd (Mar 17, 2006)

Ormond Aebi describes "wavecloths" he used in a similar situation. He put out several items of clothing that had been worn the day before (without being washed afterwards) on sticks in front of the hives so that they would wave in the breeze. The idea was that the bees would get used to the motion and the scent and realize there was not a threat. I have never needed to try it, but it worked for him.


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

I heard the girls always go for the big stinger  

>Guess i'll have
2 order 4 from purvis brothers in georgia.

Don't spend more money than you can afford to lose.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

I didnt have time to do anything. I was building
another hive stand. And here she come straight to my ear and stung me. The hive stand is 40 yds from the other one. So i dont know why there doing it to me. But it sure does hurt. Yea BB they sure go for the big stinger. I would say there italians but they were 2 big swarms i got last april and split them this year.








   

[ April 05, 2006, 06:42 AM: Message edited by: Big Stinger ]


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

Did you find her after you smacked yourself upside the head? Is it possible it could have been a YJ? It just sounds very strange for a honeybee to hit at that distance during a flow.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Yes it was a honeybee smacked her off my ear and ran in house and pulled stinger out with tweesers. Its not the first time last week 1 stung me on the chin but didnt swell up like my ear. So i dont know whats wrong with them will do what MB said to do. Open them up without smoke being careful with them so ill see in a little while. Which one is mean as a snake.


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## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

Good luck finding the nasty one there Big Stinger.
My ear is itchy just reading your post. Hope ya get it resolved real fast!


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Well opened up hives no smoke 1st one new queen not laying yet normal bee behavior. 2nd 1 no queen normal bee behavior will give them a frame of eggs from new laying queen in hive 3 good pattern laying like crazy. Hive 3 new laying queen good pattern normal bee behavior. Hive #4
cracked innercover and was covered with mad bees stinging all over my suit. Found they dont have a queen also but they were 100 times more aggresive than the other queenless hive ive got. They also had a capped queencell upper corner of frame. Hope this helps them out there 2 mean.
I guess i only need 2 queens. But seriously thinkn 1 queen and a can of gas for the other one. And they were chasing after me when i went into my building. Just wish they were like they were about 3 wks ago could walk right in front of hives and nothing Look in them and maybe 1 or 2 would buzz my vale. Well ive rambled on enough so give me some iddeas please.

[ April 05, 2006, 11:45 AM: Message edited by: Big Stinger ]


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

It's natures way of telling you,... somethings wrong.

Name that tune and artist!

I wouldn't take it out on the prodigity and torch them. Either give the new queen a chance and if they aren't in a better mood in two months pinch her and give them a frame of fresh eggs from your best hive. You need to save your workforce for now to make a crop. They will settel down as soon as they start getting their QMP fix.


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

yeah, they got something wrong, I have a hive that lose their queen and they have a new queen now but this is a unpleasant hive, they still mean, haven't seen her laying yet so if the next time I inspect the hive in a few days she should have eggs or ill add here to my alcohol list, besides got queen cells caped now to place in that hive...


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Was just joking bout gas can couldnt do that to them. They have come to far from 3 frames of bees last year to 10 frames in brood box and 2 supers full of bees now. I'm thinkn of ordering 2 queens from pervisbrothersapiaries in georgia to requeen the mean hive with also the other queenless hive with. The mean hive has a capped queen cell now but dont know if she will be mean or not so thats why i was thinkn of requeening them.


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## Man O' War (Jul 11, 2005)

Big Stinger,
Do you have Africanized bees in your part of the country yet. It sounds like your virgin queen may be producing africanized offspring.

Is there any chance you just missed spotting a queen in that hive you posted as queenless?

I will make it a point to mark all my queens this year, to keep tabs on supercedures and swarmed colonies. Being in African territory, I don't like to take chances with the neighborhood's
tolerance of my backyard hobby


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

Queenlessness makes them mean...The q-cell may produce the nicest queen you have. Wait and see what she does. I think local queens are always best.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Will wait and see what they do. Havent heard of AHB in NC yet maybe 1 day. Will be in full suit from now on from looking at hives or laying out in sun but only my face will get tan. Hope they calm down its a pain to bee in the backyard. Went to building about 6:00 pm and got buzzed by 2 girls but i guess they took mercey on me when they seen my ear.


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## jdagpatton (Apr 4, 2006)

You guys are making me nervous!!!! I am new to beekeping and now I am considering arming myself with a blowtorch. My neighbors will be maybe 70 yards away..........do I need to worry about my bees chasing them? Holy Crap!


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## Luke (Sep 8, 2003)

I had a hive like that. For two days after I opened it there would be one or two bees waiting for me to come outside. They never managed to sting me. I would let them in the back door then kill them. They never bothered anybody else. Just me.


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## PA Pete (Feb 2, 2005)

If they are indeed queenless, a new queen (from a cell or introduced) should have a pretty immediate and noticeable impact. 

One of my hives got more defensive than I prefer last summer, due to a failing queen. One day after replacing her, the hive was noticeably less defensive, and stayed that way. Seems like the good queen's pheromones have an immediate impact. Her actual offspring can't hurt either.

Good luck! (how's the ear?)  

-Pete


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

ARTIST: Spirit
TITLE: Nature's Way

Geesh, you guys.  

I think the ear is about the worst place to get stung. So far I have been nailed on the lobe, the top of the ear, and inside of the ear canal, all of them has been worse than any other place on the body. Ears just don't swell well.


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## Finman (Nov 5, 2004)

Only way to get rid of these "remote guarding bees" is to change queen or unite to next nabour hive, no matter how beautifull is brood pattern or how much it bring honey. There are hives which give no sting during summer and there is one hive which give every time 5 or even 20 sting in my arms. The later one goes fast from my yard. 
.


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## Dick Allen (Sep 4, 2004)

>I think the ear is about the worst place to get stung

I think the lips are just about the worst place to get stung.

>Ears just don't swell well

That's true, but whether or not swelling does anything for the pain or not, I can't say. The lips will sure swell and still hurt like hell.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The neck isn't real nice either.


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## Darrel Wright (Jun 30, 2004)

Has anyone tried immediately calming down a hot queenless hive by using qmp?

Also to the newbee who asked, I have been through 3 seasons now with 3-5 hives and have never had anything even remotely like what is being described...even queenless. Not even close. I think this is in the realm of possible but very rare...although if you are in the zone for Africanized, perhaps it is more common.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

>> I think this is in the realm of possible but very rare...

Hmmm, I tend to disagree. It happened to me too in the beginning of my second year of beekeeping and I remember reading a good number of posts on closely related topics. I think its much more likely to happen to a newbee as they might not detect abnormal aggression as quickly as a more experienced beekeeper. Ever since my experience with nasty bees I have a VERY low tolerance. 

My guidance to newbees is that in general EHB hives are very docile, but they are stinging insects and problems can occur. If you live in closely spaced neighborhoods you better have very tolerant/understanding neighbors, and also be prepared to take immediate actions to eliminate aggressive behavior if/when it occurs. If you live in a more rural area, then its pretty much up to you on how much you're willing to deal with, but regardless you should take measures to insure that aggressive genes are not propagated. 

This whole subject is taking on much more significance with the likelihood of AHB coming. I'm pretty sure that this subject (with all the implications) will be one of the biggest challenges facing hobbyist in the near future.


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>It sounds like your virgin queen may be producing africanized offspring.

Africanization is a real possibility almost anywhere in the country now with the migratory beekeepers on the move, but it's too easy an answer for what can be a common problem. I've been told that a lot of first generation crosses, particularly carniolan/italian crosses, can get pretty hot, but I can't say I've seen it. This apparently happened to a hive of a friend of mine last summer after it raised a queen. I had more than a couple of hives go queenless last summer and they never got overtly defensive, they were more morose, and depressed.

>they are stinging insects and problems can occur.

That's my point of view, which is why I always wear a veil when working my hives. Thankfully, my current generation of bees are quite docile- I can sit beside the hives and observe them 1 foot away without a veil and without any stings or head butts. I've even popped a few inner covers this spring without a veil or smoke just to take a peak, and the bees didn't attack. That could change.

George-


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

There have always been hot hives, even before AHBs were an issue. There will continue to be hot hives, even if AHBs don't become an issue. You still need to requeen the hot ones, just as we always have.

I'm pretty hesitant to assume a hive is hot because of AHB genetics.


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>I'm pretty hesitant to assume a hive is hot because of AHB genetics.

I guess that was my point. Listened to Tony Jadczak last night at bee school, among other things he talked about AHB and basically made the same point. He's looking for AHB in the migratory hives that turn up in Maine (and there's a lot of them) and claims he finds it from time to time, but he was quick to point out that not all hot hives are AHB- it's not his first assumption. He also had some great slides of AHB hives on the rampage, and just looking at the pictures was scary.


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## Darrel Wright (Jun 30, 2004)

I still think a hive that attacks bystanders 70 yards (!!) away is pretty rare. Here in Ohio, anyway. I wouldn't want a newbee to think this is par for the course.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I still think a hive that attacks bystanders 70 yards (!!) away is pretty rare. 

Yes they are.

And the solution is the same, AHB or not. Requeen.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

I'm going to requeen but should i give them sum eggs from a gental hive or order 1 or2.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

That's your choice. I like local adapted stock and I would rear my own. But it will cost the hive 25 days of brood to rear their own.


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## Tom Chaudoir (Nov 20, 2005)

> ran in house and pulled stinger out with tweesers.


Hmm. From what I've read, you may have squeezed the venom sack and given yourself a bigger dose. Just scrape the stinger off with a fingernail. That's assuming you haven't chewed them down to the quick worrying about getting stung









Hey George,

How's that anti-sting oil coming along? Sounds like Big Sting could use a couple of pails.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

No i put tweesers on top of skin grabbed stinger and pulled it out. And im not worried about getting stung. Just when your 40 to 50 yds away and you get 1 straight to the ear for no reason it kinda supprises you and hurts like he**.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Sorry guys, I've heard stories about places worse than ears and lips to get stung! Think a little further south!

Bernie Draper, Drapers Super Bee (Pa not Ne), god rest his soul, burst into laughter when one of his customers told about being stung, well, in the rather private regions and the swelling that stayed and chaffed for sometime after. The customer, who Bernie had known for years, stomped out of the store and never spoke to him again! Now that must have been painful.

[ April 06, 2006, 09:04 PM: Message edited by: Joel ]


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>you get 1 straight to the ear for no reason

I know what you mean. I took one on the end of the nose last summer after shaking out a laying worker hive. Unpleasant.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

>I'm pretty hesitant to assume a hive is hot because of AHB genetics.

I absolutely agree. The last thing we need is for every agitated hive to be labeled as Africanized. My comment was cautionary that despite the general docile nature of EHB, there will be instances when a usually gentle hive has bad spouts (sometimes just brief periods and sometimes prolonged). I think its prudent to inform people who may be considering starting beekeeping that there is a chance that bees will become aggressive. Just did a search using "hot hive" and got 300 hits, so it happens, either that or we just enjoy talking a lot about it







.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Well today they were gental as they were 2 wks ago. Walked right up to hive and nothing didnt have my suit on either. So maybe the queencell might have hatched will open them up tomorrow and see.


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

>The neck isn't real nice either.

I rather like getting stung on the neck. Every now and again I get a stiff neck for one reason or another and I will administer a sting in the region of the pain and it seems to help. Or perhaps it gives me a little perspective  in any case my neck hurts less for a few days.


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

MB, ask Joe Strecker about getting stung on the end of his big stinger. He had me rolling with that story! He says he will always wear underware from now on while working bees.


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

>>you get 1 straight to the ear for no reason

Sometimes they just happen to run into you, get a little PO'ed and sting. They don't always have to be mad or gunning for you to sting. Accidents happen ya know.

When I get annoyed by a constantly buzzing guard bee in my face I applaud them. Put your hands together in a very quick motion with the bee inbetween. End of problem.


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

BB u crayze


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## arky188 (Mar 6, 2005)

For what its worth the dryer softer sheets (Bounce) is suppose to repel bees, wasps, etc... Might pin a sheet on your hat till you get them calmed down.


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