# Breathing on your bees



## Guest (Jan 15, 2012)

I had read that some people were told to hold their breath whenever they see a bee when they were children. The discussion I read was about whether carbon dioxide actually made bees attack, or if it was just a way to get children to calm down and back away slowly or whatever. I have met people who swear that gently blowing on a frame of bees calms them down (the bees) while others say doing that will get you stung a bunch real quick. 

It makes sense that our breath would trigger a defense mechanism in bees, since they've been robbed for millions of years by things that breathe. I guess it's hard to test it outside, unless you have scuba gear or something, because you have to breathe out there. So, since we have a brand new observation hive, I did a little test. I took a basketball pump and pumped air into a ventilation hole. That was loud and the air was forced, and it got zero reaction from the bees. I waited a few minutes, and gently breathed into the hole, and they exploded. You could hear them from about 20 feet away, still mad and buzzing and guarding that hole. Of course, now my kids want to blow air in to the observation hive every 5 minutes just to make the bees go nuts. 

Not very scientific, but I'd say it's definitely carbon dioxide that sets them off, based on that observation.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

I blow on the frame to get the bees to move. They have never reacted defensively or aggresively.
Perhaps you should brush or use a mouthwash!


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## mrspock (Feb 1, 2010)

AmericasBeekeeper said:


> I blow on the frame to get the bees to move. They have never reacted defensively or aggresively.
> Perhaps you should brush or use a mouthwash!


SRSLY?!?

Blowing on my bees provokes instant frenzy. 

I figured this was universal, as per the OPs analysis.


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## delber (Dec 26, 2010)

If I want the bees to be natural I don't blow on them. The reaction I often get is a couple may fly at my vail. Once they do, the rest of the bees simply move out of the area. It works great to inspect the frame looking for eggs or young larva or whatever.


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## Bush_84 (Jan 9, 2011)

Ya I would say that my breath pisses off my bees. It does seem to get some to move out of the way, but the others go into defensive mode pretty quickly.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

mrspock said:


> Blowing on my bees provokes instant frenzy.


Maybe you should use a smoker.


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## bendriftin (Nov 1, 2010)

I will gently blow on my bees when I am checking for brood and different things without any problem, so those of you who get a reaction how hard do you blow and what does your breath smell like LOL. I could see if your breath smells like mouth wash, tooth paste, chewing gum something like that it could lead to some mad bees. Make you should take a fresh dip of copenhagen like I have and you want get that reaction.


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## mmiller (Jun 17, 2010)

I also gently blow on my bees to move them out of the way. The just move. I've never seen them go into a frenzy over it.

Mike


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

bendriftin said:


> Ma[y be] you should take a fresh dip of copenhagen like I have and you want get that reaction.


You keep a spit cup inside your veil? I'd love to be there when you have to spit and forget you are wearing a veil. lol


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## bendriftin (Nov 1, 2010)

No spit cup and it sucks when I am working a hot hive and can't get away to spit. So I try to remember to throw my dip out before I zip up.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

That CO2 sets them off is an observation made at least since Huber's time:

"and, above all things, not breathe upon them; the air which we exhale appears to anger them: the nature of this air evidently possesses some irritating quality; for if we use bellows to blow upon them, they are rather inclined to escape than to sting."—Francis Huber, Huber's New Observations Upon Bees

"Burnens decided to set aside this chance of error; in spite of my protests and with the chances of danger that he incurred, he watched unprotected all the details relating to the architecture of the bees; the gentleness of his motions and the habit of repressing his respiration when near the bees, could alone preserve him from the anger of these formidable insects; so that I did not have the regret of paying too dearly for his devotion"—Francis Huber, Huber's New Observations Upon Bees

“Bees dislike the offensive odour of sweaty animals, and will not endure impure air from human lungs."—Langstroth

That said, it's how I usually move bees when they are in my way. But I would not do it without a veil on as sometimes they will all come after you in a heartbeat.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

I did the same test myself. I would open the hive and blow on them to see what kind of reaction I would get, they would just buzz and go down into the frames. Maybe I have dragon breath and it sends them packing!! Maybe its the scent of nicotine as I am a smoker as well? Very few times would they fly up and bump my veil. They just mostly dispersed.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

I only blow on them when I discover I left my smoker two hives back and I want to check real quick for eggs. If I blow hard they get angry but if I blow lightly, they just move without to much fuss.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

My dog walked up to a hive, stuck her nose in the reduced upper entrance and started sniffing. After the attack she won't go anywhere near my hives.


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## sea (Dec 9, 2011)

One of my earliest memories of beekeeping is my gandfather taking a sip of apple cider vinegar right before he worked his hives. He would say that it calmed the bees and hid his breath. I can remember him letting me have a little taste of that vinegar long before I was old enough to help at the hives.


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## New Ky Beekeeper (Jun 27, 2011)

If it is between 50-60 degrees, I breath on my bees to "wake them up." It works. However, very few attack.


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## ycitybz (Jan 2, 2012)

When working my bees I will sometimes blow on the bees to move them. A lot of times I am chewing wrigley's spearment flavored gum, the cool smell of the gum seems to move the bees without setting them off.
Slow anticipated movements and being gentle I have never set them into a frenzy. Its when you drop or bang on the box that sets my bees off. My feeling is that blowing gently on the bees to move them is not a bad move..


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

ycitybz said:


> When working my bees I will sometimes blow on the bees to move them. A lot of times I am chewing wrigley's spearment flavored gum, the cool smell of the gum seems to move the bees without setting them off.


Don't be hasty and use Juicy Fruit gum without "testing" it first being as it has a strong smell similar to Isoamyl acetate.



ycitybz said:


> Slow anticipated movements and being gentle I have never set them into a frenzy. Its when you drop or bang on the box that sets my bees off. My feeling is that blowing gently on the bees to move them is not a bad move..


The first day I ever observed the man that was to become my mentor work a hive of bees I was impressed with the gentleness and smoothness of his movements. He also blew on a frame of bees to move them out of the way so I could see the eggs and brood...he blew gently and the bees simply moved to the side. It wasn't like he cleared that side of the frame or anything, but blew enough to clear the area he was interested in.

Ed


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## the kid (Nov 26, 2006)

I just push the bees out of the way with my finger to see eggs and brood


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