Inspection, remove queen, and then ultimately decide to euthanize the colony. Shows the process undertaken, including the euthanization. The beekeeper is EAS Master Beekeeper Kevin Inglin
I've been keeping bees in Arizona for 3 years and this level of aggression is very common here. Most of my hives aren't this bad but it is always just a matter of time before a hive swarms and the new queen transforms the hive into this. I have a hive right now that is worse than this one. I wouldn't dream of going near it without a full body suit that has 2 layers of gloves, heavy boots and the legs and sleeves duct taped down before even approaching. (not just a top half of the body suit like in this video) I tell you what they are honey making fools though! I pulled 4 gallons off of it 3 weeks ago and put the wet frames back in and they are full again! They are so aggressive that the only way to keep them is miles out away from all residential areas. and then when I'm all packed up and ready to leave the area I have a route that I have to run through the hanging branches of mesquite trees to get ahead of enough of them that I can run up to the door of my vehicle, open it, jump in and slam it closed (still suited up of course) and this limits the number of bees that get inside to about 50. Thousands of others quickly gather outside the windows and try to get in. Then you have to drive off faster than they can fly for about a mile or more down the desert dirt road. Then I can get out and open all the doors and wait for about 10 min. all but about 15 to 20 lose interest in me at that point and leave looking for how to get back to their hive I guess. The rest I have to slowly hunt down and kill before I can take off the suit and drive home. It's a pain in the neck but most of the time I avoid any stings at all with this routine. I've been dreading the inevitable task of attempting to re-queen them. They are so bad that they will reject any new docile queen and kill her, opting instead to make many queen cells to re-queen themselves because they see new docile queens as weak genetics. The only way to succeed is to meticulously hunt down every queen cell for many days after killing the queen (if you're lucky enough to spot her among the onslaught of the attack making your hood screen so thick with bees you can hardly see out) then leave them queenless for weeks until they are so desperate that they will finally accept a new queen. Welcome to bee keeping in Arizona!
To be clear. - I fully support your decision to "euthanize" this hive. I love bees, but this level of aggression is very dangerous. My hive is a hazard if anyone were able to get into the locked off area where my crazy aggressive hive is. After watching this video, I realize even more that it is past time to address my own hazardous hive. Thanks!
I am so glad you shared this account. What you described is how they kept bees in the various places in Africa that I visited. The gearing up, working bees at night, having to retreat from the hive, and then drive away in a suit, and then get out and shoo any remaining bees out of the vehicle after time. That is probably the scenario required for suitable remediation to let this hive exist in a natural setting. We simply do not have many places like that here in NJ (locked up yards that are miles away from residential areas). I know I personally did not have access to any that I would have been comfortable to drop off this hive. We live in different places. Where you are this occurs in nature. Where we are this is not tolerated and it does not have to be. I do not wish to put words in anyone's mouth but beekeepers who see docile bees (like my friends in Africa) have often conveyed that they would simply love to work bees as we do. They are envious of us not having to suit up and get stung and deal with the issues of aggressive bees in their neighborhoods. Thanks for the insights. > Kevin Inglin
@@TokyobuckettsLive Malawi, Kenya, and Joberg South Africa. In this episode of my podcast, I spoke to Kai Heichert about beekeeping in South Africa. He was kind enough to let me work bees with him when I was there in November. www.bkcorner.org/episode-164-palindrome/
I like to imagine the bees in the other hives are sipping coffee watching as the police take away their shitty neighbor and just think to themselves “fucking finally”
How about we all just stay on topic... I'd be remiss to not mention that these particular bees do seem to be rioting though... I imagine that it would be difficult to determine whether or not they were looting their neighbors honey... Just a little levity - now back to the bees... P.S. Bee Lives Matter!! :)
As a person who is allergic to bees, I appreciate your professionalism. If I unknowingly came across a situation like this, I'd be dead without even having a chance to use my EpiPen.
❤HEADS UP AS A FELLOW PERSON ALSO ALLERGIC TO BEES IM OUT IN 30 SECONDS FROM A STING BUT IN A SITUATION WITH BEES UNEXPECTEDLY HOLD YOUR BREATH AND TRY TO REMOVE YOUR SELF IMMEDIATELY FROM SITUATION THEY TRACK US BY OUR EXHALED BREATH IT CAN GIVE YOU THE CHANCE WE NEED TO SURVIVE STAY SAFE AND BLESSED FRIEND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ❤
HEADS UP IM ALSO ALLERGIC WHEN YOU BUMP IN UNEXPECTEDLY TO A GROUP OF BEES OR HIVE HOLD YOUR BREATH AND SLOWLY REMOVE YOURSELF FROM SITUATION THEY TRACK US BY OUR EXHALING IT WORKS AND GIVES YOU A SAFE WAY OUT
In case anyone missed it: Soapy water kills insects more or less instantly. These bees aren't necessarily "evil", they're just following their instincts, so they don't deserve to suffer. I can tell it pained him to have to do this, and he did it in the most humane way possible, so please no complaints about how "cruel" it is or whatever. Thank you.
There freaking bees who cares how they died. They have one job in there short ass life cycle. There not animals or humans. Good lord people these days!
@@KeithA-jm1cf First off, "They're". Also, I take it that you don't know some queens of stingless bees can live nearly a decade, right? I also love that you say they're not animals (even though they very much are, given they're not plants, bacteria, fungi, or archaea) or humans (as if humans aren't animals). Good lord, indeed! Show some fuckin empathy, dude. It's the least you can do after that walking abortion of a comment.
Credit to the creator really. When i saw this in my recommended it was so off the wall i thought i would watch a few minutes but he had such an informed and passionate manner about him that i watched it all. Now i wait for the day when my million pound question on a quiz is how to euthanize an aggressive bee colony. My time will come.
No BS I just sat here at 4:32 am and watched the entire thing. Start to finish on the edge of my seat. I don't think I blinked once. Wow. Nature is stunning.
I remember a small child being killed by bees from a neighbour's hive in a suburban area of Melbourne, Australia. So many hives are gentle & not threatening, but if they are aggressive they are so dangerous. You made the right call here, & thankyou for showing that responsible beekeeping involves some hard decisions.
Oh God, I can't handle that - how tragic, that poor baby 😢 I know it's probably naive to hope, but I pray to God above that despite being killed in such an awful way, He still didn't allow that sweet, precious baby to suffer....
@@lilblondiebear It's not necessarily naive to hope that, but we don't know either way, and I guess there's not much point praying about something that has already happened. There is a lot of horrible things that happen in the world. This is because mankind has fallen into a state of sin and misery because of the sin of our first father Adam, and God's subsequent curse on the world as a judgement on mankind. But, praise God, he is also rich in mercy, and has punished his Son Jesus Christ for the sins of all those who would put their trust in him, so that those who trust in him can have a restored relationship with their maker!!! And maybe that little child was being spared from experiencing something even worse later in life for all we know! But your priority is to study the Scriptures to make SURE that you have a right understanding of the way of salvation through faith in Christ, and so have been forgiven by him because of Christ's sacrifice. And finally, be very careful about how you use the name of God. The third commandment forbids using the name of God lightly, or as an exclamation in speech. Every blessing, Jonathan
Hi from a girl beekeeper, if you can get hold of vicks vapour rub or obas oil and put it on your gloves and around your veil, it keeps the bees from being in your face so much when dealing with aggressive bees. Take care
Yes. I met a lady who kept bees. She had her picnic table very close to the hive and would eat her lunch while observing them leaving and returning laden with pollen. She spoke so fondly of them, and I was quite impressed. So seeing your hives and their quite distinct natures made me think of her...
We had a feral hive that was picked up by a bee guy. I had dumped out the powder at the bottom of a bad of scratch feed into the driveway on a warm February day in Arizona. All of a sudden bees everywhere! They were picking up the corn powder and stuffing into their pollen baskets. I was like What the? I bent over to watch them, they weren't even slightly bothered by it. Fascinating to watch. I think they scooped up every single particle. I wish I could have filmed them.
@@PhantomQueenOne what an amazing experience. They were so docile. Once I took my children berry picking in the woods. One of my sons stepped on a hollow bee log. Of course they swarmed up, stinging him in the back and rear mostly as we all ran. They wanted HIM. I got him in the car, bees hitting the door. We got home. He was the only one stung. Welts. Dead bees where he sat. Ugh. I used apple cider vinegar. He howled. I never took them into the woods again. We fondly call it kid berry jam. Mixed berries blue, blackberry huckleberry, black capped raspberry, etc
@@meisievannancyOdd. They only attacked him. He ran away but had many stings. I think it was his sweat? Or vibration, indicating high fear...they did not sting anyone else. We were more than six people in the group.
@@christineplaton3048 I did reply to you but it appears my comment was deleted. These bee people seem very competitive as I mentioned a bee lady by name who I thought would have insight into why they go for one person.
Well...there is some truth to that as Killer Bees was an accident someone made while trying to breed for better bees I believe. It's not good to have killer bees around either as they kill normal bumblebees and bumblebees need to be protected. It may be barbaric but it's for the good of everyone, both bee and mankind.
One time I met this neighbor of an airbnb I was staying at that had an amazing citrus grove. He was telling me about the trees and then said “look these are my pollinators” and opened the beehive (which luckily was very tiny) and they swarmed my legs and I ran away I got stung 25 times. It was my first times being stung by bees. He told me “they don’t like black (the color of pants I was wearing.) Very lucky i wasn’t allergic although the last few stings caused bigger welts than the first ones so im wary of getting stung again. Anyway, I think he had no idea what he was doing keeping those bees and I hope he stopped attempting it. He was a nice widower old man who lived alone and I think he was just happy to be talking to someone about his hobby but I hope he learned his lesson. I have so much respect for beekeepers who understand the behavior and dangers of bees.
That. Was INSANE! Holy cow dude! They sounded like they were trying to sting the dang camera. Your heart for your little critters really showed and how it hurt you to have to do this. Such a sweet spirit about you. The anguish was evident, I could hear the sighs as you poured but especially when it was over, at the end as you looked upon it. I know nothing about bee keeping but nothing about THOSE bees looked right or anywhere near normal. God bless you sir. 🫶
As someone who's passionate about ants and bees and wants to one day own thriving colonies of both, I could feel your pain as you were pouring that water into the colony. I know EXACTLY what was running through your mind man, thinking about the bees themselves and the brood. The pain in your face damn near made me cry, I hope in the last 3yrs that old hive has seen some good use
I believe without a doubt that you did the right thing on this occasion. I have seen aggressive hives at my mate’s apiary, but they were nothing like the one you showed us. I cannot imagine how you would feel if you requeened and they remained aggressive and somehow a small child got hundreds of stings whilst just playing out. You said they were coming up to your house and banging against the windows. No amount of honey is worth that risk, not when kids or even neighbours are concerned. Kudos to you for doing the right thing, you will have another hive up and running before you know it. Thanks for sharing, I never thought it would be so easy or as quick to despatch them to the fiery hell for bees.
Your empathy and care for your bees is honestly very moving. I’m sorry you had to make this difficult decision, but you did so with so much compassion! Also, this was very informative to me as someone with no bee-keeping knowledge!
He gave his ultimate final decision, to send the entire family to the ranch, never to be seen again. Dr. Phil didn't want it to come down to this but it had to be done
You can tell how hard broken he is. But hopefully now he can take care of the other hives without putting himself and others in danger. Thank you for the amazing educational content!
There was no other option here. The bees were extremely aggressive to the point they would have likely attempted to kill the Queen if any Queen cells ended up being left over (not that I doubt you'd miss any survivors), and could have possibly spread whatever was causing them to be so aggressive to the nearby hives via literally taking them over. It's a very unfortunate situation, and I hope your hives are still doing well, three years on.
This guy just has the most calming reaction. He is the physical embodiment of "I'm not mad, just disappointed." Thousands of bees swarming to try and kill him? "This is ridiculous. This is intolerable."
just caught a wild hive last week. The had settled in a small walnut tree out on a limb, about a mile from our home. They apparently swarmed and stayed in the tree after swarming, as they had made a lot of comb, and honey with a lot of brood. This was the most docile hive I have ever been around, being wild for past few months. Put them in a box and took them to our home, as it is already early October in Tennessee. I will have to feed them, so there goes a lot of my fall honey harvest from my other hives. Have only had one hive that was somewhat aggressive, but not to the extent yours was. Kept them, did fine with them. They produced a great deal of honey.
This was obviously difficult for you. I think you did the right thing for your family, neighbours and other animals local to this hive. This was horrendous to watch how aggressive they were to you. I can't imagine how awful it would be to be there in person. Thank you for sharing something difficult for the education and benefit of others. I hope your other hives are peaceful and happy again.
having witnessed the carnage, the following day the queens from other hives held a meeting to consider their options. they unanimously voted to sign a non aggression pact with the keeper.
Dude, even as a someone who is completely uneducated in beekeeping, those bees look like they're going a lil too bonkers for a normal apiary setting. You did the right thing.
I’ve been watching beekeeping videos bc they lift my spirits, so that’s how i even got recommended this one. I could tell by the tone of your voice that you love bees and did everything in your power to save the hive, and this was the absolute last resort. I know you already know it, but you did the right thing.
You are a kind and thoughtful person. Thank you for educating the world about these aggressive bees. You no doubt, have save someone's life and perhaps an animal as well. You are a HERO, sir. And I like bees and honor them for all the good they do for us! Thank you, sir.....❤
I can understand why you had to do that. I had honeybees take residence in my roof soffit in South Florida. Had a professional remove the hive. They weren't really aggressive and he vacumned up the workers to acclimate them to his own hives, and removed the combs. I did the best I could to seal up the soffit, but unfortunately, the pheromones left by the hive attracted a new colony which might have been Africanized. You couldn't even go into the bathroom which had a window near the entrance, because they'd attack the screen. Much more aggressive.
I just wanted to thank you for this video and say it is obvious how much you care about bees and I could feel how difficult this decision was. I appreciate you showing us this whole process.
My brother on Great Barrier Island in New Zealand keeps African hybrid bees, as do many others there. They groom each other, unlike Italian and German strains, which keeps Varroa at bay. As you approach the hives, you can hear the pitch of the buzzing increase, and more and more bees exit the hive and start buzzing you. If you're going to open the hive for the honey, use duct tape on all joints and openings, such as gloves, suit to boots, zips, around the mask etc. to keep them out. He doesn't bother smoking them, and once the bees are cleared from the extracted frames, and the hive put back together things quieten down. I watched from about 20 metres away, and the occasional bee zipped past me, but wasn't interested. I never knew they could fly that fast, though. The growly, snarly bee hive was quite impressive. It's not anywhere near an urban area.
Thanks for sharing! I have a hive that became perhaps even more aggressive this spring … and we have it on the roof of the house. We live in terror. But I wasn't sure if and how I could terminate them. Your compassionate but decisive approach showed me the way. Thank you! I'll approach them soon :o(
I have been beekeeping since I was 14. I've never seen anything like this. The only reason anyone would support not immediately euthanizing this hive would be to have it studied by geneticists. This thing was not only an immediate hazard to anyone within a mile radius, but it would have introduced their incredibly hostile genetics into other nearby colonies. You absolutely made the correct call.
I honestly wonder how bees will be like after 50 years or something Just like how sheep with the most wool got to breed with other sheep and now today they can’t live in the wild cause of their wool grows too fast Edit: I’m guessing in about 50 years bees will be much more docile and if that’s true could you do the same thing with with wasps?
@@assasss7271 Wasps are like chimps, the reason why their so successful is their aggressive nature, it would take thousands of years maybe millions to breed them into a docile state.
Even though everything didn't go pitch perfect, this is still a great video for beekeeping information on how to handle very aggressive hives. Thank you very much for going out of your way to educate us.
First year bee keeper here. Here alot of talk about an “aggressive Hive” well now I have seen one. Wow! I would have done the same thing but sooner than later. I think you took every step you could and let’s face it Bees are a peaceful place to be… not getting getting stung numerous times every time you walk out. I think everyone who watched this video front / to end agrees those Bees must go!!! Thank you for showing us the appropriate steps and how to take out an aggressive hive the correct way! Very helpful Info. Sorry you lost your bees but the news one coming from the split will make your life MUCH more happier.
GOOD JOB...KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE IS KEY!! ❤ I'm deathly allergic to bee stings...I might not even be able GET to my epi-pen if I did get stung nowdays...But I'm also an avid gardener, and I have been told as a young girl, from a father who was also extremely allergic, that if you don't show fear...that if you don't bother or hurt them, they won't hurt you 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝... They want to work, not die...BUT, THAT "COW HIVE" was out of control AFRICAN DANGEROUS!! 😮I'm a proponent on KEEPING THESE POLLINATORS ALIVE...BUT, glad to know what to do to the dangerous ones!! 😳 😊THANK YOU for this video, and very GRATEFUL YOU have been kept SAFE!! GOOD'AY TO YOU❤
A hive like this sent my brothers and I to the hospital. We were just walking home from school and passed a neighbors yard when their hive came after us. They chased us across two farms before we got home. Our older brother nearly died from being stung so many times. Thank you for being a responsible beekeeper.
I'm glad he spends the time to reemphasize his decision to euthanize the colony. He doesn't want anyone to see it the wrong way and he's pretty upset he had to do it.
mjv also given how ravaging twitter cancel culture is, this man would not have seen the light of day if his actions were even the slightest bit offensive to bee-board warriors
_It's best to euthanize that hive. These bees were Aunt-Teefa and BLM. Like all sub-human liberals, they have Brain-Damage and they'll never be any good for anything ever._
That's responsible beekeeping in action. Great video - you present your actions in a very calm way - no histrionics or panic. I like the idea of soapy water, as you say youre going to be able to get the kit back in action (though personally i'd want to get rid of the brood in the frames, would not want those genetics hatching). In the UK I've heard of using petrol/gasoline which is very quick, but then leaves your kit smelling bad for a couple of seasons. Well done.
when my dad beekept 50 years ago when I was a kid, our hives were super-gentle - he could literally do it with no equipment - he smoked them and he moved real gently, and he took some stings on his hands (which he said helped his arthritis), but he could harvest and everything. He'd have us kids wear the veil and come watch. There might have been some time-of-day thing as well? I remember him scooping up handfuls of bees in his bare hands to put them back where he wanted them. We learned the difference between a calm bee, an upset bee, and a surprised bee, and that we should never blame them or be angry at them. These little ladies though? are lunatics. Goodnight, ladies.
I could see in your body language how heart breaking this was for you! I’ve recently started watching RU-vid videos to research as I’d like to start BeeKeeping this was a big eye opener to the more dangerous side of it!
I can tell how much you loved the bees just by the description you gave 💔. I know that must've sucked a lot to do the one thing you didn't think you'd have to do
Not exactly the same, but I had an uncle that was plowing a field and hit a huge nest of ground hornets. He was in the hospital for a few days from toxic shock because they absolutely attacked him.
@@markcampbell9061 i had, key word there, an open control tractor. Came across a hive like such on 1 pass. Next pass i sat the shredder full RPM over the nest for a good 10 minutes. Never had an issue again. Since then, i refuse open controls for thick grass, or tree work. If theres 1 theres more.
@@brandoncaldwell95 as a kid back in the 80's I had a landscaping job where we had to clear a field with ground hornets. We would put the tractor in low gear, aim it. tie the steering wheel and walk around to the other end to greet it.
@@hydraulics been there done that also. Just i was plowing and needed weight on the arse end. Combined with what i could scavenge with my weight was 400lbs to make that old 2 bottom dig. Tire just follows the bottom of the furrows.
the rear end of the bee has breathing holes in it, when you throw in soapy water, the water surface tension is lowered enough to get into those holes and suffocate the bees. I'm not sure that it's a matter of chemical warfare.
Not chemical, this method is actually centuries old. Bees breathe through sphericals. The soapy water blocks those breathing tubes, they lack the capacity to forcefully breathe it out. They suffocate to death. Soap water (not soapy water) in a spray bottle will kills 1000’s of insect species. You can test this yourself by simply putting Dawn liquid soap in a spray bottle, add water, and gently swirl the bottle to mix it. Don’t shake it, just gently swirl and mix. Insects die fast with this method.
You are the rock star of bee keeping! Thank you for sharing information that I had no idea existed, thank you for being a responsible human being and thank you for being an example of responsible bee ownership. It is 3 years later … how about an update?
I know how difficult this was for you sir, but in this instance you had absolutely NO CHOICE but to quit this hive for the safety of EVERYONE in the vicinity. Thank you.❤️🇨🇦🙏🏻 Addendum: Imagine kids riding their bikes or people riding their horses or just walking their dog and being swarmed by these bees ? Good Lord! What a serious liability, these bees 🐝 would have eventually killed someone.
Were those genres actually your milieu, or were they just random for the joke? Because those four genres are also what I watch on RU-vid, and here I am. Coincidence?
I feel so sad for him. He seems like a really disappointed dad. I am terrified of bees, but seeing how calm he was about being attacked by thousands of them helped me a bit.
In general, I am not scared of bees, but they seemed super aggressive and probably were African bees which were imported to South America years ago in the 60s or 70s, and now invading the US because of the climate is right for them. I think in a way, he did the right thing to protect other lives and bees to take them out, but it had to be done, unfortunately
I had one years ago that was terrible. The neighbors about half mile away couldn't sit on their deck without being attacked. I finally had to break it down to 2 frame splits and take it miles away to get it requeened. No one in the area would ever let me have a bee yard since then. We had neighbors from Arizona that had a swarm and asked me to remove it and were very concerned when I came in short sleeve shirt, quite a difference from what they were used to
Dude: Goes outside Bees: *YOUR SINS HAVE MADE YOU UNWORTHY YOUR FLESH WILL BE DESTROYED BY THE POWER OF A BILLION NEEDLES AND YOUR BLOODLINE WILL FOREVER BE CURSED*
Thank you for sharing this experience with us. I believe you made the best decision. Sometimes the most difficult decisions are the right decisions. I have great respect towards you and I believe you care very much about your bees. Which is Why you had to do what you had to do. Anyone who's owned livestock or animals of any kind, you are entrusted with a great responsibility to your livestock, or bees in this case, and the other colonies and those they come in contact with. You did good. ❤ Take Care, your a decent person and a wonderful Keeper of Bees ❤
As a bee keeper myself you had no choice but to kill them. Its heart breaking because we love them so much but we also have a responsibility to our neighbors and community around us. I'm sorry for your loss but I agree with your decision. God bless.
When I was a kid my best friends father had 6 hives with tons of bees. I can remember being around those bees for at least a dacade. He never even wore a suit. A guy I work with has bees. He's had his for about 6 years now. I've never saw anything like that. Wow. You did the right thing. That was the craziest thing I've ever seen. I didn't even know they could get that aggressive. I live in Kentucky where a lot of people keep bees. Most people don't even need a suit most of the time, they just wear a hood and a long sleeve flanel. Bees are definitely not normally that aggressive. At least not the ones I've seen.
Thank you for an interesting and thought provoking video. I am an experienced practicing beekeeper with 59 years of experience. I presently live in Cape Town, South Africa and have 6 colonies of Capensis bees. I grew up working with Scutelata in the highvelt. Both of these subspecies are considered aggressive and dangerous, and they are. The level of aggression of this specific colony is due to several compounding factors which although are not immediately obvious, are the conclusive result of inappropriate management techniques. Hybrid bees which carry genes from either of these subspecies may present with exaggerated aggression as is evident from your video. Whatever the source of the parent colony that you were manipulating, you have successfully turned on the "Strike" phenomenon and perpetuated it through trying to normalize the colony by re-queening ! I acknowledge your honesty and bravery in dealing with this situation both on the level of personal and community safety and for sharing it openly on social media. I hope that my input will assist in further understanding bee behaviour, especially of "africanized bees" The history of the hive: "overwintered " and two hives combined. This is a recipe for potential bee conflict. Italian and commercial bees are not as likely to fight themselves or others, but combining different clan bees together is problematic. Not only will they take up agency against one another but take up agency in defense against any and all hive threats. Few of the hive combining procedures suitable for commercial bees are easily workable with Capensis and it is best that combining is not resorted to. There are two compounding phenomena which are obvious. The queen excluder and the identification markings on the hive. The similarity of the markings on the hive body, and its encapsulating visual focus, which is similar to that of markings on wild animals and long-horned cattle cannot be ignored. Bees are incredibly sensitive to all kinds of stimuli, and recognize distance, scent, odour, angle, tempreature, pattern. They probably recognize a deeper distrust of the animal world in their hive because of this "camouflage" ? Bees need to be secure in their colony to be happy and content. Queen excluders need to be used moderately. The brood nest needs to be expanded laterally and the addition of all un-drawn comb is welcomed above the brood nest or alongside it. Only in the situation where the queen is in the first super, can a full brood box with foundation be added below and then then queen exclude must remain in place above the brood nest in the super and all other chambers below must be removed. Generally queens in the laying season use two chambers and the excluder should be placed above the brood and queen and not below. These are helpful conditions to promote hive function and harmony. Remember the queen in a commercial hive tends to migrate laying patterns upward, but in a ferrule colony moves downward as the comb ages and distorts. There is another important extensive discussion about worker bee differentiation function and a further topic of pheromone dispersion and recognition which are also fundamental to "Strike" phenomenon. I am very willing to discuss further and hear any feedback in this respect. Gareth Leyman
The graphics on the supers was the first thing which came to mind when I saw them. Read along time ago about a beekeeper experimenting with different colors which led to aggressive behavior. I never took any chances and kept all my supers white and never needed any protective equipment.
Never seen anything like this prior. Seems a VERY well thought out decision with all the bases covered, as to why it was necessary. Good job... a sad one... but well done!
I never imagined that bee colonies have different levels of aggression dictated by the queen. It’s wonderful to be so surprised by new knowledge. Thank you for sharing.
