HOT HIVE ... or ... THE HIVE FROM HELL

[squidink]

I was helping with some hives at a local arboretum when we came across this:

the dreaded HIVE #3



This is ONE HOT HIVE. These bees are CROWDED and ANGRY.

We had finished working with four other hives when we got up to this one. A bee got under my veil and stung me on the cheek, some got in my hair and I got bit through my jeans. The other volunteers all got stung through their sweatshirts and on their heads/faces/arms.

I had never witnessed something like this.

Some 20 year beeks with full suits are coming over the weekend to take a look and maybe do a split, this baby is ready to swarm. Its been a hell of a spring, huge honey flows, and the second+ year hives are in swarming mode (mine are all new hives, I lost all of my bees last year along with many others in the area).

On the upside, it was an eye opener and a bonding experience. Picking stingers off of each others faces and brushing bees out of one another's hair.. that's the sign of true friendship. :)

Comments

[zipotle.livejournal.com]

Dude that's horrific.

But also kind of neat, since you keep hearing "It's the end of bees" all over the place.

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

Perhaps a new hive should be tactfully placed nearby and soon?
:)

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

there are some swarm boxes in place

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

Good.
Were there any queen cells inside the hive?
Or are those made after the old queen leaves?
:]

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

could not get in to look... one of the old timey beeks is looking inside today.

I wasn't there for the last inspection two weeks ago, but it only takes 14 days to make a new queen

alot of the other hives in this field had queen cells, there have been quite a few swarms in connecticut with the huge honey flow.

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

Have there been any more local signs of that collapsing hive syndrome this year?
Surely the swarming indicates healthy hives?
:)

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

"backyard" hobby beekeepers never had a problem with colony collapse.. that affects beekeepers that pollinate for a living and truck hundreds of hives to locations for brief periods of time.

"non working" bees face an ever changing host of issues, but CCD is not one of them.

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

"Non-working" bees?
Now that's an oxymoron if there ever was one.
:]

[rhodielady-47.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard you say anything about your "hot hive" here lately.
What's been going on?
:)