Dealing with a Mean Hive of Honey Bees

A friend of mine and his friend requested some help in managing their bees. One of the hives had become extremely aggressive, so much so that it was no longer an enjoyable experience for them to work with them. I agreed to give it a try and approached this experience with no idea of what to expect. The bees definitely were aggressive but I was able to keep them under control enough to complete the task. This is the first of two videos. It shows how I went through the hive and determined what to do to help get them under control. The second video will show the actual technique I used to take care of the problems I encountered. I hope you find the video entertaining and informational. It was a lot of fun and as always it was a true adventure!
I hope you will subscribe to the channel. Here is the link: / brucejenne
Thanks for watching and enjoy!!!
#beekeeping #beekeeper #honeybees #honeybee #brucesbees #meanbees #angrybees #aggressivebees #beesarecool

[@G.W.H.]

Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@brucesbees]

You’re welcome. Thanks for checking in!

[@kathyhathaway8823]

That is what I would call a box of Bee’s. Great video. Thanks

[@johnsandoval347]

I caught a wild hive in my front yard. They turned out to be Mean Bees. But what a wonderful experience that first hive. I learned so much and although never tame they were the best producers I ever had! I had to keep them well away from the house and often we could not get closer then 20 meters of the hive. Other times they wee too busy to bother and accepted smoke and handling. I found it odd that our household dog and cats could approach the hive without care but anything strange would set them off. After two years of excellent honey she ran off. I just let her get to crowded. If I ever get Mean Bees again I will certainly treat them better...

[@brucesbees]

Absolutely. The bees will teach you so many things. These bees actually calmed way down after this experience. Not sure why they were so feisty. There were other colonies in that location that turned out to be more spicy in the long run. Thanks for checking in!

[@user-cp2sx8gp2z]

​​@@brucesbeesSkunks and coons messing with a hive will make them mean. Put nail boards in front of of hive to deter predators

[@brunotulliani]

I need me one of them smokers. I need keep my mother-in-law under control. She is mean and queen bee!

[@brucesbees]

Too funny lol!

[@martyncotton5740]

🤣

[@donotcare330]

Here is safety advice from me, working in a commercial operation out of California with roughly 30,000 hives and having a boss that was very nice guy : 1. KEEP a pump sprayer filled with water and HFCS. If they attack, hose em down with sticky water. They cant fly then. If the whole hive is mean. drench it. down and then work it. 2. Wear a FULL suit! 1 or 2 stings is fine. But a mean hive can cause major bodily harm and major injuries to internal organs. Especially to the pancreas and intestines. 3. Don't let a hive requeen itself. When they do that. They tend to become extremely mean. 4. Keep your mite loads down. Sick bees, makes for VERY mean bees. 5. Don't load or move honeybees 1 hour BEFORE dark and do not handle bees after dark until the break of dawn. 6. Don't buy suits from dadant. 7. Its not about the honey, its about the job of keeping as many bees alive as possible. Treat the hives good, and they will make you money. 8. use a suit that has zippers on the veil. Tie-downs are NOT safe. Your neck is your most vital part of your body. if that swells. The ER will have to intubate. 9. PAINT YOUR HIVE. We paint our homes, the bees expect the same. Keep them dry and they will be happy.

[@brucesbees]

I love it! Great advice and thanks!🙂🐝

[@paulporch6435]

Just curious as to how to mix the HFCS? thanks for the help

[@kalebgates7711]

@@paulporch6435 My grandfather used to say "you want the water to look yellow, like if you took a leak after not drinking for a few hours". If you've only got the clear stuff, as a general idea, mix in much more than you think. The water can hold a lot of syrup. It shouldn't be viscous though, because that can gunk up the sprayer and too much sugar will kill the bees.

[@johnparker408]

You haff to try weed in your smoker to smoke the bees, so they will be too stoned and mellow to fly around and sting you.

[@johnparker408]

Use alot of weed in your smoker to smoke the bees, they will be TOO stoned and mellow to fly around and sting you, and you save the mean bees from having to kill them.

[@johncolson5705]

Yea, good show.

[@tasmedic]

This is very, very helpful. I can't get over how the moods of my bees vary. Sunny day, flow on, no probs at all, they just ignore me. However, during a dearth, or if honey bound, they defend their stores to the death! I'm only in my second year, so I've not much experience, but as it's only a hobby for me, I feel free to leave them if they're grumpy, or if I'm feeling stoical, I just get on with it and ignore the persistent buzzing and bumping. I still get stung through my bee suit though, on occasion. Just one tip. I don't recommend prying those flow frames anywhere except at the ends. The plastic is delicate and can be easily broken. Just pry them at the ends, to lift them. Cedar has an excellent video on inspecting flow frames, on the flow hive channel.

[@brucesbees]

Hey good stuff. Thanks for the tip!

[@jamiemcdaniel8155]

Great job and video 👍

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in!

[@sweetpeepauline]

Awesome video, this is totally cool.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for watching!

[@paulahello7435]

I enjoy your videos.

[@brucesbees]

Thank you.

[@renegonzal]

Thank you for the video! I love the ducktape idea😂👌

[@brucesbees]

It works well lol.

[@joer5627]

Congrats to you Bruce. I had a good one (for me). Wore me out to extract 25 Gal.

[@elcidcampeador42]

God bless you sir

[@beebop9808]

Pretty bees. Light syrup with a little lemon grass oil and tea tree oil in a spray bottle does wonders for calming bees down and masking alarm pheromones.

[@brucesbees]

Good information. Thanks!

[@truthreignsfacts4997]

What is tree oil?

[@thecalicoheart7946]

@@truthreignsfacts4997 Tea Tree oil is an essential oil.

[@josephchianelli3623]

Nothing wrong with those bees, very packed hive on a rainy day, what do you expect.

[@brucesbees]

Yep there were lots of bees. Thanks for checking in!

[@v-gc7257]

Impressive

[@dornkrull22]

Love the video. Never messed with flowers give and flowers hive lije equipment. I think I may have moved the whole hive off away a few feet. Set a new box there with the queen cell and some resources.

[@brucesbees]

I like the idea. Thanks for sharing!

[@fezwhy]

Sometimes an aggressive hive is misdiagnosed. Depending on your area it's very possible there could be raccoons,skunks or other animals messing with the hives. That will set them off in defense mode. The hive does look like it needs to be split also. I would cut out that queen cell, split the hive and put the queen cell in a new box. Don't worry about the haters on here we all have to start somewhere.

[@brucesbees]

I actually have thought about that and that is a good point. About to go out there now and see how this original hive is doing. There are 4 other hives out there and one of them is also fairly aggressive. Also very strong. The other three not as bad. Didn’t really have any other queen cells available as it is early in the year, but mated queens and queen cells should be available soon. I am anxious to see how they are doing. I made a video about bees I split off when I checked them last week. They were doing well. Now to check the original colony. Thank you for your kind words. I am learning as I go along, as I believe we all are. I appreciate your comment and hope you will stay tuned in the future. I hope to provide more content that we can all learn from🙂

[@brucesbees]

👍

[@leandrozuniga5575]

He just need to smoke them a little longer, and later change the queen.

[@agusmuhardiman]

Indonesia🙋

[@tillerbeez6575]

IMHO, you could split that hive at least 4 ways.

[@brucesbees]

True but really didn’t want to weaken it that much. It turned out well in the end. Thanks for watching!

[@SindreEide93]

I would not splitt a aggresive hive and spread the genes in to 3 new hives. Maybe requeen and then splitt when all the brood from old queen has hatched.

[@idahopotato5837]

I had a mean hive last year that wouldn't let me even get 4 feet from it. I was gonna move it out into the woods and let it go wild in the fall. They died over winter. RIP you little bastards.

[@brucesbees]

That’s one solution lol.

[@alblakesley3284]

I want and army that can defend themselves instead of be like itilian honeybees and let All of that forieng shit in the hive

[@brucesbees]

Defensive is good but it can get out of control.

[@Msblondejen]

By just letting them go the mean genetics can make their way to your other hives or your neighbors. Glad they died.

[@JeffGillis1]

Why would you release those aggressive genetics into the wild propagating more aggressive hives?

[@DennisKenneybees]

When I have a hot hive; I spray them with sugar water so they are busy licking each other and they can't fly when they are wet.

[@user-cp2sx8gp2z]

I need to try that with a new sprayer.😊

[@brandonhamblin6513]

I am doing a removal and the bees are PISSED!!! They are in a barn floor. I’m gonna take my sugar syrup spray tomorrow

[@brucesbees]

@brandonhamblin6513 sounds like an adventure!

[@brandonhamblin6513]

@@brucesbeesit has been. Any suggestions on a good suit that doesn’t turn into a sauna?

[@brucesbees]

I currently use the Guardian Bee jacket. I also have a pair of the bee pants that I wear if the bees are really feisty. Guardian products are ventilated so they work pretty well in the heat. But any jacket in the summer time can be rough. I started wearing gym shorts last year and bit with the bee pants. It worked well. But I wear work boots to avoid ankle stings. Hope this helps.

[@L2FlyMN]

That looked like a very healthy colony!!! Ever consider the horizontal Layens hives? Less intrusive& easier to make splits.

[@brucesbees]

I have considered horizontal hives and would like to try one sometime. However a Layens hive would probably not work for me and I pretty much run all standard equipment and need to be able to use a traditional extractor to spin honey.

[@L2FlyMN]

@brucesbees Depending on your area, possibly a horizontal Langstroth hive would be better suited for your needs? The same frames used in the typical Langstroth, you just have to add cover boards. I live in a cold climate, in central Minnesota, so the insulated deep Layens, is the direction I’m going.

[@brucesbees]

Yep I will probably try a horizontal hive with standard frames one of these days.

[@donaldatkinson7937]

Ha, that's a sweet hive, here in SC, we have some that are africanized, time that inner cover comes off, here they come, all over your hood, have had them follow me 100yards, but after they swarm each successive generation gets nicer.

[@brucesbees]

Yes. These actually did ok once I smoked them and split them. Thanks for checking in!

[@kerrydevries3503]

Hi Bruce. Thanks for sharing your beekeeping journey with us. Just as there are cranky bees there are those who are cranky with their views .In Australia we have a saying,....There are ants at every picnic .

[@brucesbees]

I hear ya lol!!! Thanks for watching all the way from Down Under!

[@georgegoertzen4723]

Why would you want to continue the genetics of that hive? At the very least, I would think you would want to destroy that queen, all the queen cells and drone cells and move any frames with eggs to another hive with a viable queen and either requeen with a new queen or give them a frame with eggs so they can requeen with emergency cells from eggs from the best hive you have.

[@brucesbees]

I was prepared to requeen if I needed to but if you watch the other Mean Bees videos from the playlist you will see that everything worked out ok. I wonder if there was some sort of a pest that had them upset because after I got them all managed and calmed down the bees did well.

[@desertegle40cal]

Don’t you hate it when you are about to comment on a video and you scroll below and see someone just said exactly what you were about to say, A YEAR AGO. Lmao :).. But yeah.. I would have first requeened the hive, made sure they accepted her by marking her and keeping track of her. Then I would have monitored the colony over the next month to see if the queen was making docile bees. After all else fails, thats when you start performing more serious tactics like extermination. Because Africanized Hybrids aren’t bees we want to give a chance to get a foot hold in your area.

[@brucesbees]

That is definitely an option. I was prepared to re-queen if needed but it all worked out fine. Here is the playlist with follow up videos. kzbin.info/aero/PL8TUJQAHFlHvlhX5Biz6IxBH29TW64IcP

[@desertegle40cal]

@@brucesbees thanks brother!

[@georgegoertzen4723]

@@brucesbees I'm guessing I got copied on your reply to someone who recently commented and your suggestion to follow up with the other videos on this hive was for him. I did follow you on this hive a year ago, having missed only #5 and #7. I'm glad the original hive hatched out a more peaceful queen and I can't fault the original mean queen's laying pattern, but I still don't understand why you took the risk with those queen cells when you had a ready source of peaceful queen material in the hive right next to it. YOU obviously didn't have any problems dealing with her and you did remove her for your friend. Beyond the 1 video in this stream, I don't know if she has worked out in the long run for you(peacefully?). But I still don't understand why you risked her mean genetics continuing on in those queen cells in your friend's hive and why you didn't have his hive requeen from a frame of eggs from the adjacent hive three days after removing her. I'm glad things worked out for him but they could have so very easily gone the other way!

[@unavailableusername9694]

Always good to see bees doing well, as important as they are.

[@brucesbees]

Yes it is. Thanks for checking in!

[@Larry.Luciano]

Bruce, I relate to this today. I decided to change out a brood box because it had a gap in it between boxes. 1 brood box & 2 supers slap full. Another issue, I have t gone through my hives in 3 weeks (SWFL)…. I smoked, cracked my boxes open and the lower super frames was connected by burr comb…8-10 were…. I was covered in 100’s of bees…. I still need to go through them and separate all the frames…. I started in April and only have 6 hives…. Best way?

[@brucesbees]

That can be a challenge. Just be sure to use plenty of smoke and take your time.

[@Larry.Luciano]

@@brucesbees I’ll have a buddy come over and help me clean them up…I did see the marked queen out of my mess…looked just like your video!

[@massachusettsprepper]

Up here in Massachusetts our bees are still all clustered together and not even think about flying it. It looks like where you're at your getting an early start for sure. I had a mean hive like that and had to re-Queen it to get it to calm down. Thanks for sharing.

[@brucesbees]

You’re welcome. Hang in there. Spring is nigh at hand🙂

[@chuckroast7053]

Bruce, could the weather make the bees angry as well? Here in Ca., we have had some rain/overcast days, and normally my bees are pretty calm, but over the Labor Day weekend, I opened them up, and they were pretty ticked off. What are your thoughts or comments.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I think the weather definitely has an impact on attitude. Also availability of nectar or food.

[@dawnm7796]

I enjoy beekeeping journeys and willingness to share. Here are my thoughts... Good to inspect bottom box first Remove the outside frame first so you do not roll the bees and anger them Keep the box removed covered to avoid bees feeling threatened and to put it on an upturned roof or base board Little is more with smoke, the puffs were being forced down into the box making the bees swarm out of the front Inspecting frame over open ground could result in queen being lost if she falls. Rinsing stung glove in solution of washing soda masks the sting pheromone and can help avoid more bees stinging and dying The bees are crowded as you say so that can precipitate defensive behaviour...

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for the input.

[@brucesbees]

This video was uploaded years ago. I hope I have improved my technique since then. But everything worked out well in the end. If you watch the playlist you will see how everything turned out. Thanks for watching!

[@TheBguenth]

I've had one really mean hive in the past, and it was awful. Now, I'm having issues with aggressive bees in other parts of my yard. My husband and I are getting stung even doing basic planting. What do you think is going on and what can we do?

[@brucesbees]

Yeah that can be tough. Th short answer is to requeen but that can be difficult. I’d it is prolific colony you can split the hive. Taking the queen across the yard. That will calm them down for an awhile as the foragers go home. Then kill the queen and replace her, preferably with a mated queen of desirable genetics. You could actually requeen both of the hives from the split. It’s worth a shot.

[@randydicotti3975]

I've seen really mean bees that would start swarm attacking 100 feet away. These are relatively calm bees.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I have seen worse for sure. They had chased me around the yard before I actually got into them but once I got in them, smoked them, and started working them they became manageable.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in!

[@LeeCoBeek]

Smoke an OUTSIDE frame first. Remove that frame and carefully lean against hive body. Pull next frame and look for queen, replace in position of the first frame pulled. Check each successive frame, leaving a gap between checked frames and unchecked frames. After completing inspection, carefully push frames tight to outside and carefully replace first frame pulled. This will avoid damaged queen cells and rolled bees and/or queen, as well as the queen running to frames that were previously checked.

[@brucesbees]

The queen cells appeared to have been damaged previously. The damage did not appear to be fresh damage. I actually tried to be careful during the inspection. Could have probably done better. I appreciate your feedback. Thanks for watching the video and I wish you the best.

[@webee5452]

Or take an empty super to temporarily put the frames in.

[@brucesbees]

we bee not a bad idea. I like this comment. Thanks for sharing.

[@chevyman1722]

Wow now THOSE are some pissed off bees... you know that old saying? Better you than me...lol..👍

[@brucesbees]

No doubt lol...

[@johnsvmf]

Great video to learn what not to do.

[@brucesbees]

Well everything worked out ok so maybe not too bad. Follow up video on the split I did coming soon. Thanks for watching!

[@johnsvmf]

Excellent logic. I will demonstrate poor beekeeping techniques and declare success if everything works out. Frankly, I think you're taking liberty with the truth. Viewers don't watch this clowns videos. I recommend Fat Bee Man. He has great tips, will save you money and you will be very successful. As an aside, I do not know Fat Man but I am a fan.

[@brucesbees]

Not sure what you mean by “taking liberty with the truth”. If there is anything that I am it is truthful. If this thing fails in the long run I will let you know. I will try to document progress, good or bad, as the process continues. I’m going to post a video very soon about the split I made off this hive and moved to another location. They have calmed way down, are building wax and the queen is laying. They actually seem quite happy for now but I guess that could change. This hive was in a mess. Too many bees. Something had to be done. Trying to help some friends out. Hopefully the result in the long run will be good. I have not returned to this site to see how the original colony is doing yet. I plan to check it out in a few days but wanted to give the bees a chance you hatch out a new queen and hopefully get her mated. I think that it is interesting how severely judgmental some (though not most) beekeepers are but I just try to do my best and move forward. If I don’t do it the way YOU would do it then I must be a “clown.” I guess that’s fair. Anyway. I too am a big fan of Fat Beeman. You are right, his videos are great and provide a lot of very good information, though he does some things a little “differently” as well. Thanks again for watching. I’m just gonna keep doing the best I can to get better. Hope you have a great day!

[@georgeadcock2347]

Bruce: This is YT. If you said you like chocolate chip cookies someone would complain and make snarky remarks. I learned from this video. Thanks for posting it.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for the kind words. There always has to be someone like this. I have learned a lot in the past couple of years and have learned a lot from my viewers’ comments. I have grown a thick skin. Thanks again for checking in. I am always trying to get better. Still have a long ways to go. 🙂

[@decaturridgebees8761]

Gorgeous brood pattern and they were def swarming. With all the capped cells you had I’m shocked the queen hadn’t left already but i have to assume with all those bees she was still there.

[@brucesbees]

I agree. I hope so. Will know more when I have a chance to go through the split.

[@scotslasskimberley172]

You should have STARTED with the smoker.

[@brucesbees]

I learned a lot in dealing with these bees. Thanks for the comment!🙂

[@davidstephens4763]

Smoker always work, stop sending out alarm to others, if all fails sugar syrup. ..

[@brucesbees]

Works most of the time but not always. Thanks for checking in!

[@NKdidit.24]

Shut up

[@69Jackmix69]

I no the video is 3 years old but did you distory all of them Queen cells as the hive has become africanised that is the reason they are so aggressive mate ?

[@PeaceLoveJoy2]

Bruce, since you didn't find the queen (or very recently laid eggs from your description) and since the bees were so mean and aggressive, maybe the hive is not queen right. If the queen died, and none of the queen cells have hatched yet to supercede her, that could have caused the bees' behavior to turn mean, don't you think?

[@brucesbees]

Actually when all was said and done the Queen was in the hive we split off. The bees left behind made a queen. Both hives calmed down and turned out ok. Not sure why they were so feisty. I wonder if maybe some sort of critter or pest has been bothering them. Or if possible we were in between flows and they were just cranky. Anyway, I have a Mean Bees playlist that basically follows them through their progression last year that you might find interesting.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for watching!

[@martyshepardson1439]

@@brucesbees could it be that there was toooo many bees and they were wanting more room in the hive. when you spit it they had room to work. I know when there are too many people working in one area they get when there is not enough room to work.

[@brucesbees]

Could be

[@scottreese5492]

Here's a good rule of thumb, no queen no mean. If bees are not somewhat protective , hive is possibly queenless

[@lamairepr]

Thanks for the video, I’m a new sub and first year beekeeper. Those are good situations to be in, hopefully everything worked out and you were able to make a few splits. Tape around the ankles is a good idea, I got zapped a few times and that’s a bad spot. Thanks again!

[@brucesbees]

Yes I got a nice split off of it. Am hopefully going to get that video out very soon!

[@fgb3126]

Gosh! where's the owner? I would have thought he'd be out there with you learning some things. Or is he behind the camera? Now, why are most of the queen cells damaged? Does that come from the beekeeper's inspections where maybe he/she is not being careful enough? Man, that hive is full to bursting! Definitely needs a split. Do you find it is much more difficult to locate the queen in such a situation where there are so many bees?

[@brucesbees]

The owner had had enough of trying to deal with these bees. I accidentally damaged some of the queen cells when I was manipulating the frames. Yes it is more difficult to find the queen in hives with a lot of population. Great questions! I learned a lot through this experience and have learned me at things since then. The beekeeping thing has truly been an adventure! Thanks for checking in!

[@elevatorsbemoreby0103]

I would be scared if I was a beekeeper when the bees are swarming around me.

[@brucesbees]

Yeah it gets a little wild sometimes. But it’s also a rush. Of course you have to be a little crazy to enjoy the craziness!🤪🐝😎

[@dougwilliams8602]

Get your smoke ready

[@brucesbees]

Yep. Smoke really helps and definitely helped these bees but come manageable. They were feisty but became manageable as the event unfolded. Thanks for checking in🐝🙂

[@beskidzywieckipasieka9652]

👍👍👍🖐

[@montiraruba2831]

as a beekeeper myself, do yourself a favor and get some Fischer’s Bee Quick when you are harvesting the honey. It’s a game changer. Also make sure to wash your suits frequently. Each hive has their own pheromones. As you go from hive to hive they pick up on them and go into attack mode to protect their hives. The Bee Quick will help with that but also washing your suit, hat and gloves frequently will also give you a better experience when harvesting. Thanks for all the videos and good luck!🐝 3.6K Reply

[@brucesbees]

Yeah I use Honey B Gone. Same principle. And it smells good.

[@brucesbees]

In this particular video I was not harvesting honey though. I have learned a lot since then.

[@johnnyleewalker9872]

I’ve seen meaner butterfly hives.😅

[@brucesbees]

Yep it calmed down once I got into it. Smoked them etc.

[@reneebrown2968]

Even queenless they are sweet. No stings or anything.

[@brucesbees]

They were pretty feisty, but seemed to do ok with the smoke. Thanks for checking in!

[@agusmuhardiman]

From Indonesia , i'm subscribe ,🙋😅👍

[@brucesbees]

Awesome. Thank you!

[@agusmuhardiman]

@@brucesbees same same😅👍

[@green-zone36]

Thanks for sharing your bees with us. We just got another 10 inches of snow today. Another month yet before we get started. You have a great population of bees to work with.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I am not jealous at all of you folks up north but it seems like northern beeks have a longer honey flow to deal with which surprises me a little. Ours is pretty short. Thanks for watching and stay warm!!

[@andymsmith]

To the bee keepers can you use pot to cam them down ???please let me know

[@brucesbees]

I have no idea

[@timothycollinsguitar9450]

Very cool!!

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for watching.

[@royalwulff1]

The queen cells were damaged by you!!! Why do you pull frames from the middle first? Pull from the ends and leave it out and pull the rest. You have a big chance of rolling the queen with that many bees in the box pulling from the center

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for the feedback. I believe the damage had been done previously as it did not look like it was fresh damage. You are right. I probably should have started closer to the edge. Fortunately I was able to find two healthy queen cells that looked viable. Thanks for watching!

[@jeremy-lb6bl]

@@brucesbees You are also a lot more likely to roll large numbers of bees starting from the middle like that. This can make even nice bees mad and can drive already mean bees absolutely nuts. I know because I've made that mistake before. Anymore, when I run into bees like that, I split them every which way into nucs, after I've made or ordered a batch of queens. I'm not interested in bees like that re-queening themselves, but it does work out sometimes if you don't have anything else to work with.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in. Have tried to do better about starting from the outside though in the follow up video after this I removed the outside frame and set it outside the box I didn’t see the queen. Just so happened she was on that outside frame lol and almost ended up outside the box. Splitting these bees worked perfectly in this case but does not always have the desired results.

[@user-fy5jb5wk6i]

royalwulff1 That queen is absolutely not worth saving! So the aggressive genetics in the queen cells! Really? Bees that constantly staple your socks to your ankles? How many beehives like that can you manage? Hopefully her drones are not flying much in neighborhoods that novice beekeepers trying to start new hobby of beekeeping😔 Watch this please kzbin.info/www/bejne/an2vY3-Cq9Kah8k

[@brucesbees]

If you watch some of the videos in the playlist you will see that when moved to another location the split with the queen in it calmed way down. Not sure why they were so defensive here. Basically the plan I had worked well and last I checked both hives are still alive and doing ok. I was prepared to replace the queen if the hive stayed mean like this but they calmed down at least to the point of being manageable and easy to work with. Thanks for checking in!

[@aliceestrada2904]

What are " bees" half the size of honey bees?

[@brucesbees]

There are many types of bees so not really sure. I think mason bees definitely fit in that category.

[@kylew1385]

The hive should have had a second brood box on it a long time ago with a split on top of that. Some keepers deal with aggressive queens and even like their "defensive nature". When is the last time you saw a hive survive a bear attack, AHB don't even stand a chance. If you have predator problems get an electric fence. Truth is, that queen is about to swarm off and likely be a huge nuisance to a neighbor. She should be pinched and replaced by a queen with less aggressive genetics. One of the reasons that brood pattern is so packed is because the queen has pretty much no room. A healthy frame should be brood center with food stores around the edge.

[@brucesbees]

I did do a split and took the queen away to a remote area. My friend bought enough deeps that all the colonies in theirs location will be able to expand into two deeps. The second video I did shows how I did all that. Going to go today and see how the bees I moved are doing. So I pretty much agree with what you said and tried to accomplish things as you described. Was just trying to help a friend out. Will continue to address the issues that arise as needed. I am going to manage their hives for them this year and see if we can get things better under control. Thanks for the thought provoking comment. Good stuff.

[@kylew1385]

@@brucesbees I realize after re-reading my original comment, that it sounds a bit more intense than I meant it to hah! Good to hear, I apologize I didn't see that there was a follow up vid. I still think that queen should be pinched so they don't pass that aggression on to new generations (even out in the wild). It doesn't for sure mean that queen's offspring will be aggressive, but I would say more likely. But hey, they are your bees! Good luck, you must be one hell of a good friend to manage someone elses bees :)

[@brucesbees]

Kyle W well I think I am a decent friend but they are paying me a little bit to do it haha. Just can’t really do it for free. Too much work involved as you probably know. I went through the split this afternoon and they were like an entirely different hive. A little defensive but not aggressive at all. I am going to wait a little while to go through the original colony because I want to hopefully let the queen hatch and mate. I plan to post a follow up video as soon as I get it edited so you can see how it went, assuming video quality is good. I am just grateful you are willing to take a look at the videos and I really appreciate your comments!

[@BigJoesOutdoors]

I did a removal from a drum and the bees took an hour to get mad I just open my give and the attack me

[@brucesbees]

Always an adventure!

[@kickythekick]

Are two brood boxes not recommended for that area? We have two brood boxes and then place supers when needed.

[@brucesbees]

That is usually what I try to do too, but these are Flow Hives and they don’t come with a second brood box. Some of the other hives have a second brood box was placed on there previously. After I went through them I recommended my friends get enough deep boxes for all the hives to have a second brood box and they did so. Now we are prepared moving forward. I am somewhat unfamiliar with Flow Hives so this is a learning experience for me as well. Thanks for the comment!

[@kickythekick]

brucesbees yeah the Flowhive ships with just the one brood box. We had to buy extras. I think that’s a good call on their part :)

[@brucesbees]

They know what they’re doing for sure!😉

[@user-cp2sx8gp2z]

That is what happens when you get into the brood area. Everything was fine untill i got there , then they went nuts.

[@shainsizemore1683]

Great Video! Thanks for sharing.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for watching!

[@danrozelle6737]

From a beginner 04-2020, thanks This was very helpful. I like your attitude and demeanor. Hope you are doing well, please keep going I subscribed also. I don't know who I can share this with but I will keep you mind.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks! Good luck!

[@stormstrike1845]

How many got smashed to death when you put back shelves

[@brucesbees]

Not many

[@sammyd7857]

Lean the super on the board where the queen could run in

[@nathando2998]

You could have made at least 4 nucs out of that hive. The bees are not that aggressive IMHO just the right amount of aggressiveness, if you watch the videos again you will see that they only go after you when you do something wrong like shaking the box or being rough when handling a frame. Bees that don't defend their hive won't last long.

[@o5245607]

No surprise, any self respecting bee would be upset if they lived in a hive that looked like that! harumph!

[@brucesbees]

Umm. Ok!

[@dovinedrake6482]

Get a new queen for hive. A Italian queen. Get rid of the queen you have now. Watch hive calm down.

[@brucesbees]

That may be necessary but will see how they do now that I have split them. Hopefully they will hatch a queen with a better attitude. If not I will replace her in a. Oriole of months when queens are readily available.

[@maxmagnus777]

It helps in 75% of situations. It may not work at all. It could be 10-15 different reasons that they are nervous. Lack of pollen, honey wasps, hornets, wild animals. Chemicals. Dirty hive (smell).

[@brucesbees]

Will see how it goes. If they stay mean will replace one or both queens when available.

[@kirishima2370]

Well done for remaining calm Bruce, not always easy when you have a ton of bees in your face. I agree with some of the other comments regarding the handling of the bees; smoke less aggressively and watch the placement of and handling of frames and boxes. If you start the inspection with 50 squished bees it's little wonder the colony is worked up. .

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for the comment constructive criticism. The bees were chasing me around before I ever cracked them open so I actually expected them to be more defensive than they were. But everything turned out ok. Two hives out of one. Thanks for checking in!

[@mikeschoell1170]

My first year bee keeping my hive was super mean but was productive hive sometimes when I would go in hive they would go ape shit and be agitated sometimes two days later. I read Queen three different times and it never totally took the meanness out of them but I tell you what I was never allergic to bees and that I've got me so bad the damn near kill me and I am not allergic to beesI believe that one died off from mites or something I'm not sure but it was a good high for two and a half years besides being mean it produced some honey and I'm still beekeeping they didn't knock me down they almost did 😂

[@brucesbees]

Yes it can be crazy trying to work mean bees but it can also be kind of a rush. I prefer mildly defensive bees but. Sometimes they can be out of control and unworkable. If that happens then changes have to be made. I have a few now that are almost at that point.

[@johnparker408]

If you have to kill off a mean bee hive as a last resort? Use a fire extinguisher on them the CO2 from the fire extinguisher will freeze them to death.

[@brucesbees]

Hopefully will never have to go that. I think dry over might also do the trick. It this is good to know just in case. Thanks!

[@elcidcampeador42]

Shoot I feel them all around me 😮

[@brucesbees]

No doubt haha!

[@strugglingbeekeepermarkcot9642]

Can’t wait to get my bees looking forward to it I hope my bees aren’t that mean.

[@brucesbees]

I doubt if they will be. Where are you getting your bees from?

[@RobGraham048]

How do you feel about horizontal hives for keeping bees calmer

[@brucesbees]

Not sure if it would keep them calmer but maybe...actually my bees have really calmed down in the last week or two. I think it is because we have a flow that has started. Maybe I could try a horizontal hive in the future. I like the concept.

[@SindreEide93]

I do not belive it will have a effect on how calm or aggressiv they are, but with a horizontal hive the pluss is that you don't have to disturb the whole hive, but can just go right in to the honey stores without disturbing the broodnest and go in to brood witout moving or disturbing the "honeysuper". Also you don't need to do all the heavy box lifting and all frames are in a comfortable working height.

[@brucesbees]

Makes sense.

[@RobGraham048]

@@SindreEide93 i found that the less I disturb them, the less aggressive they are.

[@SindreEide93]

@@RobGraham048 that might have something to do with it yes. Bees wanna be left alone so. That is a perk of horizontal. I might go with Layens when I build my first hive.

[@KevinCWall-ct5sm]

Was the hive being robbed at all?

[@brucesbees]

No.

[@brucesbees]

Not that I could tell, but I would not have been surprised if there was some kind of animal harassing the bees at times. They were very defensive and settled down soon after this.

[@thingswedo461]

You gotta give them some more space and get ride of that excluder. That's why they're pissed off.

[@brucesbees]

Things we do this is a Flow Hive I am helping some friends out with. Queen excluder is a must in this case. Don’t was the queen laying in the Flow Hive frames. We have another box now to add as needed above the original brood box. Thanks for checking it out.

[@manderson147]

You can’t harvest a “flow” without the excluder.

[@brucesbees]

You’re right!

[@tomasjosefvela1]

New subscriber, looking forward to checking out your videos, it's great how patient you are keeping an open mind as to why the are a bit aggressive.

[@brucesbees]

Great I hope you enjoy the videos. I still have a lot to learn but am doing my best to gain knowledge and share my experiences.

[@UnrealEngineTutorials]

This video is on your recommended.

[@brucesbees]

Good to know. Thanks!

[@CluelessHomesteaders]

Good stuff. I’m hoping to make my first split this year, we will see...

[@brucesbees]

You will do fine. I am going to post another video with the actual split as soon as I get it edited. Just had too much footage to put it all in this video. There are so many ways to do splits. I am going to show how I did it with this one. Will probably do several different split videos this year as I encounter different issues. Thanks for watching!

[@desmondsimmons1436]

I have had bees like that before and bet I still have some. Keep the mean hives out in the country, they make lots of honey and don't have as many problems. The hives I keep at home I try to keep calm. I invested in a full vented bee suite for hives like that.

[@brucesbees]

I agree. Seems like the more aggressive ones will often produce more honey for sure. I have had some calm ones do well too, but the best honey producer I ever had aka Megahive, was fairly defensive though not crazy. Thanks for watching

[@TheSwampStalker]

Wouldn't you also want to destroy any drone cells laid by that queen since the aggressiveness can also be passed on from those to the new queen?

[@brucesbees]

That is a good thought and interesting idea. Both the split and the original hive were more calm during the follow up inspections so I am not really sure why they had been so aggressive. I am not sure if they were cranky because they were so packed in the box or if there maybe had been some kind of animal bothering them or if once they get re-established maybe they will get aggressive again. We will see. I had not even really thought about destroying drone cells. Might not be a bad idea in the future with confirmed aggressive bees. Thanks for your input and thanks for watching!

[@walterhillman2231]

I saw the queen in third frame when Hulu first pulled it out. Just kidding

[@brucesbees]

Lol.

[@douglassutherland4646]

They were OK until the brood nest was exposed, but they showed defensive reaction. A very natural thing to defend their food and brood, but they have not been really angry bees. With some fore knowledge they could have been calmed down with cloths and a fine spray of cold water followed with light smoke gently applied.

[@Urkuwayku]

You need to visit our Africanized bees in Ecuador -- mean s a cat in a shower!

[@jamesgranderson3872]

We have them here in south Texas. Damn near killed my dad years back.

[@Urkuwayku]

@@jamesgranderson3872 I am sorry to hear that! One hive of Africanized bees killed a neighbor's cow. The good news is that they are highly productive. The bad news is having to visit a dozen hives of the beasts every other week. I don't go near them without full gear.

[@brucesbees]

I cannot even imagine. I have seen some super defensive bees but I don’t think any of them have approached the attitude of Africanized bees.

[@brucesbees]

I lived in Ecuador for 2 years back in the 80s on a mission for my church. Our mission was based in Quito but I spent my time on several different areas: Quevedo, Esmeraldas, Valle de los Chillos, Quito North and Ambato. Beautiful place, wonderful people.

[@Urkuwayku]

@@brucesbees I saw your video on aggressive vs. defensive. You had me doubting for a moment, but after having gone out and fed the bees this morning, I've gotta say that the Africanized bees may be aggressive.

[@psystealth]

They go up my pants too, the tape is a sure deterrent, however seems like quite a normal hive...are they 'African' Capensis Scutellata ?

[@brucesbees]

Not sure. Probably just feisty Apis Mellifera.

[@CrispyMOFO91]

We have 26 hives and there all fine except 1 we have 1 hive the bees are smaller than the other hives but they are super mean. I'm not looking forward to opening it up.

[@brucesbees]

Hmm. If they don’t calm down you might need to take action. Maybe their attitude will improve.

[@CrispyMOFO91]

@@brucesbees unfortunately it's getting worse with time. I think we are gonna try and introduce a new queen and see if that helps. But we will do everything we can before giving up on them.

[@brucesbees]

Maybe that will work. Good luck!

[@tonysicily2687]

Where is the cloud of angry bees? There was no sign these were overly aggressive, You were far too rough with them, this is why they started to attack Not “a hater” just trying to help you. Nice combs by the way

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for watching. What I didn’t catch was the way they chased me around the beeyard and went up my pants etc before I opened them up. The were aggressive but with smoke they did calm down and became manageable. I have seen worse for sure. If you get a chance to watch the playlist you can follow their progress and the progress of the split I made. It was a lot of fun working through the process. I appreciate your input and hope you will stay tuned. I have learned a lot since then simply by reading comments on my videos. Thanks again for checking in!

[@oldtimeradioatnight]

I guess we all see very different things because I don't see him being rough with them at all but just different opinions I guess.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in. Fortunately very thing turned out ok.

[@peterbellizzi6989]

How come he's not wearing a bee suit?

[@brucesbees]

I wore a jacket and did ok with that.

[@jeb284]

These bees beehavior was effected by their lack of Bee vitamins so they were bee off :)

[@brucesbees]

Ok. Lol

[@konradrueb1567]

Thanks for sharing .Following. Konrad

[@brucesbees]

Awesome! Thanks!!!

[@alblakesley3284]

It won't change the hive from being mean even if you change queens if they are Russian honeybees sometimes u get a mean hive i have some and i smoke The hell out of them and it will usually calm right down i have been in beekeeping business for 41 Year's and i always smoke each hive also tilt ur beehives forward will keep most of the moisture out of them

[@brucesbees]

I don’t know what type of bees they were. Probably Alabama mutts. If you watch the rest of the playlist you will see that thins turned out ok.

[@alblakesley3284]

The only reason ur bee's are getting aggressive you have double brood chamber that is the reason they are getting aggressive

[@brucesbees]

Not sure about that since I have had several double brood changer hives that have not bee over the top defensive.

[@jerrylucero9782]

why didn't you get boxes before you started taking apart boxes be more prepared before you start

[@brucesbees]

We were in a situation where we had to address the issue pretty quickly. It worked out fine I the end. I had a box that I was able to use for a split. The mean queen is now in a different location and everything will hopefully turn out ok. Towards the end of the video I discuss this. The owner of the hives went out and got a few extra boxes and frames afterwards so the bees can grow into them now. If the bees go ahead and hatch out their new queen everything will be ok. As far as being prepared goes; I really did not know what I was going to encounter. These guys are fairly new to the beekeeping world and so I was going out there to try and help them get their problems rectified. We are prepared now going forward. Hopefully we will be successful and they will be able to harvest some honey this year. I think they will. Thanks for watching and thanks for your comment.

[@webee5452]

I agree. This go through does not appear well planned.

[@brucesbees]

We Bee if you watch closely you will see that it was absolutely not well planned because I really did not know what I was getting myself into. If you watch the follow up video about how I split them you will see what I decided to do. It actually turned out well. I went and checked the bees from the split today. They were much calmer and the queen is laying eggs. I found her and she is doing well. So though I went into it with an open mind it appears that the decisions I made worked out as I hoped they would, at least partially. I will check the bees that were left behind in a week or two and hopefully the will then have a new queen. We will see. If there is one thing I have learned over the past 6 years it is that there are many ways to do things. That is especially true with bees. Thanks for watching. Hope all is well with you.

[@paulg444]

Only suggestion, I would recommend that when you start talking about an issue, please fully complete the idea and phrase. You started to say a few things out at the hive and then paused and never finished the idea.

[@brucesbees]

Ok. Hopefully if you watch a few of my more recent videos I am doing better. I have really tried to improve my skills over the past few years but still have a ways to go. Thanks for the constructive feedback.

[@OceanSwimmer]

I'm not a beekeeper, but it was fascinating to see the Queen cells. I've heard bees get a little edgy just before swarming. Is that true? Thank you for a very educational look inside a working standard. Much respect and love to all beekeepers!

[@brucesbees]

I am not sure if they are more defensive but they probably do get a little agitated. Thanks for checking in.

[@OceanSwimmer]

@@brucesbees Thank you for the quick reply. Another channel on KZbin, nwnjba has a video showing a hive he needed to euthanize (it's a long video, about 35 mins.) He went step by step evaluating the hive, initially considering replacing the Queen, but deciding ultimately that the entire hive needed to be put down. It wasn't an 'alarmist' or sensational type video at all. I have more respect for those who keep the bees that make our food and flowers possible.

[@brucesbees]

OceanSwimmer I think I may have seen that video but haven’t watched it yet. I need to.

[@hiih8u2]

I have a mean hive I've been dealing with , haven't requested yet . Have had it about 3 years . Fire ants ..

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in.

[@poppys3728]

Dish soap and water is handy for managing those buggers.

[@brucesbees]

True but I didn’t want to kill them. It all turned out ok in the end.

[@michael2B]

Where?

[@brucesbees]

Southeast Alabama

[@youngimages2000]

Sound

[@brucesbees]

If you watch some of the more recent videos I think you will see that the sound is better. Thanks for checking in.

[@sylviafoust9545]

I'm glad I found your channel. I like your easy going manner. I'm a new beekeeper. Haven't even gotten my bees yet. Learning alot.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks and welcome

[@robydean7]

Bruce, what is used for smoking?

[@brucesbees]

I use pine straw

[@johnparker408]

Another choice you have, if you can't calm the mean bees down to save the hive? then the easiest way to kill them off is with a fire extinguisher with CO2. The CO2 from the fire extinguisher will freeze them to death as a last resort.

[@brucesbees]

Good to know. Fortunately I have not had to do that yet.

[@stephen26448]

I hear about doing splits all the time on KZbin, and I am new to this and I am waiting for my bees to arrive. doing splits sounds like i will keep growing a hive after a hive when I would only like to keep at least 2 langstroth 10 frame 2 deep and a medium super hive, as far as I know. since my space is limited and I have close neighbors I don't want at this time time to just grow bigger and bigger and bigger, how do I keep my bees happy and from swarming in my situation with just a couple of hives

[@brucesbees]

There are many answers to this question. There are strategies that you can use to help limit swarming but there really is no guarantee that the bees won’t swarm. I try to give them the right amount of space and make sure they have places to put wax and honey to keep the bees busy. It is not always easy to know what to do. I would love to hear what others think about this. So hopefully we will get some other opinions on the matter.

[@stephen26448]

Could you rob a frame of honey here and there and add an empty one

[@brucesbees]

Really didn’t have any extra honey to spare. The bees need all the honey they had. I am going to feed the split until I feel confident that they are in good shape.

[@johncolson5705]

You would bee forced to keep looking for swarm cells and killing them off, or hatch the queens and sell them

[@walterkersting9922]

Just saw a video of how to eradicate a mean, hive; take a large garbage bag, put it over the hive, suffocate them.

[@brucesbees]

Yeah euthanizing is an option but my approach turned out ok.

[@sergepajcin1255]

Hahahah that is not mean hive or you never worked with mean hive

[@64324037]

Yes it is mean. As soon as he opened brood chamber they attacked him in numbers. They werent disturbed, they are mean

[@brucesbees]

They were feisty and defensive but I have actually seen worse. I am sure there are much more aggressive bees out there. Don’t know that I ever want to encounter a hive of true Africanized bees. Thanks for watching and for your comment.

[@wildman166]

Wow

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in!

[@tron6903]

We've got 4 double stacked hives and we're waiting to get our Italian Honey Bees around the middle of April. We're hoping that they are calm and gentle. Wish us luck

[@brucesbees]

Nice! Good luck and best wishes with your new adventure!

[@lovelymillie1967]

Learning a lot. Thanks for sharing

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in!