Recognizing and managing hives with defensive bees. Includes specific tactics and strategies.

1. Managing
Defensive Bees
Presented by Rick Bledsoe

5. This is not defensive behavior. Just bees
confused by the disruption of
opening the hive.

6. What makes “mean” bees?
– not really “mean” or “aggressive” but
defensive behavior
– long term cause is probably genetic
– the defensive gene is dominant

8. Considerations in defensive behavior:
Weather – sunny and calm best. Bad weather,
overcast sky can aggravate bees.

10. Considerations in defensive behavior:
Your clothing – dark, fuzzy clothing makes you look
like a predator. Wear light colors.

11. Considerations in defensive behavior:
Scent – avoid perfume/cologne. Bananas smell like
alarm pheromone.

12. Considerations in defensive behavior:
Pests—nighttime visitors like skunks will put hive on
the defensive.

13. Considerations in defensive behavior:
Smoke: too much or none. A little helps, but you're
not fumigating the hive.

14. Considerations in defensive behavior:
Rough handling—knocks to hive will alarm bees.
Smooth, gentle handling helps. Don't squash bees.

15. Considerations in defensive behavior:
Queenless—the queen's pheromones regulate the
hive. A queenless hive has its routine disrupted.

16. Considerations in defensive behavior:
Robbing—they're on the defensive before you start.

17. Long term causes of defensive behavior:
Location—animals, people or machinery getting too
close?
Genetics—defensive gene is dominant. Requeening
will give you a new hive of bees in six weeks.
Africanized—not in our area, but not too far away.

23. Bees sprayed with sugar syrup will be busy
cleaning themselves and not attacking
you.

24. – wear full suit, seal all openings
– approach hive from behind, never front
– lightly smoke entrance and wait one minute

25. – use extra hive covers on boxes as you remove
them

26. – Consider splitting into more manageable-sized
hives.

27. – Find queen and kill her. Requeen
from known stock.