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More advanced beekeeping discussion forum.
 #3715  by Patrick
 23 Jun 2019, 11:12
I must say I dispair when I read stuff like that Nigel. I can only wonder at why generations of local beekeepers tolerate horrible tempered bees until it becomes a trial of nerve and misery to do inspections.

It’s one for the Myths thread that bad tempered bees get more honey - if they ever do it is usually not by honest means. There is also social responsibility to ones neighbours and the reputation of bees and beekeepers to consider.

I have encountered a few absolute Lulu’s over the years. Miserable. Deal with them or bite the bullet and cull them, just don’t leave them to it.
 #3724  by NigelP
 23 Jun 2019, 16:37
I think it's a right of passage down this way. At one local association meeting they where "bragging" about who had the most vicious bees....I kid you not.
 #3727  by Patrick
 23 Jun 2019, 17:18
NigelP wrote:I think it's a right of passage down this way. At one local association meeting they where "bragging" about who had the most vicious bees....I kid you not.
Madness. I hope their neighbours share their enthusiasm..
 #3740  by NigelP
 23 Jun 2019, 22:14
Give you even more madness... a local association has provide their new beekeepers with nucs of Buckfast bees ( a step in the right direction :) )and explained they don't need to be upgraded into full hives until end of July. Result...all beginners nucs have their bees swarming....
I despair at times.....
 #3795  by MickBBKA
 27 Jun 2019, 01:26
NigelP wrote:
23 Jun 2019, 06:37
And 30 miles down the road they will, unprovoked, attack the postie and follow his van for 1/2 mile....
You make my point mate. I have had the misfortune to bump into some bees from Thirsk. If they had been mine they would be requeened or burnt no matter their production.
 #3802  by AdamD
 27 Jun 2019, 13:00
NigelP wrote:
23 Jun 2019, 22:14
Give you even more madness... a local association has provide their new beekeepers with nucs of Buckfast bees ( a step in the right direction :) )and explained they don't need to be upgraded into full hives until end of July. Result...all beginners nucs have their bees swarming....
I despair at times.....
I would expect that beekeepers would be taught to 'read the bees' and work out what space they needed rather than follow a prescription by date.
 #3804  by AdamD
 27 Jun 2019, 13:03
I collected a decent swarm a little while ago. It is now showing it's true colours. Initially it was well-behaved which is often the case with swarms. At the last inspection, the bees were quite flighty with followers for 10 minutes, so the queen will have to go.
 #3805  by Japey Edge
 27 Jun 2019, 13:26
Do you buy in queens or just requeen with your own?

This might sound crazy but in this instance could you replace all frames of brood in this colony with frames of brood from a well-behaved hive? Then they'll raise a good queen while your other hive just has those bees emerging.

Expect a lot of these bizarre questions from me, I'm really curious.
 #3806  by Alfred
 27 Jun 2019, 13:38
I've built up a nuc last week while I wait for the problem hive to shape up or ship out.
I used frames from three hives whose behaviour ranges between quite defensive to just plain satanic.
After three days with the new buckfast queen they are unbelievably calm.
I was expecting a 4-6week wait until her DNA had flushed the gene pool
 #3821  by Patrick
 28 Jun 2019, 09:52
Sounds a result Alfred! The problem Jazz implies is a real one - what to do when the only alternative eggs or queens available to you are equally “dodgy”. It’s part of the benefit of being part of an association and may only need a frame partly filled with eggs from another beekeeper to provide the material to raise another queen.

According to some of the posters on here, other local beekeepers are also keeping bees that sound dreadful and so the choice there is probably more tricky and buying in is the only option. The problem is that with multiple local drone mating, nice bought in queens are often reputed to have daughters that are much less so, requiring ongoing replacements purchased year on year. For most of us it’s a choice we make. I like rearing queens and have reasonable material to choose from, so accept they may not be the best but they ain’t too bad. :)