In a message dated 96-09-01 09:06:13 EDT, you write:
 
<< I'm sending my reply to the list, since it is a topic of perennial
 interst, and maybe I've forgotten one or two reasons.  Hope that
 maybe we can hit on the reason for your bes being unusually hot.
 
 Well, there are many reasons bees can become mean:
 
 * Genetics -- AHB stock or such takes over a hive
 
 * Shade -- too cool a location
 
 * Predators -- ants and or skunks (wasps too)  will make bees defensive
 
 * Dearth -- If the bees are starving, or they have no work, they will
 become much harder to work
 
 * Robbing -- if the hive is under assault from other hives, they can
 be *very* hostile
 
 * Chemical pollution -- reports are that bees sprayed or near
 pesticide and or herbicide applications can be vicious
 
 * nectar source -- bees working buckwheat are reputed to be very hot.
  The reason is apparently that the flowers only yield nectar for a short
 period during the day
 
 * Smoking technique or fuel -- too hot a smoke will inflame your
 bees.  Burlap (hessian) is the world's most popular fuel, according
 to what I read on this group.  Reasons are: universal availability,
 ease of lighting, dense, & long lasting smoke.
 
 Can anyone add to this? >>
 
Good post Allen.  Sounds like the start of a good FAQ sheet.
 
Three more that immediately come to mind:
 
 
* Approaching dusk or thunderstorm, not only makes bees want to sting, but
the stings seem a lot "hotter."  I also think they can hear thunder before we
do.
 
*Population imbalance, with mostly old bees due to weak or failed queen, or
honeybound hive with a shut-down queen.
 
*Crowded hives.  If bees hang out on a really hot day, or after a good day's
nectar flow, that's not unusual.  But bees that hang out all the time don't
have enough room, and they can be very sassy.  Some queens build huge
populations, and extra supers are needed just to fit in the bees.
 
   On genetics:  the old German black bee, which was kept in this area from
colonial times, and survived in the wild around here until the 80's could be
a very mean bee.  Mosquito spraying, heavy logging, and tracheal mites
eliminated most, though there are still a few around.
 
[log in to unmask]    Dave Green,  PO Box 1200,  Hemingway,  SC
29554
 
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