Hi All
 
I do't want to sound silly here but I would think the easiest way of
telling if a hive is africanised is to look at the cell size. Should
be about 5mm for all african bees, whereas it varies for euuro bees
but is usually a bit higher. Mine are about 4.3mm, which means that
they dont draw the AHB foundation I buy too well so I use a ver small
strip at the top of each frame. Onne can see the transition from the
larger cells to the smaller cells as soon as they draw their own. So
it would follow that a simple check for AHB would be to put a frame
with only a strip of foundation in the middle of the brood nest annd
see what the cell size is. AHB will be smaller, and noticeably so. I
always cannot help marvelling at how few cells there are on a frame
of EHB foundation.
 
Another thing is that you may have Acacia cyclops/ Acacia longifolia
flowering in your area. These flower in autumn and I have noticed
my bees go ballistic when they are flowering becoming touchy
irritable bees that will sting you for looking in their direction.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
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Garth Cambray       Kamdini Apiaries
15 Park Road        Apis melifera capensis
Grahamstown         800mm annual precipitation
6139
Eastern Cape
South Africa               Phone 27-0461-311663
 
3rd year Biochemistry/Microbiology    Rhodes University
In general, generalisations are bad.
Interests: Flii's and Bees.