Hello, I have not posted anything to this list before, but I thought my recent experience using a new method for destroying aggressive bees, while leaving the hive, comb and honey intact, might be useful information for some members. Background: When I was a freshman at UC Davis I used to visit and help out in their apiary. This was back ~1973 and they were trying to propagate honeybees with brick eye color and other genetic traits. It was basic science; useful and very fun (especially for a freshman). I remember sticking the head of the virgin queen in a length of tygon tubing hooked up to a tank of CO2. We would dribble the gas to her and this knocked her out, while we artificially inseminated her with semen collected from drones with the desired eyecolor. Well, I recently moved some hives onto new property and noticed that one hive in particular was REALLY aggressive. These bees were all over us and followed us for about a mile. The hive in question was composed of a brood chamber and about 6 medium chambers with a queen excluder about 3 chambers up. I had recently completed an extraction, but still, I didn't want to try to find the queen among all of the other very aggresive bees. Also, as you know, even if you kill the queen and successfully introduce a replacement (not always easy), you still have: 1) aggressive workers around for a long time; 2) drones carrying the wrong genetic material (these may mate with virgin queen from the apiary to propagate your problem); and, 3) brood in development carrying the aggressive traits. I remembered the CO2 working to knock out the queen, so I brought about 50 pds of dry ice in a cooler to the hive, took off the cover and placed a queen excluder of the top of the hive. I then placed an empty medium super on top of this excluder and filled it with the dry ice. Placed the cover back on the hive and duct-taped the entrance. The CO2 from the sublimation of the dry ice is heavier than the air in the hive, and rapidly saturates the entire chamber. Therefore, in fifteen minutes I was able to take the top off and look in to find all visible bees dead. I took the hive apart, shook out the majority of the dead bees, and placed it back together. The next day a local swarm was brought to me attention; I introduced the swarm to the hive, and within days the bees had removed the remaining bees and they are well on their way to establishing a robust, and friendly, hive. Best wishes to all on an exciting and productive season. Jeff Miller Jeffrey E. Miller, Ph.D. 2915 Avenida Valera Carlsbad, California 92009 (760) 431-6705 - office phone (760) 431-6909 - Fax (877) 431-6705 - Toll free [log in to unmask] http://www.invivoscribe.com "All who have mediated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of its youth." - Aristotle -