>I don't want to requeen as I’m just not good at finding the queen, and also
>because I want the queens I have now unless they become a real problem,
>since 2 of these hives are no-treatment survivors.
Interesting. Just before my hives showed PMS and began dying off suddenly,
one of my biggest and best suddenly became vicious and I marked it for
requeening. A week or two later I noticed it had PMS and a week or two later
it was just a handful of bees and a queen.
>I split it this spring, letting the split make their own queen, and both seem
>healthy.
I don't know your location,but if there is a chance there are any AHB drones
around, then this method requires you check often for agressiveness and be
certain to immediately requeen or otherwise deal with hostile colonies. The
days of being a let-alone beekeeper are over for much of the USA. Inasmuch
as there are best practices published, beekeepers who ignore them are at
high risk of litigation, even if their locality has no rules.
>The 3rd hive is a nuc I got this spring, and the queen
>has some Minnesota hygienic genetics, so I want her to stick around, too.
When my hives went down, the Minnesota hygienic stock died, too.
>Still, I can say that they were kind of riled-up when I split them, but no
>more than I would have expected from any hive.
I often split strong hives wearing nothing more than a tee shirt and shorts,
veil optional, but handy just in case I drop something. I always have a lit
smoker nearby when lightly dressed and use it surgically and only if a hive
proves a bit jumpy.
Time of day can be a trigger for strong hives. I had 40 strong hives on
pollination and recall walking into the yard one morning at around 8 AM.
The sun was up and it was a beautiful day. I got withing about ten feet
of the first hive in the first row and got stung on the knee (I was wearing
shorts). There were more bees acting aggressive near my face as well, so
I retreated to my camper. At nine, I went out and tried again and was
able to walk down the same line unprotected, completely ignored by the
bees. The daily flow had begun.
>I haven't been in them since, except to put a second hive body on, and they
>seemed reasonably calm when I did that, and appeared to be doing fine,
>but I didn't go through the frames.
If you can't work them yourself, then perhaps you should have someone you
trust take a gander, and sooner, rather than later.
>Maybe I'm dealing with some Africanized genetics, but it just doesn't seem
>that bad.
AHB is not always vicious. Often they can be worked just as any other bees.
The problem is that they are unpredictable and, especially when strong, can
be overpoweringly hostile, and sting everything and everyone over a wide area.
I've lifted lids on AHB at the Tucson Bee Lab without protection. (Not for too
long, though).
If there is any chance that you have become Africanized, you have to
reconsider how and where -- and if -- you keep bees, especially if you are
unable or unwilling to take responsibility for what appear to be showing signs
of becoming increasingly dangerous bees.
Alternately, you may just have a rogue hive. I've seen EHB get just as hostile
as the descriptions of AHB, but it only happens extremely rarely and under
specific, usually predictable conditions.
You may also be just about to see your entire apiary die of mite-related disease.
It is time to positively identify to cause of the aggressiveness or risk potentially
serious consequences.
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