Hi All

Many people I know have problems with grotty bees in spring. I have
developed the following theory as to why.

As a colony goes into winter it's population begins to age. Old Bees
can fly and are more ratty than young bees. As the brood nest recedes
the proportion of old bees goes up - until spring when you have a
whole whack of old bees and a big brood nest  - and it is still
slightly chilly so all the bees are packed in tightly inbetween the
frames trying to keep them warm.

So - an 'angryness' of one bee, communicated by a realease of anger
pheremone will rapdily transfer through a skitty old population of
bees. Very few 'silly young bees' exist to absorb some of this chain
reaction and you get a sort of nuclear melt down effect with the
reaction just going up exponentially.

I have had this problem both after droughts and in spring when hive
populations have aged. It takes exactly three weeks from the end of a
brood rearing dearth till hives are 'friendly' again.

Keep well

Garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139 South Africa

Time = Honey