Dear Emily,
 
Congratulations on your first harvest.
 
I wonder if you set up some robbing when you put frames out to clean up.
I have been brought up to 'absolutely never' put out frames of any sort
for the bees to clean up.
 
Reasons:
 
1) You can set up a robbing situation. The bees go back home and 'dance'
that honey is really close. All the bees pour out. Meanwhile bees from
other hives also pour out. They suddenly get a hunger for quick fix
freebies and also notice the other hives in a way that they are normally
too courteous or sensible to do. So they go in the other hives too,
given the chance. After all the bees just 'danced' that the honey is
really close by, and the best thing ever, plus it will have tasted
pretty good too. You can't blame them it's like opening a 4th story
window and throwing out a million dollars.
 
My little experience has been that the bees can get more defensive if
they have had some robbing going on, or the attempt at  it. Plus, the
bees that get into the robbing or following mood seem to stay programmed
that way and carry on looking for and giving trouble to all and sundry.
It's also the time of year for that sort of trouble too.
 
2)    Another reason not to leave the wet combs out is that you risk
spreading diseases from one colony to another.
 
You are best off giving any winter feed just before dark for the same
reason that you can otherwise start them robbing. The bees dance that
the honey is close by and abundant. Other bees pour out to look and can
only find the usual flowers, and... the other colonies. And the next
thing you know its war. If you leave it until the end of the day the
bees can't get into flying and by the morning they have realised the
honey is in the hive not outside.
 
As to what can you do. Do put the feed/treatment on as close to dark as
you can. Smoke first - just a little - and leave the hive for at least a
couple of minutes. Give them a few puffs of smoke over the top of the
frames when you take the lid off as well. Take a water sprayer with you
- like you use to spray plants indoors - and if they are very cross and
the smoke has not helped then spray the entrance and over the top of the
frames with water. Give the bees a good, but gentle wetting. Don't ask
me why it works, someone else will have to come up with a theory. It
certainly gives them something else to do than fly up off the comb at
you.
 
This was a trick I learned in Ireland from a lovely man called Luke
Murphy, and I tried it while working on a colony during an exam
situation. The bees had already been pulled apart by about 5 or 6 other
people before me and the bees were feeling mean. There were virtually no
bees on the combs anymore they were all in the air complaining loudly.
Smoke was useless and probably irritating too. The result after spraying
with water was frames of bees so thick you couldn't see the brood at
all. And peace. I've tried it in a couple of other situations since and
found it very helpful. Now I always keep my water spray close to hand.
Just make sure you don't use one that has any kind of insecticide, etc.
in it beforehand.
 
Best of luck and let me know how it goes for you, Madeleine.