Alan Pagliere wrote:
 
>         I started my first hive in mid-late April (here in SE lower
> Michigan). Buckfast. The bees were very gentle for the first couple of
 
> months. I now have a busy colony with two deep brood chambers, one
filled
> <snip>
>         Of late, however, they seem to have gotten mean. They are
angry
> when I gently replace the jar on the feeder; they buzz loudly and come
 
> <snip>
>         I haven't checked the brood area in a while. I'm kind of
afraid to
 
Hi Alan -
 
Well, so far no one has said anything to you about the fact that you
haven't
checked the brood for a while.  My experience has been that just because
you
see bees working the super doesn't mean that all is well below.  I just
checked on two hives that I have at one site where the bees were working
hard
filling up the supers but they were also quite mean.  Normally I don't
touch
the brood chambers once the supers are on but because I'm helping
another at
his first year keeping bees, I decided to tear down to the deeps.
 
After seeing a queen laying on the ground in front of one hive, I
suspected
something was up.  Sure enough, queens were emerging from cells as I
spotted
several in the hive.  Both hives had mature queen cells throughout.  I
also
spotted a small swarm in a tree near by.  You may no longer have that
Buckfast queen.  Only way to know for sure is to look in the deeps.
Queen
less hives tend to get aggressive or better yet, defensive from my
experience.
 
I tried Buckfast queens several years ago only to have them all
superseded
within a couple of months.  Several on this list have made comments
about
Buckfast queens being a little harder to get acceptance and different
ways to
introduce them to a hive with better success.
 
A lot of reasons can be given as to why a hive is mean but unless you
tear
into the hive and look to rule certain things out, they will still all
be
possibilities.
 
Regards,
 
-Barry
 
--
Barry Birkey
Illinois, USA
--------------------------------
630.293.1181 ph > 630.293.3613 fx
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