First of all is there a better way to split this thread into a discussion
of termination methods? Sorry if I've created any confusion.
:

> Why do you kill an aggressive colony - and in such a cruel way?  Surely,
> all you need to do is to requeen the colony with a less aggressive or
> defensive queen.


Doing beekeeping in areas that have Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) is
challenging. In cities like Los Angeles California
one can run into situations of stunning ignorance, where people have placed
and then abandoned a backyard hive next to a chicken coop or just over the
fence from their next door neighbor's kiddie pool. I won't describe to you
how bees kill chickens; suffice it to say that dying of multiple bee stings
is a terrible way for any animal to go. Small dogs are also simple for bees
to get to when the homeowner's shangri-la is turned over to aggressive
bees. And people call me, I've been doing this here for more than a few
years. In some of these situations hives have been placed in locations
which require a ladder to access. In such cases it is not possible to take
the hive apart into pieces and close off each piece to carry down the
ladder. Also lowering down by rope is not an option where there is no
possibility of mechanical advantage. It's a sad truth that many people
getting into beekeeping do not realize that there are limits which need to
be set in order to keep everyone safe. AHB's are dangerous and that's why
anymore I avoid them literally "like the plague".

Of course re-queening is the preferred way. But the safety and life of
people, chickens and dogs still wins out over the lives of aggressive bees.

Ruth in Los Angeles, CA

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