> 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.  I am stunned.

Dear Kitta,
I understand how you might be taken aback by the discussion of euthanizing honey bees, but there are certain circumstances where it may be required and the discussion was about a humane method. In my view, the fastest method is the most humane. I was in charge of dispatching many lab mice, and we were required to use CO2, which in my view, is too slow. I preferred isoflurane, which is an anesthetic, but costly to use on a routine basis. 

Regarding aggressive colonies, there are times when a colony unexpectedly turns vicious and endangers people and animals. In this case, one has to act fast. True, the colony could be moved to an isolated location and dealt with differently, rather than being put down immediately. 

The fact is, it is not a trivial task to requeen a vicious hive. It may be nearly impossible to find the original queen, due to clouds of angry bees and the bees running all over the combs. Further, the colony is unlikely to accept a foreign queen if they are already riled up. It can be done, but while during the process, the colony may continue to endanger people, and also propagate itself by distributing drones throughout the neighborhood. 

No beekeeper I know wants to kill bees, but at times it is required to do so. Again, I would say the quickest method is the most humane.

Pete B

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