Angry bees and a beginner

[Poly Hive]

It's a very subjective call. I bought some bees from a lovely couple and frankly they are in the process of being re-queened as they have so many bad traits it is not funny. They sting unprovoked, they clump they run and to cap it all with loads of space proceeded to offer to swarm. The folk I got them from thought all of this was quite normal..... er no. Not in my book.

PH

[Adam]

heavy weather can give rise to bad temper - as can the end of OSR. Although a decent colony should not be as troublesome as you describe.

I inspected a colony last week that was scheduled for requeening. Bees were not happy and trying to go into my boots and my cuffs. I had to go home to put on some trousers (rather than shorts under my bee suit) and put on a rugby shirt. The bees were waiting for me when I returned I found the queen and caged her; moved 1/2 the colony to one side so the flyers returned to the old site. The 1/2 colony without the queen and now without many of the flyers by the end of the day, was given a young caged queen. Assuming it's sucessfull, I can unite to the bad tempered colony in a week or so after removing the unwanted queen. With her still in the hive, I hope I won't have queencells to deal with and they won't behave as a queenless lot which which could be worse. The colony behaviour was not special but manageable, and as I said, due for requeening anyway. OSR has now finished.