Causes and Solutions

Let’s face it—working with mean bees is not fun. No one likes it, from commercial beekeepers to small-scale beekeepers. When someone complains about mean bees, I always ask, “Have they always been mean, or is this a new behavior?” If they’ve always been mean, then they are just genetically mean bees. In that case, the only way to fix it is to change the genetics by requeening the hive. I understand that’s easier said than done. Many beekeepers struggle to find a queen in a calm hive, much less a mean hive. See “Requeening an Africanized Feral Hive.” For mean hives in which you struggle to find queens, I recommend suiting up really well, and in the middle of a sunny, calm day, smoke them really, really well and then split the hive. See “How to Split Beehives.” Go back in four days, and whichever split has eggs is the one with the queen. Find her, kill her, and give new queens to all the splits. It will be much easier to find her in a small split. Bringing in a mentor or expert to help with an aggressive hive is always a good idea. The last thing you want is for you or your neighbors to get hurt.

If you live in a suburban setting, moving the hive to a new, more rural location with the help of an expert before splitting or requeening is a good idea. In a worst-case scenario, where humans or pets are in danger, see “Disposing of an Overly Aggressive Hive.”

If your hive is newly aggressive, here are some potential causes:

1. Queenless colony: A colony without a queen may become more aggressive until a new queen is raised. Solution: Wait until they raise a new queen or give them one.
2. Weather: Bees are way grumpier when it’s windy, chilly, or otherwise not nice. Solution: Work them only on warm, sunny, and calm days.
3. Genetics: Some bee genetics are naturally more aggressive than others. If they are consistently aggressive year-round, that’s most likely the cause. Solution: Requeen.
4. Pests: If a skunk or raccoon is visiting the hive every night to eat bees or honey, this can cause them to be more aggressive. Solution: Install ProtectaBEE™, an all-in-one adjustable hive entrance, or a mouse guard.
5. Rough handling and poor smoke: If you are rough when handling the bees and don’t have a well-lit smoker, almost any hive is going to be defensive. Solution: Use a better smoker fuel and practice gentle hive handling. A poorly lit smoker is one of the most common and easiest-to-fix causes of mean hives! Check out this short video on how to light a smoker using burlap as your preferred fuel.
6. Time of year: During a dearth, bees are always more defensive. Solution: Trickle feed syrup during dearth periods.
7. Time of day: Bees tend to be more aggressive in the early morning or late in the afternoon since older, grumpy forager bees are in the hive at these times. Solution: Work bees during the afternoons when possible.
8. If your hive seems especially sensitive to movement, like you walking in front of them, try putting something that moves constantly three to four feet in front of their entrance, like a flag or pinwheel. The bees will get used to the movement and be less apt to chase you when they see you moving in front of their hive.
9. If none of the previous causes fit your situation, it could be that your gentle queen died or swarmed and your hive then raised a new queen who mated with drones with more genetically aggressive tendencies.

ProtectaBeeTM Protects your hive from varmints and pests alike!

After working a mean hive, I recommend walking through shade or through branches to get bees off of you. Or get into your car and crack the windows an inch. The bees will quickly fly to the windows and out. We do this all the time in commercial beekeeping. After a few minutes, most of the bees are gone. I also recommend washing your suit to remove the smell of venom.

I really like James and Chari's interpretation of what causes mean bees. They have some good tips that I haven't included here. Check it out!

HOW TO WASH YOUR BEE SUIT

1. Detach the veil by unzipping it from the suit.
2. Wash the suit portion only in the washing machine in cool water with standard laundry soap. If it has stains (and it will), you can use products such as Borax, Arm and Hammer Laundry Boost, or Oxy Clean as directed on the product.
3. Line dry the suit.
4. Wash the veil in a tub or sink with mild soap. Use caution with the screen portion of the veil. Harsh chemicals will remove the “black” from the veil, making it next to impossible to see through.
5. Hang veil to dry. Reassembling the veil to the suit can be tricky for some. Check out this video showing you just how easy it is to take a veil off and reinstall it.