Understanding a Mean Hive—and What to Do About It

Every beekeeper will eventually face a hive that’s hot, cranky, or downright mean. While some aggression is normal under certain conditions, a persistently defensive hive often requires intervention. Here's how to troubleshoot the behavior and correct it safely and effectively.

Why Bees Get Mean

Before jumping to solutions, it’s important to consider the root causes of aggressive behavior:

• Queenlessness: A colony without a queen can become unpredictable and defensive.
  Fix: Let them raise a new queen or requeen the hive yourself.
• Weather: Windy, cold, or overcast conditions put bees in a bad mood.
  Fix: Plan inspections for warm, calm, sunny days.
• Genetics: Some bee breeds are naturally more aggressive. If the hive is defensive year-round, genetics is likely the culprit.
  Fix: Requeen with gentler stock—often best done by splitting first.
• Pests or predators: Nightly visits from skunks, raccoons, or other pests can agitate a colony.
  Fix: Raise your hive off the ground and use predator deterrents.
• Poor handling or inadequate smoke: Rough movements or too little smoke can provoke even the calmest bees.
  Fix: Use a good smoker fuel (like burlap or soft smoke - smoker fuels), give four to six solid puffs of smoke, and move slowly and gently.
• Time of year (nectar dearth): During nectar shortages (dearth), bees get defensive as they protect limited resources.
  Fix: Offer supplemental syrup and dry pollen during dearth.
• Time of day: Bees are grumpier in early morning and late afternoon, when more foragers are in the hive.
  Fix: Inspect midday when most foragers are out.
• Oversensitivity to movement: Some hives react aggressively to movement near the entrance.
  Fix: Place a flag, pinwheel, or moving object three to four feet in front of the hive to help desensitize them. This really works

Reminder: Most hives will behave well when handled correctly. But if your hive remains dangerously defensive, it’s time corrective measures.

James and Chari Elam talk about the causes and effects of hot hives—plus share valuable advice on how to correct and prevent them.

Correcting a Hot Hive: Step by Step

Requeening a hot hive is the right move—but with large, aggressive populations, finding the queen can feel impossible. The best strategy? Split the colony into smaller, manageable groups. This reduces their numbers, dilutes aggression, makes locating the queen much easier, and gives you multiple chances to introduce better genetics.

Steps to Split a Mean Hive

1.    Build each split with:

       o   Two brood frames (one open, one capped)

       o   One resource frame (nectar, honey, and pollen)

       o   Two drawn comb or foundation frames

       o   A five-frame nuc box

2.    Make as many splits as your brood and resources allow. Leave them close together. After three to four days, the split with eggs will have the queen.

3.    Find and remove the old queen. Install new mated queens in the remaining splits. Wait 2–24 hours before requeening the one from which you removed the original queen.

4.    Feed heavily. Continuous feeding is key for growth—keep it up until they’ve filled a full-size box, then add another.

Split Hot Hives While Fully Protected

 Dealing with an aggressive hive is no joke. Take precautions:

• Suit up fully: Head to toe, sealed up tight (yes, even duct tape the zippers).
• Smoke heavily: Give them more smoke than usual, and only split on warm, sunny days.
• Ask for help: Don’t hesitate to call in a mentor or expert.
• Consider relocation: If you’re in a suburban area, move the hive to a rural spot before splitting or requeening.