A little explanation about bee temperament…
One of the questions that comes up often is in reference to “mean” bees. Are your bees nice or mean? In a perfect world we could get a simple answer but like most things in nature and with a creature that has a mind of its own there is no simple yes or no answer. In the few years we have enjoyed our hives we have had gentle bees that throw the occasional temper tantrum or get defensive.
Many explanations of bee temperament come back to the type of bee, the season, the environment around them, the weather, the mind set and mood of the specific beekeeper, etc. Any given day they can be like any person and be happy, moody, good or bad. It is the responsibility of any good beekeeper to be knowledgeable and observant of their hives. Two hives sitting side by side can be entirely different on any given day.
Personally, I always look at the hive entrance and listen to my bees the moment I am in hearing range. It tells me a lot about their temperament for that day. In my observation they just want to be working all the time, so on good weather days (sunny and warm) they could not care less that I am there as their goal is to just do what they do. As long as I am respectful (take my time and don’t interfere with that) they just go about their business and do what they want. However, if it’s overcast they get a little bit short on patience with my presence, if it’s raining they can’t work and all bees are in the hive and don’t appreciate any outside influence to their hive, if it’s a drought and they are short on good food they will not allow anyone near them in case it’s a robber, if they had a visitor in the night(skunk, racoons, chickens, cat) raiding the entrance they will be protective of who comes to their door and if they are without a queen or have an unbalanced hive(long topic for another day) they will be angry and severely unhappy! Sometimes they are just an unhappy hive to begin with and at that point it’s vital we requeen or divide the hive to discourage the bad attitude.
If we have a hive that is unhappy or defensive we look for all reasons why and problem solve. It takes all the joy out of nature when they are unhappy and the situation can be fixed. I have always been told and still get told that bees sense fear or anxiety and respond accordingly but I can’t agree with that theory. I am fascinated by our bees, I respect them and the power they can have as a force of nature and I truly hate getting stung, but I do get stung usually for no reason other than I am not paying attention to what they are telling me. I wear a suit, my husband goes out in tee shirt shirts and flip flops. We both enjoy just being near them but our energy levels are far different and it reflects in bee behavior.
So, my answer to mean bees is this. Be observant, be aware, always listen to the bees and you can learn a lot about how to calm your mind and understand that they just want to do what they do.
Bev and JJ
