Some days the bees are surprisingly calm, and other days, they are unfortunately quite the opposite! There are several reasons they can be aggressive (hot) and most often, they are fixable.
Normal reasons bees become agressive
- Weather changes- thunderstorms or changing atmospheric pressure stress the bees, as does rain
- Nectar dearth- they are extra protective of their honey (see this post about how to feed your bees)
- Hive inspections- too frequent of inspections can disrupt and stress the bees
- Robbing pressure- they will be agitated because of having to defend their hive
- Health related causes- varroa stress, queenlessness, and disease all add stress to a colony
- Predators- a hive being attacked by bears or skunks will be in high alert
- Lawn chemicals and other pesticides- these have all kinds of negative effects on honeybees, one of which is irritability
- Vibrations/noise- constructing, target practice, fireworks, a lawnmower, etc. can all have a negative impact on the bees, since it is similar to thunder to them
How to calm an aggressive hive
Thankfully you can calm an aggressive hive one way or another, and most often, it is pretty doable. Here I share about why bees sting.
If there have been loud noises or equipment, either put the bees somewhere where they will not be disturbed, reduced the loud noise, or don’t work them on days when there has been much noise disturbance.
If they are low on food, or there is a nectar dearth, then the solution is to feed your bees, using an internal feeder, especially if multiple hives are present.
Check for a queen or signs of a queen. Queenless colonies can be mean! Here I share about how to tell if you have a queen.
If they are being robbed, consider adding an entrance reducer.
If your bees are being disturbed by pests (look for hives knocked over from bears, and muddy paw prints on the fronts of your hive from raccoons and skunks) then put up an electric fence or other type of barrier.
If none of these seems to help, consult your mentor to see if requeening is the best option. Sometimes queens mate with drones with really agressive genetics (temperament, especially agressive temperament, is passed on through the male bees). Then her offspring will be aggressive. By requeening, you can change the entire colony’s genetics in about two months.
Aggressive (hot) bees can be remedied, the first step is to understand what is causing the aggression. In other words, why do bees sting? After that, regaining calm bees is very doable.
Check out my other beginning beekeeping posts:
Affiliate Disclosure:
Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and gear that I personally use or genuinely believe will help beginner beekeepers. Your support helps keep A Girl and Her Bees running and allows me to continue creating free, educational content.