Bee attack!

Two tasks this morning: replace the feeder with more syrup, and insert a varroa treatment disc.

Right from the beginning, the bees were not happy. I opened the hive at around noon, and the bees immediately burst up towards me - quite alarming.

Then, after separating the brood and super boxes (to insert the varroa disc), even more bees launched themselves at me...

The comedy pink frills on the gloves were definitely not helping, with tens of bees tangled up in them, buzzing furiously. And all the time more bees were leaving the open hive and banging into me...

It's difficult to describe when you have maybe 100+ bees trying to sting you. Worrying?

I put the hive back together, sharpish, put the syrup feeder on top, plonked the lid on and legged it.

Twenty minutes later, the bees were still attacking me, although I was now 20 metres from the hive. Eventually they stopped, and even then I got one stuck in my hair - again.

Not nice.

I had just come back from a short jog, and was very sweaty. Maybe they reacted.


Toby Chapman-Dawe