Topic: psychotic bee

[Kea]

Any bee keepers know why a bee would get agressive and attack for no reason? Was changing my shoes at the allotment when one started buzzing me then it got caught in my hair it got out and became aggressive finally goin away. 20 mins later i was planting when a bee got into my hair then when it got caught i got stung on my head.
Assuming it was they same one why did it get agressive?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Seems odd. Was it a honeybee or a bumblebee? Or could it have been a wasp; people confuse them regularly.

[Big Gee]

Seems odd. Was it a honeybee or a bumblebee? Or could it have been a wasp; people confuse them regularly.

Sounds like the antics of a half starved wasp to me. They can get aggressive at this time of the year as they starve to death - hunger overtakes fear! They also investigate anything that could be sugar & don't like you stopping them in their search. They also get attracted to perfume or aftershave, hence why they often land on humans in their hunt when something smells like a perfumy bit of sugar!

[Kea]

Definitely bee I saw it and heard it and my husband removed the sting and part of the sac. No perfume I'm allergic to perfumes and just recovering from my hairdresser spraying with me with water with perfume in it 4 weeks ago and staying well clear of perfume. Dark clothes not freshly washed plus if it had been a bumblebee I'd be in hospital now.
Only honey bee has a barbed sting which gets left behind plus I was only stung once and it was caught in my hair, a wasp would have stung repeatably ( been there done that!).
Just very surprised that it was so aggressive. My plot neighbour has hives but they are some distance away.

[goodlife]

Sometimes, if you are unlucky, you might step on bee's flying path...and for some unknown reason they get annoyed about it, add to that few swift hand movements that is in our instinct to do..well that will truly p*** o** that individual bee.
Once they set their mind for 'guard and attack' mode..there is no changing it.
Luckily that kind of behaviour is not everyday stuff, but bees can change their 'nature' depending some outside influence..changing weather, hive has been already disturbed so they are 'in the mood', certain smell, hunger....they are in some way bit like us..we can get grumpy for various reason that most of the time would not bother us at all..
This time of the year opportunities to do things outside of the hive are getting few and far apart..and when somebody (you) gets to one's way it will be soooooo annoying..as bees don't carry car horns with them, all they can do is show you a barb...

[Big Gee]

Definitely bee I saw it and heard it and my husband removed the sting and part of the sac. No perfume I'm allergic to perfumes and just recovering from my hairdresser spraying with me with water with perfume in it 4 weeks ago and staying well clear of perfume. Dark clothes not freshly washed plus if it had been a bumblebee I'd be in hospital now.
Only honey bee has a barbed sting which gets left behind plus I was only stung once and it was caught in my hair, a wasp would have stung repeatably ( been there done that!).
Just very surprised that it was so aggressive. My plot neighbour has hives but they are some distance away.

It definitely WAS a bee from your description (probably a domesticated honey bee if there are hives in your close proximity). So my wasp theory flies out of the window!

Honey bees are not normally aggressive - after all a stinging attack is a suicide action for a bee with a barbed sting, but certain things trigger an aggressive reaction. If they feel that their hive is under threat for example - not necessarily from you. It could be an animal or other "robbing" bees who are attacking a colony. That usually triggers an aggressive response and anything in the near vicinity could be a target - including you. The bee you encountered was probably on sentry patrol.

If a bee, or it's colony is under attacked then a 'panic hormone' is released that other bees pick up on, that triggers them to be aggressive. There are other factors that can make bees more aggressive - the loss of a queen is a common one. A 'queenless' colony can often become aggressive, with individual bees going on the warpath. Cyclic changes - like changes in the weather and levels of food can also trigger aggressiveness - especially at this time of the year. Sometimes if an apiarist has just collected honey, it can make the colony that's lost it's honey start to become jumpy, alert and defensive for a few days afterwards.

So it sounds as if you were a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time when things weren't going right for your unhappy and grumpy little attacker who was doing it's job well. Not your fault, but not the bee's fault either. Don't take it personally - you were 'collateral damage' as it's horribly tagged by our war fascinated friends across the pond!

[Kea]

I thought there had to be some reason for it and the last two replies seem to be pretty much in agreement. Will have to ask my bee keeper neighbour if he's had a problem with the hives recently though I don't see him much.
I'm a bit nervous today and reluctant to go back, one side of the back of my head swollen up so much it was hard to sleep though more itchy than painful. I wondering if the hive has lost its queen as there was a problem in the spring.
Trying to cover up my hair today because it got caught in my hair and stung because it was trapped though it seemed determined to get in my hair.
I don't hold any grudge against the bee just thought the behaviour was odd, as stinging me resulted in it's death. I'll still be planting up my plot to encourage bees. This year I had two bumblebee nests .....not in the special bumblebee nest that I made though!

[Big Gee]

You'll probably NEVER get stung again! So don't allow the experience to detract from your enjoyment on the plot! I know it's difficult sometimes because your subconscious self remembers the experience. My mate Stephen who got attacked by a whole nest of wasps is still jumpy!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Something probably upset them; it could be as simple as a fox peeing on the hive. They don't like the smell at all.

[Kea]

I have been stung by a wasp before, lots of stings and very painful but recovered much quicker than this one bee sting. I have a huge swollen area about the size of the palm of my hand....it finally started to go down a bit today but is now more painful. Thought maybe the Dr should check its not infected but couldn't get an appointment.
It's interesting what you say about the hive and fox pee, my brother in NZ suggested similar to me on the phone last night though he said dog or cat as there are no foxes in NZ.
I've taken to wearing a 'buff' so nothing can get caught in my hair still very nervous though.

[ACE]

My guess is that it was your husbands fault, tell him to stop calling you 'my little flower' or perhaps 'petal' even 'Honeybun'. Bound to confuse a bee that is.

[Kea]

And they're back I can't work on my plot now without being attacked by a group of bees. As I'm less than 15 ft from the beekeepers hives I don't have a chance really. Written strong letter to town council.

[goodlife]

And they're back I can't work on my plot now without being attacked by a group of bees. As I'm less than 15 ft from the beekeepers hives I don't have a chance really. Written strong letter to town council.

Those bees must have some sort of attitude problem as I can work right next to mine without being bothered. Actually I just have today when planting peas and hanging netting over their supports...not one bee came to buzz and investigate nor telling me off.
When there is colony with behaviour issues or 'bad' personality..bee keeper can change that by getting new queen for them.

[Kea]

I
Yes but I think the owner may be too inexperienced. The other beekeeper who is his plot neighbour commented that he wasn't going near the other guys bees as they are too aggressive. He said this from the comfort of a beekeepers hat and veil!

[Big Gee]

He probably HAS got an aggressive colony in that case. tell him to get a new queen.

The problem sometimes arises through cross breeding - it's a job to stop that happening when you don't know what drones have mated with the queen. If he gets a new queen bee, the colony will settle down in about six weeks as the new broods hatch from the new queen.

If you have a dog that bites then you get rid of it - the same applies to bees. Most are completely docile but you can get an odd troublesome one.

More info here: http://www.gardenerschat-shed.net/forum/index.php?board=10.0

[strawberry1]

rape is in flower and we have bees in the village that make a beeline for the rape, several fields away. Anyone in their path risks getting stung

[Digeroo]

I know someone who had bees in their chimney and they were there for some years without a problem, then a daughter started a second colony and they were very aggressive.   

Garlic capsules and cucumber skins are supposed to deter bees.   You eat the capsules not sure what you do with the cucumber.

[Big Gee]

rape is in flower and we have bees in the village that make a beeline for the rape, several fields away. Anyone in their path risks getting stung

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. Bees ONLY sting if they believe that their colony or hive is under threat. It is a defence mechanism. Some swarms react more intensly than others but they don't elbow you out of the way & then sting you if you don't move! Honey bees commit suicide when they sting. Once they have used their sting they die, It is not in their interest to lose workers for the fun of it. A honey bee will only sting in a situation where it is willing to lay down it's life to help save it's colony.

[Kea]

6 weeks is a very long time at this time of year to not be able to work on my plot. However it seems I'm not the only complaint and there was a plot inspection yesterday and I think the Town Council amenties committee reps got a good idea of the problem when they stood near my plot!!
It seems that action might be taken as they are first inline to be sued if there is an injury. Plus our constitution doesn't actually allow beekeeping and special dispensation was made. In fact I was one of the Allotment Committee members that voted yes to that however I wasn't expecting all the beehives on site to be within 20 ft of my plot.
Ironically it was suggested that beekeepers have a fenced of area away from the plots, this was turned down by the only beekeeper we had at the time because the hives would be too close to each other. However both are now on neighbouring plots.

[Robert_Brenchley]

There's no reason why hives shouldn't be next to each other. It sounds as though there's a problem with that specific colony - it does happen - and action needs to be taken, by requeening as has already been suggested, and perhaps moving it away fora while. They sound like followers, and you definitely don't want that with close neighbours. Trouble is, this sort of thing gets all beekeepers a bad name.