Dear Dawn
I had the same experience with my bees about a month ago - and I must
admit being very shaken by it! The bees had been happy for me to be
around the hive for the previous three years and it was a real shock to
find that suddenly I (and my husband) were being chased all the way down
the garden in to the house and being stung even though by that time we
were well away from the hive. It was only ever an isolated bee - not
much help at the time, I admit! - and it sounds as though that's the
case for you too. I can't tell you what caused the change (I thought
for mine it might have been the June gap in nectar and pollen, causing
stress for them, but I don't really know), but it was only temporary -
the bees are again tolerant of me being around. The shrubs nearby have
grown up quite a bit, which means they don't see me around the garden
any more and maybe that helps. Mine are also much more tolerant of the
mower than Paul's bees - they don't seem to mind even when I'm cutting
around the hive itself.
Good luck - I hope they settle down soon...
Gilliane
On 11/07/2021 15:08, Oxnatbees wrote:
Hi Dawn,
You are absolutely right, bees are notoriously edgy in unsettled weather and just before thunderstorms.
Lawnmowers create a lot of engine vibration, and it's around the same frequencies that bees use for communication when they do their waggle dance on comb. Comb is tuned to transmit these frequencies... And hives are like big drums... So the vibration is very noticeable inside the hive. If it's a petrol mower pumping out fumes, it's particularly annoying to them.
Also, swarms change character after they've got young to defend.
I always wear a veil when mowing my back lawn and switch to a full suit near the hives.
I can't say why you were stung whn you were not mowing... if it was AFTER you had mowed, I would say they were still on guard. But it was before. Were you wearing perfume?
Paul
On Sat, 10 Jul 2021, 18:06 Dawn Gosling, <magikmum49@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:magikmum49@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
My bees have seemed to have changed personality. I could
always walk up to them and sit near them, but the other day I got
stung on my face whilst talking to family sitting in a normal area
of the garden,. The following day I got stung on my face again
whilst mowing the lawn - not an unusual practice . Does this
weather make the bees as grumpy as us???
Dawn