Why are the bees so mad at me?

[gixxerific]

I can work all day in the garden inches from them and it's all good. But lately away from the garden i have been getting attacked. Sorry to say but if they mess with me they will go down. I feel bad but I'm not gonna let them sting me.

[Jewell]

I haven't had a bad time with the bees, but the darn yellow jackets are already biting! Both me and one of my dogs had one land and start biting and not let go. Have never had this problem with them so early in the season! Nasty little devils.

[Tammy42]

Haven't had no problem with the wasps or bumbles. Even when I am in the garden, I just let them do their thing, keep em busy in my garden and flower. If I am deadheading and one is pollinating my flowers where I am at, I just give it space or let it have the flower!!! The only time I have had one try to land on me, was earlier in the summer when they thought my bleach blonde hair was a flower!!! Tammy

[gixxerific]

These are honey bees. Flame all you want but i killed 3 today. These little buggers won't give up. You could run a mile and the same bee will be on you. they were attacking other people I was with as well.

Than again in the garden we all are good. That is what is messing with me. I'm confused I really don't want it hurt them but if you attack me I WILL attack back.

Could it be the weather, we have had rain a lot lately, it's become much cooler. I just don't know. We were good now we are fighting.

[Kisal]

The bees in your garden are okay, but you're getting attacked elsewhere? Could there be a hive of swarming wild bees near the area where you get attacked?

Do you by any chance have those Africanized bees in your area? They're particularly nasty about attacking at the least intrusion into their territory, and they don't give up and go away easily.

[gixxerific]

Kisal i have been getting attacked in my driveway\ garage, and on my back patio and my neighbors driveway and back yard. All within 100+- feet of my garden. I live in a subdivision. I'm kind of in the middle somewhat. So the bee hive thing, though possible, is a bit unlikely though they will travel pretty far if I remember right. My boss who lives about 1 mile (as the bee flies ) from me has had problems with his hummingbird feeders. They were dang near covered in them. Though somewhat funny watching the Hummingbirds battle the bees for the sweet sweet nectar. Early this spring I noticed something similar to what my boss had but on a much smaller scale.

I will have to ask around if the other people in the subdivision have had the same problem

[Jewell]

Sounds like it could be a colony that is Africanized like Kisal said. Maybe contacting the County Extension Agency and see if they have any recommendations or anyone who takes care of that type of hive. Sounds like it could be a health risk, especially for those unfortunate people allergic to bee stings.

[gixxerific]

On another note I was working on a job a few month's ago(2-3 month's) roughly 10-15 miles from my house when all of the sudden a HUGE swarm of bees flew through the jobsite. I didn't know what to do, i looked left , looked right thinking where do I go, what do I do. By then they had passed without incident. Jeez, many of them were bouncing off the house right in front on me.

I mentioned it to one of my neighbors. She said the same thing happened but a day or 2 later by her house which is 2 house from mine, which is not very far, it is a subdivision.

I was thinking Africanized Bees myself. But still, like I have said I can be in the garden trimming or doing whatever within inches of them and nothing happens then so why all of the sudden. I was in the garden today no prob. But after that i had to fight or flight probably 5-6 times.

[gixxerific]

jewell I didn't think about that I will have to call them. Thanks for the idea

If they keep messing with my kids it's gonn be all out war. Bring it bees. I can hand pollinate, you are going down.

Just kidding bees I love you guy's, just don't mess with me, or my family.

[jal_ut]

Honey bees are seldom mean nor agressive when away from their hive. They will seldom sting unless trapped. You can accicently put your hand on one, or it may fly into your hair, and feel trapped, then you may get stung.

Sometimes during the season, there will be a dearth of nectar. When the flowers do not produce nectar, the bees will investigate anything and everything, especially bright colors. If you wear bright colors you are asking to be closely investigated. Even if this is the case, the bee won't sting you, it just wants to see if you have any nectar. You can avoid being scrutinized by wearing dull colors, or white.

I don't know what is going on there, but offer these facts from my own experience as a beekeeper.

[applestar]

It's possible what attacked you are yellow jackets? They look very similar to honeybees. That colony we had on our driveway, as many times as I looked at them, I would've sworn they were honeybees. These DIDN'T look like the ones that swarm picnics and barbecues we call "yellow jackets".

Try setting up in a chair, preferably in a shade with an ice-cold drink, and see if you can spot a flight pattern. That's how I located the nest on our driveway. Aggressive bees protecting their colony are supposedly sensitive to whirring/motor sounds like weed whackers, lawn mowers, and kids' motorized vehicles, bicycles/tricycles, etc. as well as regular thudding of a jogger.

That big swarm you and your neighbor saw was probably a swarming colony, with a brand new queen, looking for a good place to settle. They're kind of cool to see and they're usually too busy to bother with people. (Though I believe the Africanized bees are strung out and remain aggressive.)

Yesterday, DD7 came out in the garden to see the early morning blooms of Morning Glories before they closed up in the sun (These are volunteer/wild ones and have gorgeous blue flowers but don't stay open long). She was stopped in her tracks just a few steps from me when a big bumble bee came buzzing straight at her, hovered in front of her bright yellow T-shirted chest (apparently staring at the cartoon-style Loche Ness Monster -- a souvenir T from DH's business trip to Scotland), then flew off in a tangent. When she said in a scared voice that she stayed very still like I taught her, I told her that this bumble bee just woke up and that she was still too sleepy and confused her for a patch of bright yellow flowers. She brightened up right away and said "Ooh, so it was looking at me like -- in a sleepy voice -- (yawn) there are some flowers, bzz bzz, huh? (leaning in to look closely) IS this a flower? THIS ISN'T a flower! It's a kid! Hmph! BZZZZZ (gesturing with her hand to mimic it flying away)"

[gixxerific]

nope they are bees

[JONA878]

Just a bee story from long ago...

I first met George when I was a teenager and on my second job out of college. I was employed as a herdsman on a small farm that had a lovely Jersey herd of cows. Along side these beautiful creatures there was a 30 acre orchard of desert apples. ( It was these orchards that were to become my learning ground for a future turn in my life).

George was the local Bee master who supplied the farm with hives during the vital blossom period to aid the fruits pollination. He was very much a Sussex man , slow speaking with a distinct drawl to his voice that placed him as a native of the county straight away. Trained as a woodsman he had over many years developed an affinity with bees that was quite something to see. He never worked with any form of protection and must have been stung countless times…..but they worried him not one iota.

I should explain here something about bees that George taught me soon after we first met that explained why he never removed the old battered flat cap that he always wore.
Bees have a remarkable ability to design their own requirements as to the contents of their hive. By this I mean the living contents.
They decide what a growing larvae will become in adult life. How they make the transformation I’ve no idea…..but they do.
Now if a hive has become overcrowded or they are not happy with the performance of the queen, they can make a queen cell…persuade the queen to lay an egg in it, and by the way they feed the resulting grub, it becomes a new queen. No hive can tolerate two queens so one has to go. Either this is by one killing the other or one takes off and half the hive leaves with her……..the swarm.
Now the queen cell takes 10 days to develop, so the bee man examines his hives every 10 days during the summer months to try to stop half his bees disappearing into the blue. He removes the cell and either adds more frames to give the hive more room or divides the hive to enlarge his stock.
If he divides then he must supply the new hive with a queen. He can buy one or as George did use a new queen from a recently hatched cell. These ‘ little darlins ‘ as he called them, he would keep under his cap….thus he never removed it in anyone’s house.

Anyway this particular day we had called George as we had had a large swarm settle in a hedge on the farm. A huge football of bees about 5ft of the ground and accompanied by countless flying supporters.
George dually turned up in the early evening and knocked on my door. It was a scorching day and I answered him dressed in shorts and tee shirt., George himself was in light trousers and shirt with his sleeves rolled up above his elbows. Give us a hand lad’ and off he walked. So I followed along in his heels just as I was.
We arrived at the swarm which by then had settled to a more restful stage as the evening was starting to cool down.
‘Hold this lad’
He gave me a large skep. This is the old straw woven container that bees used to be kept in before the modern hive came along.
‘That’s it lad hold it there and keep it still’
He pulled and bent the branch out from the hedge that held this huge ball until it was directly over the skep,,,,and then without a by your leave gave it the most enormous shake.
Most of the ball fell into the waiting holder, with me holding it, the rest took to the air. The noise was incredible. Bees everywhere. And to say I was terrified would be a complete understatement.
‘Don’t worry lad’ says George.
‘ They be on their holiday’.
He was right. I stood there in summer gear . Exposed in numerous places to the apparent million flying
Death bringers, and didn’t get stung once.
We lowered the skep to the ground and left it there for the night.
‘If mums in there they’ll all join her at night fall’ says George.
Next morning he’s there at daybreak, collects his skep and goes off a happy man with another colony for his collection.
A truly lovely man.

Jona

[stella1751]

Lovely story, Jona!

Gixxerific, when I was a kid, I was told that bees are attracted to certain perfumes and colognes, even some scented soaps. I've been watching this thread, waiting for someone else to say this, but no one has, so I'm going out on a limb here: Can you change your cologne or soap?

[Gary350]

If the bees are attaching you when your in a different place other than the garden maybe you are too close to the hive. Maybe they have built a hive in a tree or your house. This is the time of the year when bees sworm so there may be a hive near you. Typically honey bees will not bother you much you can stand 10 ft from the hive and it won't get them upset at all. Killer bees are a different story. Look and see if your being attached by normal honey bees or killer bees. Look on the web for bee pictures.

My neighbor has a bee hive. I can stand 10 ft from the hive and bees fly right by and don't pay much attention to me.

[bananabat]

When ya'll (Texan here) say "attacked" what exactly do you mean? Are you actually being stung? Maybe the bees are just being too friendly, er... curious, for comfort?

Just 'cause a bee lands on you doesn't mean it's attacking. In my childhood, whenever a bee or a wasp got into our house, it was always my job to get it out. I did this simply by encouraging the intruder to wander onto my hand then walking outside and waiting for the little bugger to take off. So long as you're truly calm and steady handed, it's a cinch! Of course, I wouldn't recommend it for the allergic, and I'm pretty sure I've never come across any Africanized bees in my day (bet they wouldn't hesitate to let me have it).

I've given this same speech to all my friends and family who're flighty around stinging insects and always get the same "you're crazy if you think I'm going to let a ___ walk on me" look. Hmm, Maybe I oughtta be a combined bee-keeper/gardener hobbyist?

[applestar]

There was TV special on Africanized bees and they showed that even they initially "warn off" by body slamming you -- they were doing this to a jogger's forehead -- which, I have to admit, CAN be scary.

One day, I was hanging a banner out the upstairs window while my DD (at the time maybe 3 or 4) was watching from the garden below. I accidentally dropped the banner, it landed in the foundation bushes, and a bumblebee zoomed out and struck DD in her forehead, bounced off, and flew away. Needless to say, she was terrified. I cuddled her and made up a story on the spot about a young bumblebee, first time out of her hive, who was attacked by a terrifying HUGE dark fluttering monster bird that fell out of the sky. She shut her eyes tight and flew away as fast as she could, but she slammed into something -- she was so CONFUSED and SCARED and flew home crying to her Mama.... Coincidentally, a few days later, a(nother) bumblebee brushed against her cheek. I told her that THAT was the bumblebee that got scared and hit her on the head, who came to kiss and apologize to her for scaring her, just like her Mama told her to: "Now I KNOW you were frightened, but you scared that little girl, too, when you flew into her. Now go on, go and apologize."

bananabat, beekeeping is on my To Do/Start One Day List.

[gixxerific]

Come to find out they are more than likely not "Attacking" just curious. Eventually they go away, but most of the time they will buzz around me for quite some time and follow you if try to move away.