Attacked by a Swarm of Bees on New Years Eve.

[jdmidwest]

I came home early from work today and was piddling around in the yard.  Went down to the bee hives to check on them.  3 out of 5 hives had bees popping in and out of them.  2 had no activity.

This mid winter warmup normally causes the bees to get out and burn up energy and honey stores.  Then when we get a longer winter in the spring, they get trapped away from the honey and starve.  Christmas day was 70+ and today was 65 and cloudy. 

I went back to the house and grabbed a tool and suited up.  I had planned a quick check of the two hives.  I pulled the entrance reducer out of the first hive and looked under for a dead pile of bees.  I found a few live ones milling around the bottom, assume they are normal and just not wanting to get out.

The next hive, I popped the entrance reducer out and there were several guarding the opening.  They got mad and alerted the rest.  Game on, out came a mess of bees, clinging to my sleeves and suit.  They are not really peppy this time of year and tend to cling and crawl and not just buzz around.  I put the reducer back and bailed out, ducked into the cane thicket I planted years ago for a wind break.  Makes a good hiding place to break connection between the guy in the white suit and the hive.  And it brushes off the ones that are crawling around.  I stayed motionless in there for a while till most gave up then exited back side and angled across yard.  I had one single follower, but he gave up after a few yards.

I looked down at the sleeves on the white jacket and there were several little stingers poking out of it.  As I passed by, there was still a mass of bees on the front of the hive that had came out in defense.  Its good to go, strong and protective.

Goofy weather, danderlions all over the fields and yards blooming.  Iris at the farm is about 6" high.  That will all get nipped this weekend.