Increasingly irritable bees this season...anyone else?

I have been suffering worsening behaviour amongst all of my colonies this year.
It was just one hive to start with about a month ago and I am in fact in the middle of reQueening it due to hive from hell syndrome. This i thought at the time was due to the daughter of an orange queen which was the product of one of my nucs two seasons ago.
Mongrelisation and all bad stuff which goes with it....

However, now i am not so sure as quite a number of my hives have devloped the same traits.
Previously calm hives have turned horrible. Effervescent hives, pinging, huge attack pheromone release, following for a hundred yards at least, etc.
This behaviour seems to have also cropped up in my nuc apiary which is well away from main apiary.
I am now wondering whether this is simply the result of a poor season.
The temps here in west wales have been very low for the time of year with poor nectar flows.
So large colonies with little forage available.
Stores are indeed light so I am adding in frames of stores where needed.

Has anyone else had similar problems?
TIA

Yes mine have been the same, If its any help they do seem to be getting better now the weather has picked up a bit. No doubt all the experts on the forum will say requeen but only time will tell.

We have 1 colony that is s**t and will combine / requeen VERY soon.

IF you can don't live with it, Cull the Q. and combine.

I have noticed a change in temperament around time the rape flowers and as swarm cells develop, this has been the case the last few years. colonies which were lovely in early spring turned into demons and quite unmanageable at times, then returning to normal as the main flow in July kicked in. this year mine have been good as gold were I can walk around a dozen colonies in mid afternoon with no protection. the weather I think is the major player

yes, I'm finding the same - could go through the bees last year with no gloves with the exception of one hive who were 'pingy and follow'.

This year, I've ended up with all hives being reasonably aggressive - not unmanageable but not a pleasure to go through either.

The worst of all was a recent swarm that attacked as soon as I collected in skep - very nasty indeed (bumped off that queen straight away).

The bees have managed to collect ample stores though - a few have supers ready to extract and the lime, bramble and clover just coming in, but on the whole, its been frustrating.

Have re-queened one hive with one of hivemakers beauties and hope the next time I inspect, they are much more calm.

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Angry bees are angry bees. It is their basic feature. It has nothing to do with weather. There are every year bad weathers, and you cannot avoid it.

Bad temper is a good feature when bees live in wild nest and they protect their hives. Angry bees have got their original temper back.

Only what you can do, is to buy calm bred queens to your hives.

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weather plays a part in every living thing, to dismiss that weather plays no part in bee behaviour

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My father was a carpenter, and when he earned his money in a rain or in 30C, he was more angry than mongrel bees. -25C was not so bad as 30C.

snelgrove said:

weather plays a part in every living thing, to dismiss that weather plays no part in bee behaviour

Click to expand...

You can try what dark affects on bees. When sun I under horizon, open the hive and try.

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Finman said:

You can try what dark affects on bees. When sun I under horizon, open the hive and try.

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Click to expand...

everything is governed by the weather ie the sun

Finman said:

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My father was a carpenter, and when he earned his money in a rain or in 30C, he was more angry than mongrel bees. -25C was not so bad as 30C.

Click to expand...

What??

snelgrove said:

everything is governed by the weather ie the sun

Click to expand...

It is easier to change the bees than change weather.
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It's weather for me this year, the difference inspecting on a warm day (which have been relatively few since the last week or so) and cooler day has amazed me. I try not to be too hasty - re queening only done when bad still bad during warm good flow days

in general the bees seem to be more aggressive this year - two colonies I'd marked up for increase as they were so laid back it was unbelievable have turned pretty stroppy over the last month, another at the same apiary is almost impossible to inspect - fine four weeks ago.
colonies at the home apiary not quite as bad although worse than normal - one is pretty problematic. The hive that Redwood acquired was moved to the association apiary as it couldn't be kept where it was as it was so aggressive and I had a call from my cousin Sunday asking if I would help her requeen a particularly aggressive hive in her apiary so yes, it does seem to be a bit of a problem this season.

Laid back earlier in the season. Just recently, chased me across three fields and held my landlady under house arrest until I could get to her to sort them out.

Just got back from the same place and another placid hive is following the same route although not as bad..... Yet!

I have three colonies that have been troublesome this year. All three - two from the garden and one from an out apiary - were moved to the same new site. Last year, all three were lambs - no veil and certainly no gloves. This year they became banshees, one was particularly bad - stinging and following. The OH abandoned me in complete horror at the onslaught, poor soul, (though once he'd gone it was easier to get on with it without having to worry about how he was coping ). I even invested in a full suit in readiness to do battle with the queens!

Last week and today, all but one were back to their normal calm selves. I thought of blaming the weather, but all of the other colonies in the garden and the other out apiary have been good, just occasionally a little less aimiable than normal. So I can't say it was just the weather - but the last two inspections have been so much more pleasant than those done when the weather was so cold and unpredictable...

Some reassuring replies
Thanks JB and philipm esp as you likely have same microclimate as myself
I am trying to improve my bees a la jo widdicombe so no imported "nice" strains for me thanks.
Thanks Finman though, you have much laughing effect on my facial muscles.
))

bontbee said:

The OH abandoned me in complete horror at the onslaught, poor soul, (though once he'd gone it was easier to get on with it without having to worry about how he was coping ). I even invested in a full suit in readiness to do battle with the queens!

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Snap! My OH has abandoned me to due to nasty bees. When I insisted he help me find my mean queen he bellowed so much smoke my eyes were streaming. Every time I looked up to ask him to do something there he was spinning on the spot puffing the smoker trying to make a wall of smoke around him to keep the bees off him. Easier when he quit and I could get on without him

mine have been sweet until the last few inspections, I couldn't have asked for more well mannered bees, but the last few weeks two of my hives have gotten very tetchy (the hive with the combined swarms is fine).
We had some followers last weekend who were persistent for hours over the whole garden, stinging both myself and the other half even though we weren't near the hives.

Maybe the result of them being queenless since swarming, hopefully the queens emerging will calm things down, but no reason now to have to open those hives for a week or so until they do.

The odd manic bee chases me around the garden.. Had it occasionally in past: worse this year..

A used squash racket solves the problem. Permanently