Bees attack Hens

[willis944]

Checking an out apiary today which also has 6 chickens about 40ft from the hives. I got about half way through hive number 4 and all hell broke loose: bees everywhere. I've experienced this before so wasn't particularly worried, just tried to get on with the task in hand, but then the hens started getting agitated, flapping and trying to get out of their pen.

I went to check and they were being 'attacked' by hoards of bees, somewhere in the region of 20/30 per hen. The only option was to let them out.

Tonight, after the bees had calmed down, I checked and found one hen dead, two hiding and three scared.

I've never heard of hens being attacked like this before, anyone else?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Checking an out apiary today which also has 6 chickens about 40ft from the hives. I got about half way through hive number 4 and all hell broke loose: bees everywhere. I've experienced this before so wasn't particularly worried, just tried to get on with the task in hand, but then the hens started getting agitated, flapping and trying to get out of their pen.

I went to check and they were being 'attacked' by hoards of bees, somewhere in the region of 20/30 per hen. The only option was to let them out.

Tonight, after the bees had calmed down, I checked and found one hen dead, two hiding and three scared.

I've never heard of hens being attacked like this before, anyone else?

My hives are on a concrete pad forming part of the chicken run. The chickens clean up any detritus the hives produce and the two species ignore each other. It may be helped by having the hives up on stands such that the entrances are above the chickens heads.
The height of the stands has a secondary benefit that it saves me working bent over when inspecting.

 

[TOBY-3652]

heard of it 1 month ago a person in our club had bees attac his hens 11 dead.. the cockrell had 100 stings in its head alone.. god forbid iff it had been someone

 

[oliver90owner]

There are at least a couple of threads, previously, with dead chickens as a result of bee stings. A search might bring them up.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I've never heard of hens being attacked like this before, anyone else?

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17525&highlight=chickens+killed

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5954&highlight=chickens+killed

 

[willis944]

Thanks all, those previous posts are most informative, the hens were indeed in a pen so couldn't 'escape'

I've got 30/40 hens at home about the same distance from 2 hives but they've got free range and there's never been any problems there.

I think the answer will be to give the hens more space.