What a spring it has been. Temperatures in the 80s in mid-April in SE Michigan, followed by cool days that just didn’t seem to want to go away, keeping the bees inside. Finally, it is warm enough here to get serious about making splits, moving queens and a cohort of bees out of the original hive to create a new hive, and prevent the original hive from swarming. And even if I had not already been planning for it, my bees are demanding it, as many of them seem to be celebrating the warm weather by making preparations to swarm, forcing the splitting work I would normally do over a few weeks into a few days. As a results, I have spent the last seven days deep in bees. The good news is that my bees had a good winter. The bad news is that the local raccoons, possums and skunks (yes I have seen all three!) are making regular visits to the hives, looking for snacks.
At least one of them has been pulling out the sliders below the screened bottoms on every hive, thereby leaving behind evidence of his or her visits. I suspect the raccoons. This week I removed the slides myself. With the warm weather they are not needed, and the extra ventilation with them out can help keep the hives from getting too hot. However, I can still tell when my visitors have been at the hives based on how the bees greet me when I open the boxes. When the critters have been there, the bees get quite defensive and are much more likely to sting me. And when they are in defense mode, they release an alarm pheromone, an odor that they produce to send a message to tell the other bees to join in. Interestingly, to a human nose, it smells like bananas. When they sting, they tag you with it so the other bees know right where to go to do the same. With my hives more defensive then I am used to, I have been getting stung a fair amount. Not my favorite thing about working bees! I have also learned that one of my goats reacts to bee alarm pheromone just like the bees! Either that or she really doesn’t like bananas! If I try to milk her without showering after working a defensive hive, my normally friendly goat bites me.
I have also come up with a theory that alarm pheromone deters ticks. I had just commented to my husband that I had been spared my usual daily tick or two from the bee yard this spring. Then, today the bees were all chill (Yeah, finally!). My goat took a good sniff and decided I didn’t need biting. Tonight I removed 3 ticks from my head. If I am correct, it could be a million dollar discovery: honey bee alarm pheromone as a super effective tick repellent! There are only 2 problems: 1) I don’t want to be the one to test my theory, and 2) Covering oneself with a honey bee “come sting me” scent and then walking around outside might have some side affects that would discourage sales. But enough silliness! I have to run! I need to go check on some bees!
I had no idea your bees have a scent to tell other bees to be alarmed. I don’t want to smell bananas coming my way!