Rating Colony Temperament

Gentle temperament can suggest good health and conditions just as defensive behavior can inform us of issues! Use this guide to rate and record the temperament of your colony.

1

• Extremely defensive before or upon opening the hive
• Constant attempts to sting
• Mouth, hands, anywhere!
• Pursuing guard behavior
• Thick gloves to work

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2

• Increasingly defensive as inspection proceeds
• Consistent “pinging”
• Occasional stinging behavior hands/mouth
• Pursuing guard behavior

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3

• Defensive when provoked
  
  • Dropped frames, rolling bees when removing frames, etc. 
    
• Occasional warning “pings”
  
• Little to no stinging behavior
  
  • may occur situationally
    
• Little to no pursuing behavior
  

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4

• Relatively accepting of our faults
• No “pinging” 
• Permits mistakes without grudges
• No pursuing behavior

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5

• Nothing ruffles their wings
• As happy as you are to be there
  
• Fine to work without gloves, sleeves, or maybe even PPE
  
  • (BUT you really should wear it! Work at your own comfort level)