ORONO — Every so often beekeepers will find a colony that turns mean, which makes the bees hard to handle. But some beekeepers like this situation, because honey production can increase.

Michael Palmer was discussing mean colonies Thursday with about 30 of the nearly 500 beekeepers gathered for the annual conference of the Eastern Apicultural Society at the University of Maine.

His workshop was held where the folks were most comfortable, outdoors in a field of hives. He sat comfortably on a hive as he talked about when and how to change the queen in a bee colony. People listened attentively, unconcerned about the bees buzzing around them.

“Anyone who’s kept bees has experienced mean colonies. Well gosh, if you’ve got an outyard where you’re bothered by kids…,” Palmer chuckled. So did the crowd. “But you’re liable for that colony if a kid gets stung.”

A mean colony is especially worrisome for people who live in built-up areas. Palmer said that changing the queen bee may make the colony more mellow.

Mean colonies, infestations of mites, African bees and pests were just some of the topics covered during the conference this week.

Tony Jadczak, the state apiarist at the Maine Department of Agriculture, who serves as president of the society, organized this year’s conference. Thursday afternoon, halfway through the event, he was a little frazzled after seeing to a myriad of minor details. Nonetheless, talking about bees came easily.

A couple of varieties of mites that infest colonies have quickly swept through the industry since they were first detected less than 10 years ago. How to cope with the problem has fueled a growing debate over the use of chemicals.

“There is a movement toward the lesser use of pesticides in all agriculture. We’re looking at natural and chemical products as well as genetics, breeding for resistance,” Jadczak said during a break.

“These pests came in so recently we’ve got to rely on pesticides in the short term. Right now there is a lot of debate on it,” Jadczak said. He added that Maine officials have been unable to agree upon standards to certify honey as organically produced.

Beekeeping is a big business in the state. Its most valuable function is to pollinate the blueberry and apple crops. And for that purpose, 35,000 hives were imported this year.

The 800 beekeepers in the state tend 12,000 hives. Jadczak said the vast majority of them keep bees as a hobby or sideline.

Jadczak works in a two-man department to oversee the state’s beekeepers and keep tabs on the imported hives. His part-time assistant is Robert Egan, a Skowhegan beekeeper.

A couple of speakers at the conference talked about African bees, a subject Egan has been following closely. The aggressive bees pose little threat to Maine beekeepers.

“African bees can’t deal with the cold,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about them here in Maine.”

Bears and skunks pose threats in Maine.

“Skunks scratch at the hives. Guard bees come out. He squashes them and eats them. He’ll do that all night and move on to the next hive,” Egan said. “Bears just come in, knock it over. It’s mostly older bears. They’re after the brood and honey. Once they get the taste you can’t get rid of them.”

Egan held a workshop on constructing fences to keep out bears.

“It’s an electric fence. The same kind you’d use for sheep or cattle,” he said. “But a fence is a protective measure. Once they get a taste of honey, they’ll go through the fence.”