I have 4 new hives i started this spring, three with 3 med. hive bodies and one that is a deep and med. I stop by my yard to check on the weight of them and found one getting robed, I check the tem. on my truck and it was 41, the other 3 hives had a bee or two come and go while i was there. I closed the the box up and 5 mins, they where gone. When i open the box up today will they be back and if so how can i stop them?
I did have a reducer on , it had a 3 x 3/8 opening.
check the weight of the robbed hive, it may be in very poor shape. most hives that i see robbed are either declining or otherwise weak before the others attack.
hope you do well with this hive, be ready to go in and do what you can to push them into a smaller space
if they are found to be weak.
and be ready to feed them.
bailey
As Bailey suggests. And reduce the entrance even more. A space just big enough for 1 or 2 bees (1/2") will help them defend the entrance.
Make sure there is no other way for a bee to get into or out of the hive and close screens if you use them to cut down the scent of honey.
Scott
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesrobbing.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesrobbing.htm)
"Robed Hive?" good idea! next time I catch a hive being robbed I gonna throw my old terry cloth bath robe over it! LOL might just work