Robbers and how should I Cope?

EasternShore · July 10, 2008, 08:39:03 AM

Once again I'm faced with a nagging question, Why are so many bee's feeding and then flying away from my hive?

My boardman feeders don't seem interesting to my girls, so I've put pans out which are full of bee's. After a time most of the bee's are flying west away from my hive. I have ordered a top bucket feeder to control robbing but it's not here yet.
Do I continue to feed from pans? My girls are very weak from all the stress of being captured and rebulding.
This hive is less than 2 weeks old, captured from 2 seperate swarms, 1 queen.
What is the risk of my single hive being robbed clean and leaveing them storeless?
I'm really counting on you experts to make suggestions...heck...I'll take 2-3 rookies answers at this point...hehe.

Thanks all....
Mark

DaveKow · July 10, 2008, 08:52:10 AM

Okay, here is your rookie reply.

How far is your feeder from your hive? Is there still nectar available?
I would move it furthest I could away, fill one more time then stop.

Make sure when you begin bucket feeding that you reduce your entrance(s). I just made that rookie mistake last week. I fed a weak colony and left the top propped and the next day they were victims of attempted robbery. Luckily, I caught it early. Minimal casualties.

Dave

BMAC · July 10, 2008, 09:02:15 AM

Well you have to take into consideration I am not an expert, but rather just giving my opinion.

I would reduce their current entrance to no more than 2 inches by 3/8 or 1/2 tall.......

Also your pan needs to be maybe 40 yards away (if possible) from the hives for feeding sugar water that fashion....

The other popular method is to take a 1 gallon zip lock bag and fill it with sugar water and place it on like u would a bucket feeder on top. Make sure u poke some small holes in the bag so the bees can feed on it.

make sure u reduce their entrance... Also if u notice they are being robbed out you can stop it by taking out your garden hose and spray over that colony. This will keep the robbers away, but u will have to do that until dark...

MustbeeNuts · July 10, 2008, 11:10:37 AM

You could just take a mason jar, punch a few holes in the lid, then put it on the inner cover with a spare super around it you can set it up with a couple 3/4 in blocks of wood under it also. and then the telescopic top, thats gonna protect it from robbers and the bees can feed undisturbed. I feed all my bees that way. LOL 4 hives, also I'm a first year myself. But so far no robbing. Of course there is the baggy method as well, make your syrup mix, lay it on top of the frames, cut a few little slits and the bees will feed them selves. cover it and same results , robbers have to go thru the hive to get there, also reduce the entrance easier for the guard bees.

LIke I said I'm a newbee as well but these methods where reccomended to me.

KONASDAD · July 10, 2008, 11:30:57 AM

I may not be following you, but the bees are just taking syrup and leaving? Or are they inside a hive and then leaving? If they are inside, put on water sprinkler and reduce entrance. If they are just stealing some syrup from the front of hive, it is a problem about to erupt.

MB once adviced me to feed the strong hives and take their frames and give to weaker hives, reducing chances of robbing. It also uses the strong hive numbers to max advantage.

Jerrymac · July 10, 2008, 11:50:47 AM

Follow the bees and find out if it is a hive you can get.

Robo · July 10, 2008, 12:07:26 PM

Inverted jar on the inner cover is hard to beat for feeding.
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/feeder-compare/

EasternShore · July 10, 2008, 07:20:47 PM

Thanks for the idea's folks..will do all of the above. Must of have 2000 bee's on the sugar tray. Went out and talked to locals in a block radius..they saw a swarm last week...now to find them...any ideas other than try to track them?

Wes Sapp · July 10, 2008, 09:03:42 PM

Ever try bee lining?
http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,8014.0.html

EasternShore · July 10, 2008, 09:18:17 PM

:-D
Ok....what's "Bee lining"??

Pan was too close...
Reduced opening..boardman

Robbers have departed...waiting for bucket feeder.

annette · July 10, 2008, 10:00:59 PM

I am all for the baggie feeders myself. You place those ziplock bags inside the hive directly on top of the top super and cut a few long slits in the bags. No problem with robbing. I also reduce the entrance when I feed them.

Good Luck
annette

EasternShore · July 10, 2008, 10:13:39 PM

:?

Don't you risk drowning the hive with 1:1 suger mix? Too thin?

annette · July 10, 2008, 10:20:25 PM

The baggies are about 1/3 filled and all the air is pushed out before sealing the ziplocks. You lay the baggie flat down and cut the slits on the top of the baggies. Just a few little cuts so the syrup seeps out a little onto the top of the baggies and the bees know it is there. Nothing runs down. The bees sit on top of the baggies and suck out the syrup until the baggie is totally empty. No drowned bees whatsoever.

EasternShore · July 11, 2008, 08:35:56 AM

Thanks Annette!!!

Looks like the Robbers empties my top super or my girls moved it all to the lower one. Is that possible?

All the brood is still there, but the honeycomb I took out of the last removal job, which was full of uncapped honey is all gone.
I opened the lower deep and pulled a few frames last night, that capped honey is still there.
I did'nt want to disturb the Queen so I did'nt pull them all. She's laying new children and hopefully the hive will be strong enough to defend the next time.
Today I'm going out and trying to track the robbers, I suspect a feral hive nearby. talked to a few houses nearby and they had seem a swarm last week. All now have my number is another shows up.

Thanks to all who come here...please continue to pass on your wisdom so we rookies can help save our precious girls. Md. took a 35-50% lost of hives last year...scarey.

Bee-Bop · July 11, 2008, 09:47:42 AM

The old way to check an see if you got robber bees; this evening after every field bee has gone to bed, close off all entrances with screenwire, then tomorrow morning when all the neighboring bees are out flying, look to see if any are trying to get into the hive.

Now if you have robbers; reduce entrance size and build a robber-screen !

Actually a robber screen isn't a bad idea for any new instalation, until they get established !

Source "old litterature"

The Old Timers were sometimes perrty sharp !

Bee-Bop

qa33010 · July 11, 2008, 06:56:08 PM

I'm in agreement with Bee-Bop. I first reduce the entrance. The robber screen works great for me when needed. I do use it now on all new hives. I also have successfully used a water sprinkler above the hive being robbed in summer, if there is nothing coming in. The water sprinkler is a last resort and I have to keep it on until after sunset.

Some folks don't like the robber screen as it may confuse the home bees trying to get back in. I have watched in the past and yes there has been confusion but they work it out and any outsider bees you will see going up and down and all over the screen but I have not seen them get in. I had the added advantage that the would bee robbers were not the same color as my bees. They just eventually gave up.

Also if worse comes to worse, block the entrance at night and leave it that way for couple days. I always use a baggie or top feeder if I have to do this, quickly putting it on of course.

EasternShore · July 13, 2008, 10:43:33 PM

Ok Folks here'swhat I did:
1. STOPPED FEEDING!!!
2. Reduced entrance.
Never got to spraying them, they already cleaned all the honey from the top deep super. No idea how much of the brrod was killed as I've only have this hive a few days. ( It was taken from a house) All the comb was rubber banded in and is now clean empty cells. Could my girls have moved it to the lower deep? It was my original weak hive, with a queen.
Tonight cleaner bee's were carting dead larve out the door and dragiing them away...very sad.
I found one poor girl, no wings left, on the ground..tried to put her back but she leaped off the hive front porch. Any idea's on this one?

The foragers are loading in pollen just before dark tonight...so , should I be hopeful?

Kinda wish I'd had alittle more schooling before being thrown back into Bee Keeping, I hate to hurt them.
The good news is the robbers just gave up.....probably cause there's little honey left.

Thanks for all you suggestions..at least I still have lots of hard working little ladies still in my hive.

See Yawl later....

Michael Bush · July 20, 2008, 01:41:47 AM

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesrobbing.htm

EasternShore · July 20, 2008, 05:00:36 PM

Thanks Mike!!

I witnessed the young ones doing their flight yesterday. THIS IS GOOD NEWS..means my new brood are hatching...NEW LIFE YEA!!!!

Everything is calm now...

I have the 2 gal. plastic top feeder on now and no issues so far.
Going to try to open the hive entrance alittle farther now.

The incredible part is the girls have already replaced the honey in the upper,well most of it..not capped but filling comb.

Very Hot here and DRY.

I water everyday just to give them some clover to feed on in addition to the syrup.

Brian D. Bray · July 21, 2008, 02:30:59 AM

With bottemless hives my form of robber screen is blocking the top entrance and sliding a mite board until there is just a 1/4 inch crack for the bees to climb through. They land on the underside of the board and then into the hive, the guard bees line up along the rim of the crack.