Is this robbing? (Video)

bxmas13 · May 23, 2009, 08:18:52 PM

Being that I am still a "newbee" I can't tell if this is robbing or the new bees taking their maiden flight.

Any help would be appreciated.

Link to video

Thanks for your time and help!

Two Bees · May 23, 2009, 08:28:17 PM

Best I could tell it looks like orientation flights, especially if this occurred in mid afternoon. Did you notice if there were bees fighting at the entrance? Fighting usually occurs on the entrance and on the ground in front of the hive during robbing.

By the way..............those are fancy stands you have there! :-D

DaveKow · May 23, 2009, 09:13:11 PM

I vote orientation flights, also.

bxmas13 · May 24, 2009, 01:54:58 AM

Thank you so much for your input!!! Man I love this forum!

I saw the hive stands on a website and decided to make my own based off their design. :)

WOB419 · May 24, 2009, 01:40:47 PM

Those hive stands do look cool. Do you screw them into the ground like a mobile home tie down? If not, you can consider that my contribution to your cause, but I want a free one if they start selling like hot cakes ;).

If they are stable while holding about 150 - 200 pounds of bees, larva, honey, pollen, wax, (and for some of us small hive beetles) etc. then you should consider selling them. A lot of folks will never move off of bricks, but there is always room for more innovation.

bxmas13 · May 24, 2009, 03:42:11 PM

That's a good idea WOB419! I will have to check those out and see of it's possible to use.
Right now they are cemented in the ground. The first hive has a small resevoir that I fill with mineral oil, that way it acts as a moat against the ants and earwigs that try to get in the hive.
The smaller hive in the background doesn't have the "moat" installed, as I didn't have enough time to get it put on. :(

When I built them I put my weight(205lbs.) on it and there was no give at all. I am positive they will hold the weight of a hive.

WOB419 · May 24, 2009, 08:25:01 PM

I thought that you had a moat involved, which is one of the things that I liked about it.

The screw device is pretty simple. Picture a round disc with a whole cut right in the middle for the post to go through. Then cut a radius straight out from the center. Then picture holding the disc on each side of the radius and pulling up on one side and down on the other so that there is vertical gap of about 2 inches from one side of the radius to the other. It should work great.

Michael Bush · May 24, 2009, 11:18:33 PM

I would expect more crawling all over the hive with robbing. I can't see the entrance well enough to tell if there is wrestling.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesrobbing.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#orientation

Brian D. Bray · May 25, 2009, 12:54:53 AM

I think there is attempt at robbing going on. The amount of bees in the air and their erratic flight pattern could be training flights but coupled with the action on the hive bottom/entrance I would say it is in the early stages of robbing. Bees from a hive will land above the entrance, on it, or infront of if if heavy laden, but they don't purposely land on the sides of the hive or the underside of the bottom board. Also the bees traveling rapidly from one side of the hive and back again is not home bee behavior but robbers trying to find their way inside.

In looking for robbing, in the early stages there are 3 things to watch out for:
1. Erratic flight in front of and around the hive.
2. Bees landing on the sides of hive or bottom boards.
3. Bees moving rapdily from one side of the hive with "faints" toward the entrance.

I observed all three in that video but it took several viewings to be sure.