Robbing

Beewildered61 · July 14, 2015, 08:58:51 PM

About two weeks ago, I was going to my truck to go to work at about 7am and I heard a lot of bees. It wasn't as loud as a swarm but I kept hearing them all around me, even though I couldn't see any. I was about 100+ feet from my nearest hive, so I started walking down that way. When I get to the first hive, it looks like there might be robbing going on, there is a cloud of bees around the entrance and I see at least 100 around the sides of the hive, going upwards in waves trying to get under the telescoping top. I go a little farther and my oldest hive (about 3 years old) has a little bit of bees on the porch but none swarming around it, and I have had the top propped open with a stick to help cool them off and they all have screened inner tops. I go over to my newest hive, a nuc I installed about a month ago, and there is a lot of bees crunched in the entrance but only a few flying around the sides and looking like they are trying to get in through the top.

I saw this same thing this morning...I come home today and there is the same thing going on this afternoon. I am suspecting that the older hive is trying to rob the other two, since I don't see any bees around the top. The hive I keep seeing the most, suspected robbing going on, is a pretty strong hive too, maybe two years old. What can I do to stop this? Last time I checked about two weeks ago, both big hives had a super of honey, but it wasn't capped, so I was waiting for it to be capped.

If I take the supers off these two big hives, if they are capped, will that stop the robbing?

GSF · July 14, 2015, 09:11:49 PM

I don't know that removing a super will stop robbing, probably entice it with the fresh smell of honey in the air. Look at the entrances and the ground in front of the hives for little pieces of chewed wax. That's a sure sign. I have robber screens on my hives with the entrance reduced. That helps with ventilation and protection. I only had two out of 25-30 that got robbed out. They both were splits that didn't make a queen. I had nucs with much smaller population but were queen right.

Beewildered61 · July 14, 2015, 09:36:09 PM

Just went down there to do a little work in the garden and they are still at it...then not a good sign...trails of ants going up the sides of the hives where there haven't been any...I am suspicious of hive beetles and the bad thing I am supposed to work tomorrow 8am-5pm. Thinking about calling in for half a day and open them up and see what's going on before it gets worse! I would hate to lose them, very good bees...

GSF · July 14, 2015, 09:38:32 PM

Are you feeding them? If it's an entrance feeder they are know to create robbing.

tjc1 · July 15, 2015, 01:00:43 AM

Are you seeing fighting on the doorstep? If so, you might think about not opening them, but covering them with a wet sheet, and later, putting on a robbing screen and waiting for things to settle down. From my experience, I really couldn't tell what was what when I opened the hive in a similar situation. If you do open them, just be prepared for some mayhem when you open the hives, mostly so that you don't freak out! Once the hive is open, it's free entry for any robbing bees, and it can look pretty wild. Try to cover the exposed tops of boxes as you go.

Beewildered61 · July 15, 2015, 07:41:08 AM

No, not feeding them they have a super of honey on them, but last time I looked about 2 weeks ago they hadn't capped it. No, I didn't see any fighting..

Beewildered61 · July 15, 2015, 11:56:49 AM

Just went and checked the hive, it looks dead!? I don't understand...you can see the comb is chewed and all the honey is gone and the pollen in the comb looks old and not good looking. When I looked in 2 weeks ago, they had an uncapped super full and a lot of honey in the upper deep... I had added a second super and wondered if they might would move some of the honey in the deep into the super, because there wasn't a lot of open space on the deep frames.

There was about a dozen dead bees on the inner screen top....I don't have a clue! :( I took both supers off and just put the hive back together for the time being....

GSF · July 15, 2015, 01:40:07 PM

It might be that the comb looks bad because it's chewed up. A lot of variables may have came into play here. I've read where folks say that one of the things that happens during robbing is the robbers seek out and kill the queen. In addition they may have ate the larva for the protein, but I'd imagine you'd see bits and pieces of them as well.

Beewildered61 · July 15, 2015, 07:19:38 PM

As a matter of fact, I saw something hanging on a thread of mucus or something, that was stuck and dragging on the hind end of a bee walking across the comb... and a little ways away I saw another little piece and the first thing that came to my mind was, "That looks like a piece of a larva"!

There was a lot of bees in there... I wasn't sure if some could have been the original ones that lived in that hive, or they all were robbers. That hive was one of my best.. I caught them as a large swarm that was on the ground about two years ago. :(

rookie2531 · July 15, 2015, 07:30:10 PM

It could be full of robbers. Look for queen and eggs, larvae, capped brood. If none of the above, look at pollen cells. Do they look white and chalky cappins? Is there stuff that looks like pepper or dirt in the cells? Do you see any, and I mean even a small section of cells that looks like webbing on it. Wax moths will lay at night while robbers are back home.

Beewildered61 · July 16, 2015, 09:49:37 PM

Yesterday when I got home from work and looked at the hive, there was just a few bees going in and out of the hive, so I figured today, if they were robbers, I would just go and get the deeps and put them in storage, after freezing them overnight. When I go down there it's the same, just a few bees in and out. I pop the top and hear a lot more bees than I expected, so I put the top back on...I went and put on my hood and got my smoker, and took the top off. There seem to be a lot of bees still in the bottom, but I didn't take anything apart and go to looking....
I am hoping maybe the queen and some bees are still there.

My new small hive, I put a piece of wood in the entrance to make the opening small, since it looked like the robbers were attempting to get to them yesterday. Today no robbers seen, the hive looked calm again... My other big older hive I haven't seen any robbing activity around it, or bees looking like they were coming from the robbed hives to that hive...So I am assuming the robbers are from a wild hive around somewhere...

rookie2531 · July 19, 2015, 10:07:57 PM

Well, you have to inspect your frames if you want to know for sure.

biggraham610 · July 21, 2015, 04:28:51 PM

I would highly suggest you figure it out. I had a nuc robbed dry in less than 24 hours. You may be seeing robbers coming for the last scraps. I would not trust anything but a robber screen now that I have seen a brutal attack. Still some can even get in this, but they have a better chance at defense. I have had to throw a wet towel over them with the screens. They will destroy a hive in no time. When you see how quickly the numbers build on the screen when you put it on, you will be able to realize how intense an attack really is. Good Luck. G

http://bushfarms.com/beesmisc.htm#robberscreen

GSF · July 21, 2015, 09:46:41 PM

Ditto G, If you ever witness a robbing frenzy you won't forget it. Robbing screens are great. They protect and allow ventilation.

Beewildered61 · July 21, 2015, 10:20:07 PM

I think it is already too late...I thought there were some of the original bees in there...been seeing a few in and out, hearing some buzzing in the hive...but today when I got home from work, we were expecting storms, so I just walked down to take a look, and I didn't see any activity at all...finally two bees came around, one flew right in, the other kept hopscothing around the doorway, figured that one was a robber...but the hive is looking pretty much dead...and I can smell it standing a few feet away.

Hope I can get in it tomorrow and take a better look, and take the deeps and freeze them if I need to, to keep wax moths away.

biggraham610 · July 21, 2015, 11:10:05 PM

Sorry, about that.
I would equip yourself with robber screens. I am a firm believer now, i had 4 nucs being assaulted, I built 4 and fought it tooth and nail till I got them on, but now, after 2 days of the robber screens, only a few come around, the hives are again happy, fanning and taking feed. They can ward off and defend the few that try and get thru the notch, a frenzy....well....... that's over quick once they break the ranks. And the results are astonishing. I had always heard, and always watched my hives defend against the few rouges, tussling on the porch, figured whats this big deal........... well, make up 4 nucs in a dearth, introducing queens, and anyone can get the experience, if there is an Italian hive around. I wouldn't wish it on an enemy. Tell you the truth, that package was a comb drawing machine, but they are some ruthless bastards. Pretty sure she wont be rearing brood come next years dearth if she makes the winter. Good Luck. G

ed/La. · July 22, 2015, 02:04:22 AM

I robber screen all my hives. Only takes a minute

rookie2531 · July 22, 2015, 07:05:47 PM

Did you still NOT pull the frames and look. A box full of wax moths stink pretty bad. You can save the comb if you catch it early, but sounds like you letting it go too far.

Beewildered61 · July 22, 2015, 07:52:28 PM

no, didn't get to check it, going to today... thunderstorm came up soon as I got home yesterday.... Do ya'll make robber screens? can you buy them? I need more info on this, never heard of it....

Beewildered61 · July 22, 2015, 09:29:14 PM

Same thing, we're in a pattern I reckon...I don't get home until 6pm, about 6:15 today...grab a bite to eat and a storm comes up, it's rainin' out there now.... :(