NZBF: Possible Robbing

[Stephen Horsley]

There was a lot of activity on one of my hives the other day and thought I could be witnessing a robbing taking place. As it happened I had just attended the club meeting a night before and had picked up a couple of the new 'Beast Blockers' from Ceracell which I immediately installed and closed off the hive. (Yes I could have stuffed the entrance with grass or other but thought I may as well use what I just bought). The neighbouring hive was quiet by comparison. I opened up one door on dusk as there were plenty of bees milling around outside but in a calm fashion.
Checked the hive the next day and all seemed in order. I did notice the frames in the super were emptying a little.

Would this be from a possible robbing? I didn't notice any dead bees at the entrance apart from your regular clean-outs. Also no wasps.

 

[Grant]

What was the weather like? Here in CHC for instance we had a couple of fine days and yesterday got quite warm in the afternoon.

 

[Mummzie]

Would this be from a possible robbing?

Hard to tell without knowing more about the hive/ your nectar flows etc. Possible orientation flights for a new squadron?
If you opened the hive the next day and didn't have robbers waiting to pounce, I'm thinking it wasn't.
The frames may be emptying because there are more mouths to feed, and very little coming in.

 

[tristan]

There was a lot of activity on one of my hives the other day and thought I could be witnessing a robbing taking place. As it happened I had just attended the club meeting a night before and had picked up a couple of the new 'Beast Blockers' from Ceracell which I immediately installed and closed off the hive. (Yes I could have stuffed the entrance with grass or other but thought I may as well use what I just bought). The neighbouring hive was quiet by comparison. I opened up one door on dusk as there were plenty of bees milling around outside but in a calm fashion.
Checked the hive the next day and all seemed in order. I did notice the frames in the super were emptying a little.

Would this be from a possible robbing? I didn't notice any dead bees at the entrance apart from your regular clean-outs. Also no wasps.

i've done over 20 years beekeeping in your area and never used entrance reducers.
one of the big problems of reducing the entrance is actually cooking the hive, something i've seen people do.
the main way to avoid robbing is to keep the hive nice and strong.
any thing weak is fair game for robbers.

pics always helps in these sort of situations.

 

[frazzledfozzle]

It may have been bees on their orientation flight it can look like robbing to a new beekeeper lots of bees hovering around the entrance and milling about, usually calms down in less than 20 mins.

 

[Pokitren]

i've done over 20 years beekeeping in your area and never used entrance reducers.
one of the big problems of reducing the entrance is actually cooking the hive, something i've seen people do.
the main way to avoid robbing is to keep the hive nice and strong.
any thing weak is fair game for robbers.

pics always helps in these sort of situations.

It's enough to make a stronger hive so it doesn't get robbed, am I right?