Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Much debris at the hive's entrance, especially wax particles as a result of the bees
ripping the comb apart to steal the honey.
Many bees entering and leaving every small crack in the hive.
The whole apiary alive with bees flying in all directions, combined with the above
points.
Treating robbing
Once robbing starts it is very difficult to stop, but the following actions should help if
one of your hives is being robbed:
Block up all cracks in the hive(s) with grass, mud or whatever else comes to hand.
Reduce the hive's entrance to one bee space.
If available, lean a glass screen or board across the hive's entrance. This will confuse
the robbers and, in conjunction with the other controls, can help greatly. If nothing
comes to hand, place straw or grass across the entrance. Again, this will confuse the
robbers.
Alternatively, swap the hive being robbed with the robber hive. This is a little
drastic and, if several hives are involved, it might not solve the problem unless done
in the evening just before everything settles down.
If the situation is very serious, consider moving the robber colony or the robbed
colony to another apiary at least 2 km (1 mile) away.
If the apiary has a water supply, spray the bees with a hose. They will then go
home.
Preventing robbing
The following precautions will help to prevent robbing in the first case:
Don't spill honey in the apiary during times of dearth.
Ensure that small colonies and nucleus colonies have entrances reduced to the
minimum, especially if feeding them. If they haven't got small entrances, when
