tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post4639558124967704388..comments2024-03-26T12:17:40.771-04:00Comments on Linda's Bees: Robbing and RegretsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-85892275754217959792012-07-09T17:57:00.629-04:002012-07-09T17:57:00.629-04:00I'm so sad. last year my bees got something an...I'm so sad. last year my bees got something and died (their bodies littered the garden pathway), but i didn't clear out the hive and get a new colony this year. I was in my garden a few weeks ago and saw bees going in and out of the hive so i thought either some had survived or native bees took over, but it turned out it was robber bees taking the left-behind honey.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-69509899979235813172009-09-19T21:22:23.721-04:002009-09-19T21:22:23.721-04:00We are new beekeepers (2009) in Ky. We started wit...We are new beekeepers (2009) in Ky. We started with three hives in March and added one in early June. All appeared to be doing well until the heat (not enuf shade)got to them and we lost two queens. We requeened the hives but these two hives remained small in population. So, unwittingly, we fed the new hives with a hive top feeder which coincided with a dearth of nectar in mid August. This set off a robbing frenzy (from down the road bees). The only way we were able to stop the robbing was a four steps-mix and match. One, close off the hive completely and feed sugar and pollen substitute inside the hive. The robbing continued to the strong hives so we went to the entrance reducer-smallest entrance. Three, we added a home-made robber screen which allows the homegirls entrance from the top slat with the small reducer entrance and greatly reduces the robbers' access to the hive. Four, use a wet sheet over the entire hive. It is so strange that all the books and courses in Frankfort never prepare you for this barbarian invasion which can take things from plenty to nothing in a couple of days. If we were to do things again, we would put the screens up much earlier. We check out bees daily so we hope this has prevented a total loss.Burtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-78749749297770584832008-07-13T07:41:00.000-04:002008-07-13T07:41:00.000-04:00My other hives all looked quite calm with no obvio...My other hives all looked quite calm with no obvious traffic coming from the robbed hive into any of them. I am anxious to see how today (the day after) looks in the hive.Linda Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08089537760868691562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-87378370533642833402008-07-13T03:19:00.000-04:002008-07-13T03:19:00.000-04:00Is there any way to know who was doing the robbing...Is there any way to know who was doing the robbing? Like, was it another of your hives or a wild swarm?Dimeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08457367927172471144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27329001.post-67417895808908228112008-07-12T15:43:00.000-04:002008-07-12T15:43:00.000-04:00I also ust had a terrible case of Robbing. Starte...I also ust had a terrible case of Robbing. Started in my weakest Nuc. Found it while changing my baggie feeders. The Nuc was badly devastated, so moved what was left to the Barn about 3/4 miles away. The Robbers just moved to the next Nuc. Moved it to barn. Robbers moved to the weakest of my 3 Hives. Moved it to Barn. Now I've got two strong Hives left and both of them seem, for now, to be able to hold of Robbers.<BR/>HABAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com