Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: Jen on September 08, 2014, 06:42:15 pm
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I've done plenty of reading on forum about what robbing looks like. I haven't seen this before with my hives until today, wish I had it on vid. Anyway, I just finished inspecting the hive on the left, everything went fine, and I put it back together, there are bees on the outside of the hive now, but they are calm, and some are casually coming and going. Then about 1/2 hour later, the hive on the right, I saw huge amount of bees in an aggressive frenzy, pointing towards the entrance, loud buzzing, some fighting on the ground but only maybe two fights going on. It looked like robbing to me, so I closed off the entrance to where one or two bees can get in and out. Nothing Doing... the bees pushed the block away and were coming out enmass. So I duck taped it... Not Gonna Work... So I put a nail up against the block. The rucous has simmered down but there is still a couple of hundred frenzied bees at the entrance.
Is there anything else I can do or should not do?
I'm also going to curl up with my Beekeeper's Handbook ;)
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs11.postimg.cc%2Fauj7ervf3%2FDSCF0623.jpg&hash=d9c9b858f93ae846f00453b135a1adcccfc2850a) (http://postimg.cc/image/auj7ervf3/)
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Place a wet sheet over the hive being robbed or turn the lawn sprinkler on to it
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http://www.worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php/topic,1420.msg19070.html#msg19070
And an hour ago would not be soon enough. Get it done asap.
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K I'm On It
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Mkay, that helped, I used my hand sprinker, dowse them a couple of times. It seems at the moment that the bees are coming in and out of the entrance in their usual casual way.
Iddee, I have a nice robbing screen, is there a chance that this hive will be robbed again?
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs15.postimg.cc%2Fqm6nbzo7r%2FDSCF0625.jpg&hash=09ec53749732e69a66ce664744808f68cccfe480) (http://postimg.cc/image/qm6nbzo7r/)
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs15.postimg.cc%2Fyzcc6nnfb%2FDSCF0627.jpg&hash=d43ad03a9e7fbf32d1a0a38d456e9f250864aede) (http://postimg.cc/image/yzcc6nnfb/)
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Yep the robbers will return most likely. I would leave the sprinkler on the hive for a period of time. if you just spray it a couple of time the robbers will be back on the hive within a little bit. Remember the robbers are going and coming from there own hive.
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They have found the mother load. They will return as long as it's available.
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I had to leave for a couple of hours. When I returned everything was normal at the entrance. I'll put on the robbing screen tonight after dusk.
Then I should shorten up the entrances on the other three hives as well?
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yep you can do that jen, or i put robbing screens on and lock everybody down for awhile.......
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K, I'll do just that :) Thanks!