Will robbers kill the queen of the hive they're robbing?

[Bamabww]

About the middle of June I posted that I had found a hive in my bee yard in the process of being robbed. I thought I had caught it in time to save the hive but apparently I didn't.  I put a wet super on 3 or 4 days after the robbers left and the bees were in what I thought an adequate number but didn't do a full inspection. I have watched the hive over the past few weeks and noticed a drop off in the coming and going of the bees compared to before the robbing attempt.

It had been one of my stronger hives up unto the robbing so I didn't really worry about it at first. I checked the wet super about a week after placing it on the hive and it was clean. I removed the super temporarily and there were  dozens of bees on the frames in the second deep. I didn't go any further down, but put the super back on and closed it up as per normal.

Several life things happened over the next two weeks which kept me from inspecting the bees other than a walk by in the morning and evening.  Reduced activity but it's a dry time here in North Alabama (no rain since June 26th)  so I didn't think much of it. This morning I checked and the hive is almost empty of bees. Only a few dozen left and there is no brood at all. There is stored pollen and a very little capped honey in one of the deeps. The bottom deep is completely empty of pollen or honey.

So I'm guessing the robbers killed the queen and the hive slowly died. Or the queen had died before the robbery and this was sensed by the invaders. This hive superceded their queen early spring and at the first she had a very good brood pattern. I had not done a full inspection since mid March anticipating an April flow.

Any ideas or opinions?

[Jen]

Good Question Bam! I inspected a friends hive the other day and it looks like just what you are explaineing. I to was wondering if robbers would kill a queen ~

[GLOCK]

Last year I made the mistake of setting up a open feeder  by my nuc yard and the robbing was crazy . I got them to stop after like a week or so and I did many different things to stop them. went on for the rest of the year with one in particular it was so weak come fall I figured it was doomed  hardly any honey and not many bee's.
Well that nucs is still kicking but now a DBL. deep and I lost 40% I had 15 hives and 10 dbl. nucs  .
And no queens where killed in my nucs but they where wiped clean had to pump the 1.1 to them and they where still lite.

[riverbee]

wayne, hard to say, the hive could have been queenless, or queenright and just not as strong as others; superceded and building up. in the process of robbing and chaos/confusion, queens can wind up being killed, whether this is from the 'resident' bees forming a ball around her to protect her, or if she was killed by the robbers.

strong hives always rob weaker hives, especially in nectar dearths, or in the case of placing wet supers back on a hive.  one additional comment to this.....when i make up (5 frame nucs), i move them out of my apiary.  i have had them robbed out and the queens killed during nectar flows.

also, it's possible that some of your bees joined other hives along the way that accepted them.  with the few dozen  left, i would just take the frames out away from and in front of your hives and shake them out, and button up your equipment so your comb is not destroyed by pests.  the bees will either take up with another colony (if accepted) or perish.  there is nothing you can do to salvage the hive or bees,  your best move is to protect your equipment.

[Woody Roberts]

I came home from work one day after a big robbery had happened. The queen was the only live bee in the hive.

When your talking bees you should always clarify with terms like ( should, maybe, could be, might not etc )

[barry42001]

I would think that the robbers didn't attack and kill the queen, I would think her own workers attacked her balling her, or more likely they absconded

[Jen]

Barry, "I would think her own workers attacked her balling her,

    Curious, why would her own workers attack and ball her?

[barry42001]

Times of stress the workers blame the Queen that's when you find it they will supersede her.

[Bamabww]

with the few dozen  left, i would just take the frames out away from and in front of your hives and shake them out, and button up your equipment so your comb is not destroyed by pests. 
  your best move is to protect your equipment.

Thanks, that exactly what I've done. I have put the drawn comb in the freezer for the time being.

[brooksbeefarm]

Good advise from rb, bees are opportunist they know when another hive is under stress, like queenless, queen is failing and the colony is weak, ect. due to a weak pheromone coming from their hive. (that's my take anyway) I have rarely seen a strong hive attack another strong hive by it's self, once it starts there are more than one hive involved. I don't have much robbing now that i went to Carni's and got rid of my Italian breed, but still have some i think from swarms i've caught and kept over the years that had that Italian look to them . When you have hive that like to rob, it takes the fun out of beekeeping. Jack

[riverbee]

"I would think her own workers attacked her balling her"

barry, just my two cents but i would think bees tend to protect the queen by forming a ball around her, and by doing so, can sometimes injure, or inadvertently kill her, either by the heat/suffocation or inadvertent stinging. 

"Thanks, that exactly what I've done. I have put the drawn comb in the freezer for the time being."

wayne,
ps i knew you would.....

jack is right on about bees being opportunists!  they are!

[barry42001]

Riverbee, absolutely correct during a robbing event the Queen might find herself being balled for protection an end up being killed by her own workers accidentally. But by the same token when a colony is under extreme stress they tend to take that out on the Queen by trying to supersede her, and once the new queen is on the way to being hatched the workers may take it out on her by killing her.
Oh bama, absolutely agree with dispersing the bees still left, and freezing the frames as described.

[Bamabww]

Appreciate all the advice and support. This forum never fails to help.