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Author Topic: Robbing right now  (Read 1361 times)

Offline TNBeeLady

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Robbing right now
« on: September 04, 2013, 08:07:40 pm »
I'm being robbed as we speak!  This picture is of my weakest hive, with piles of bees fighting on the ground and on the hive. (Some of the dark spots on the ground are leaves, but the piles around the bottom blocks are all bees!!)   I put an entrance reducer open to the smallest opening after I took this picture.  My other 2 larger hives had some rolling and fighting going on at their entrances, but nothing I would have noticed if I wasn't looking.  But I put entrance reducers on theirs also.  So now what do I do?


Offline TNBeeLady

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Re: Robbing right now
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2013, 08:35:59 pm »
Since I posted I've been reading other robbing questions.  I don't have a robber screen.  The hive still is full of bees and honey, I took a quick look in today.  Yesterday I did a complete look at the hive and it was doing great.  I realize now that I am the cause of them being robbed :'(  Yesterday I took the empty top feeder off this hive and just set it off to the side and left it since it was full of bees.  I was going to get it in a day or 2.  I'm thinking now - WRONG THING TO DO!!  It must have attracted the robbers even though it was empty.  Hopefully I've sealed the entrance off early enough that they can defend themselves. 

Offline MsCarol

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Re: Robbing right now
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2013, 09:11:37 pm »
OK,

Along this line i have something weird going on as well. Last Sunday i checked the hives. I have 2 side by side - 2' apart but with entrances 90 degrees off. Fed the weak one under the lid but spilled a bit of syrup on the inner lid.

Two days ago I noted hives were agitated. I couldn't quite tell if what I was seeing on the big hive was normal or not. But the mortuary bees were sure dragging out a lot of dead bodies. (Fascinating to watch). The little hive had a bunch hanging out on the bottom of the screen bottom. But also seemed to have a number of dead or dying bees under and around. BTW I have/had black plastic laid out under the hives to keep the weeds at bay hence I can see stuff. Not sure from which hive the bodies were coming from.

I managed to get stung crawling up underneath to look. Trying to determine just what they were doing. My fault as I stuck my arm/wrist right on an ill bee and she nailed me. (BTW bee stings do help arthritis).

Next day, late mid day there was a tremendous amount of activity in front of big hive. I was worried they were being robbed. It could have been just an orientation flight but I am still too new and dumb to tell the difference. I sorta dropped the hive entrance reducer across the wide open space, just in case. there are several spaces still. The little hive is locked down tight except for the small entrance yet STILL had bees underneath.....and more bodies strewn on the plastic. I started to wonder if those were robbers trying to gain access through the screen bottom and getting nailed by the inhabitants of the hive through the screen.

Late day, I put the IPM bottom board in. I tried to scrape off/dislodge the hangers on from the screen, but they weren't having it. I left a small gap at the front for them to leave.......but as of today they are still there. Both hives were a traffic jam of bees working!!!! Skinny bees taking off out the gaps and fully loaded either pollen or bellies trying to hit the openings into the hive. Both hives are a bit testier then they have been. I was in a tank top just watching and getting very thoroughly inspected.

OK any answers on the question about the "bottom hangers". Are they just lost after I had checked the day or so before? Robbers? Lazy good for nothings? <BG>


Offline T Beek

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Re: Robbing right now
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2013, 06:53:27 am »
Pic showed no evidence of fighting that I could see.  Are we sure the dead aren't just a pile of removed drones?  Drones are being kicked out all over the country right now.  One of my colonies is even removing drone brood, leaving them right in front of the entrance making the wax wings and fly catchers very happy. 

All of my hives are currently restricting pesky, noisy, persistent drones, some more aggressively than others and all while experiencing a very nice goldenrod flow (about 80% done up here).
"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Offline TNBeeLady

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Re: Robbing right now
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2013, 08:36:08 am »
TBeek, I don't know for sure.  All I know is it was very noisy, and the piles of bees were live, fighting bees.  As were the bunch of bees next to the left of the opening piled up at the bricks.  I went back out last night right before dark, and it was calmed down a lot, with a lot less bees, but a pile of dead ones.  I'm going out this morning to examine the dead bees and see if they're drones.  But when I was watching them yesterday, I didn't see drones.  And all that fighting was going on where I had the feeder propped up.

Offline T Beek

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Re: Robbing right now
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2013, 10:46:44 am »
I was only asking because its what is happening up here.  A strong colony with reduced entrances should have little problem defending from robbers.

That said; Drones can be very loud (the loudest when protesting) and demanding  :-D like spoiled brats forced out into the world.
"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Offline TNBeeLady

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Re: Robbing right now
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2013, 12:01:44 pm »
So just got in from the hives.  There are a couple hundred dead workers & a few drones around the blocks where the fighting was mainly going on.  There are about a dozen or so alive drones hanging out on the outside of the hive.  I watched drones being ushered out of the small opening I left them.  So, I'm thinking I set off some kind of reaction by leaving the feeder out there.  But there IS drone "throwing out" going on also.  I'll just watch them close the next few days.  The goldenrod here is just starting to open, so maybe that will distract everybody!! :laugh: