Actually I had the entrances down to their smallest. As stated above, I had some of the entrances at about 3 bee widths, and one bee height. 1 1/4 (OK, 5 bee widths, 3 bee lengths) inches by 5/16 (32 x 8mm). In the hive started from a nuc, I made a spacer that has an opening of 4 x 5/16 inches (100 x 8mm).
I used this same screen last year, and it didn't stop the robbers, but that colony had no queen. Now I have had the bees shut in all day, I opened the door a crack at dusk; I intend to break this cycle if I can. I know the robbers were inside this hive, and they will just bring the gang back when I open it up again.
They're mutt bees as well, I guess mostly Italian in descent, Amber abdomens with black bands. Some of the bees in the Original hive in this post were darker, but I never got any drones to tell you what they may look like. I did see a drone in the Nuc/hive. He's a big yaller one. The bees I caught in the trap, are as yet unknown.
I actually don't know if determining race by their coloration is all that accurate now. Like Indians, the actual number of "Pure Blood" could be put on a 747 with seats to spare. I know at least one Mohawk that has blond hair, blue eyes, and a BIA ID card.
Demeanor by race is also not all that accurate. When talking about Dogs, genetics are chosen for an arrested development, and behavior is chosen for a breed. Seeing that bees fly out to a place where Drones wait to chase and
fertilize a queen, 10 to 15 times, it's not likely a "breed" of bee will have the same characteristics as would be in that race's known attributes, unless that queen is artificially inseminated.
Take into account the fact bees in the
Americas 150 years ago were mostly Mellifera Mellifera. With the discovery of mellifera ligustica, the race was brought into service in this country and slowly replaced M. M. until all bees I seem to see today are M. L. Also, unless I've been mislead, intentionally or otherwise, hybrids of M. M. is a testy, hot bee. I regularly go to bee trees and hives, sit right next to them without fear, investigated but not threatened, suggesting the feral population has become placid through natural selection.
It would be easy to simply say the "defensive" gene was diluted by interbreeding with M. L. But genetics doesn't work that way. Now days I see bees with Black butts, Brown butts, More brown butts, and I'm still looking for that little bee with the half black, and half brown butt.
As for me, I can tell you that I come from predominantly Northern European stock. Though some in my family see only the color in our ancestry, I can safely say my butt is pretty brown.
I will try to use the robber screen alone, I don't really have any place to put these bees except where they are. Beyond the feral hives out in the trees here (I'm right next to the Stones River Battleground, so there's a lot of old growth forest around.), my neighbor has colonies across the road, about an eighth mile.
Topic: Bees pulling out larvae (Read 10866 times)