getting robbed

[Mairzy_doats]

My hive appears to be getting robbed. More bees than I've ever seen before on the landing board, loud buzzing, bees crawling up the front and sides of the hive and alot of circular flying-more like darting-all around the hive up to 8 feet in the air. They seemed really aggressive when I walked closer so I couldn't determine if there was fighting on the landing or not. I checked some pics posted here and it looks like robbing. I put an entrance reducer in and put a wet bedsheet over the hive.

Did I do the right things? Should I do something else? I dont' know why they would be getting robbed now. We have had almost a week straight of rain but I dont' know if that has something to do with it.

Craziest thing I ever saw and hope the girls hang in there alright.

~mary

[Wynoochee_newbee_guy]

sounds more like you just had brood hatch and they are taking their first flight to program thier brains. but put a robbing screen out to be safe. Brushy mountain makes a great one.

[Kathyp]

what time of the day?  were the flying in front of the hive up and down?

if it was orientation flights, you have locked your new foragers out of the hive. 

with robbing you'll see a bunch of activity at the entrance.  bees trying to crawl in and others trying to keep them out. it looks disorganized.  orientation flights will have the bees facing the hive and flying up and down further and further from the entrance. 

[Mairzy_doats]

Going on now. If its orientation, why so many and such loud aggressive buzzing? They were crawling up the sides before taking off and the flight patterns were all over the place. Alot of high in the air circling before flying away or trying to land. The landing board was really crowded with bees all over each other, it was hard to determine if they were fighting. I wasn't suited up and they were starting to get all up in my face buzzing loudly. They didn't want me there. There were alot on the ground as well, but they weren't dead.

I just checked them again. It is much quieter, probablly only a hundred or so on the sheet. Should I remove it and pull out the entrance reducer? Its puzzling since I've never seen any of this before.

[danno]

pull the sheet and either buy or build robber screens.  They work so amazingly well

[Kathyp]

leave the entrance reducer on the small setting for now.  it will give them less to defend if it is robbing. 

[phill]

Something similar happened to me last summer. At first I thought I was seeing orientation flights in a reasonably healthy hive. Then I thought maybe it was robbing, but there weren't any signs of struggle: just a whole lot of bees acting excited. They also crowded the entrance, yet it wasn't really bearding. (They had plenty of room and ventilation, and it wasn't particularly hot.) The activity would get more intense, then ease off, usually toward the late afternoon.

After about 10 days of this behavior, I found that the hive was queenless. I don't think they'd swarmed-- population wasn't down much-- but there was no brood, no eggs, and the hive was hot and very loud. I never did figure out what had happened, but I'm curious whether you're seeing the same thing. I hope not. 
 

[Mairzy_doats]

Hard to say. The wet sheet really calmed them down as did the entrance reducer. They have larvae but I've never been able to spot the queen. I sure hope they aren't queenless. If they are I'm gonna start to wonder if I'm cursed.  :-P

[jajtiii]

I doubt you're queenless. Finding larva is a good sign (finding eggs would be even better) - you don't have to spot the queen (thank the lord, as I can never find mine...)

It was probably orientation flights of the new foragers (I remember my confusion and concern, exactly like yours, when my first hive did one). I do not know the temperament of your bees, but it can appear that they are being aggressive towards you, when they are in fact just trying to get a bearing.

An entrance reducer never hurts (I know a guy with a few dozen hives that keeps them on all year round!)