Author Topic: was it robbing (Read 2243 times)

TwT · « **on:** July 27, 2005, 08:27:33 pm »

went out to look at my hives today and saw something I have never seen before, 2 bee's fighting, well 1 bee was attacking another and the bee being attacked was trying to run, its wing were chewed off, only a 1/4 of 1 wing left, well the attacking bee flew back to the hive and the wingless be found my natural SHB larva trap (fire ant nest in front of my hives) watched a while long and another bee came out of the hive and another worker came out and attacked it , its wings were chewed off also, watch about a hour longer and never seen it happen again. aw and this was happening just after sun-up.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #1 on:** July 27, 2005, 08:42:36 pm »

I've never seen guard bees chew wings off of their advesaries. I HAVE seen them pull hairs and wrestle. Were there bees hovering around the hive? Whenever there is robbing there are a lot of bees hovering all day long (as opposed to in the middle of the afternoon for new bees flying).

TwT · « **Reply #2 on:** July 28, 2005, 12:47:32 am »

there was no flying around the hive, only foragers coming and going, these 2 bee's where darker looking and they were not young bee's . but both of them wings were about gone.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #3 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:22:48 am »

Maybe they are just old and worn out?

newbee101 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 30, 2005, 11:51:40 pm »

I think I replied to this on BeeSource, maybe you have DWV (deformed wing virus) or the wings got chewed on by mites before they emerged .I've seen them dragged out before. They don't go willingly.