How Do You Prevent Bees Robbery?
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Have you ever heard of bees robbery? Can you believe that bees can also rob another hive? Just like in the human world, the world of bees is also about survival and family. Getting enough food for survival is the yearly goal of beehives. Although the colony’s worker bees work all throughout the season to produce honey, there are times when nectar runs short in supply. This is when robbery takes place.
When Do Invaders Attack Hives?
Invader bees usually attack hives when hives are weak or when invaders are desperate to get nectar. A novice beekeeper may see these invader bees and assume that it is just a normal activity in the hive. What is happening is exactly the opposite. Beehives being robbed are going to defend them to death. The worst thing that can happen is for the entire colony to be destroyed. The colony might also lose its food storage. Robbing might also cause the bees to become more aggressive, making your job more difficult and more painful.
It is also essential that you identify the difference between robbing behavior and normal bee behavior. There are several warning signs that may indicate bees robbery. Typically, bees that are foraging will look weighed down because of nectar. They will also shoot straight to the entrance of the hive.
On the other hand, robbing bees won’t appear weighed down. They will also buzz from one side to another as they attempt to sneak inside the hive. These robbing bees will leave the beehive full of honey that can make it impossible for them to fly. Robbing bees usually climb the hive with a slightly dipped flight path when leaving. When you look closely, you can also spot bees that fight on the entrance of the hive or right on the ground in front of your beehive. This is because your bees try to defend the hive from robbing bees.
How to Deal with Beehive Robbing
There are several things that can be done to keep your hives protected when they are being attacked. You can use an entrance reduce as this will help reduce the number of bees that go in and out of the beehive.
Bees robbery often happens during winter or fall because these are the seasons when nectar tends to be scarce. However, this can also happen even during summer or spring. If this is the case, you can use another technique since an entrance reduce may hinder proper ventilation inside the beehive.
Another good way to prevent beehive robbing is to drape a wet or damp bed sheet over your hive. This wet sheet must drape down to the grown and block the invaders off. If the sheet dries up, wet it again then remove this after one to two days.
Prevention of Beehive Robbing
It is ideal to prevent bees robbery before it happens. The entrance reducer can be used until the hive is already strong enough by itself to ward off the invaders. The best chance for robbing is when you are harvesting honey production. Never leave out any honey for the bees since it will only make it easy for them to take it. Cover honey supers after you remove them from the beehive for harvesting. Also, take extra care when feeding sugar syrup to your bees. Spilling this outside the beehive might attract other bees.
