# A cure for nucs being robbed



## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

An entrance the size of an ink pen. I think I heard this in a comment by Michael Bush first, but it really works. Staple a piece of hardware cloth over the entrance and punch a hole in it with a #2 pencil or an ink pen.

I've had 20-30 3-4 frame medium mating nucs going side by side with strong production hives, and when the weather got hot and dry robbing has been a real problem, but this pretty much solves it. I can feed the nucs that need it and the ones that don't need feeding can still work through the small hole.

I might try making them with a 3/8" entrance to begin with. Can always drill it out if I change my mind.

Managing the nucs has been my biggest challenge in queen rearing.


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## broodhead (May 30, 2009)

Reducing the entrance will certainly help, yellow jackets have been brutal in my neck of the woods. Finding the nest is nearly impossible and once the feeder goes on the yellow jackets come running.
I have worked with North American Beehive from Jacksonville developing a new feeder and beetle trap combination. This concept allows you to feed the nuc or hive and lure SHB's to a area that is not in contact with the frames. I am using this system at this moment and the results are superb. I will keep you posted and try to get some pics soon.
Last winter I had about 100 nucs that I planned to over winter and get ready for the early spring. Even after reducing the entrance the yellow jackets took their toll, it was a constant battle and I tried baiting 2 liter bottles with raw meat as traps for the YJ's, but still I had considerable losses. My advice would be to reduce that entrance ASAP and deter the robbers.


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## Beezly (Jun 25, 2011)

Thanks David. Good idea, i will definitely try it. Also going to implement MB's suggestions. I can see where this would indeed be one of the biggest challenges. Keep us up on how it works. I am going to start using 3/8" holes for entrances as well. With SBB it should work good. 
mike


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## TimnEsther (May 18, 2011)

I use 7/8" round entrances with SBB and the robbing has stopped. I only have 2 hives and 2 nucs tho. Also, I have the same holes in each NUC body so I can stack them and get additional ventilation/entrance in the upper deep.


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## WilliamsHoneyBees (Feb 17, 2010)

I always use a very small hole on my nucs. Always! I run a 10 to 20 double nucs and they don't need anything bigger then your finger. All my production hives keep their entrance reducer on year round. I open it up to the larger "summer entrance" but it still stays in place all summer long. Wax moths and other critters are only a problem for me if I get a nuc abscond. I agree with you, all reduced entrances are the only way to go.


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## Galaxy (Jun 10, 2007)

David, the method you suggest works for me. See: http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...er-Screen&highlight=poor+man's+robbing+screen

I now use 1/8 inch screen on all my hive entrances. The large hives get an opening of about 6 inches and mating nucs about 1/2 an inch.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The two secrets are to reduce it with SCREEN and to one bee wide. The screen confuses the robbers and the one bee wide makes it defensible.


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## jeffcool (Feb 24, 2011)

Could you do this for a mating nuc? Would having a robbing screen with a 3/8" hole create issues for a virgin queen finding her way back in?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Yes this works great for a mating nuc.


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## mcdermottm (Apr 27, 2010)

i have a couple of 2 frame mating nucs that i made up and they are getting robbed like crazy. i tried the hole with a pencil and also put another screen with a small 'wrinkle' in it running top to bottom over the other screen with a hole in it. i came home from work and the robbers were still bullying there way right in without a problem. i ended up just screening both holes over. i will let them be that way for the 3 days but then won't the robbers just come back then? the robbers found them in less than 1/2 a day. the hive that is doing the robbing was a bit light on stores so i have started feeding them. i have to open them up in 3 days or the queens aren't going to get mated. i've even thought about taking them to my mom's house which is 15 minutes away but i don't know if there are any drones there. any other suggestions.


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

When robbing starts the bees put out pheromones into the air that basically tell other bees-come here, FOOD!! So a little stunt that I learned from Thomas D. Norman of the Norman bee company years ago is the following. Take a little kerosene and a pine bough or wisk broom. Dabb a little kerosene on the tops of the nucs in the mating yard. This breaks up the scent and is the end of Robbing. They ran over 2500 nucs in several mating yards. TED


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## rkereid (Dec 20, 2009)

David- I am just a few hours east of you in VA. Robbing of mating nucs has been my biggest beekeeping headache. This year I finally figured out a combination that works. 1- Make up mating nucs strong. 2 frames failed dismally. I finally use only 3 frames and now I am going more and more to 4 frames. And i am giving them 3 full frames of bees (mostly nurse bees). I think you can get by with fewer bees earlier during the flow. 2- Robbing screens. I just use regular metal window screen (the #8 screen is too expensive). I bend a shield around the entrance with one end open (usually upper end). The open end is about 3 to 3.5" away from the nuc entrance and the screen is about 1.5" away from the hive body. Add a staple or two. Simple and fast. The occupant foragers figure it out pretty quick and the robbers are confused. On orientation day the orienters are a little confused also, but they figure it out. Sometimes orienting looks like robbing. 3- Entrance only as big as one or two bees. 4- I don't know how much it helps, but I only feed in the evening just before dusk. The robbing foragers have gone back to the hive and it gives the nuc time to organize before morning.

One other thing, I have started a nuc yard about 1/2 mile away at a friend's house. It is close enough for me to visit when necessary and far enough from the production hives at my place. I haven't had any problems with robbing there.

Good luck, Richard


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

A previous contributor on beesource going by Daisy come up with vicks vaporub and I tried it with pretty good success. Put around the entrance it seems to confuse the robbers. The Kerosene probably is the same principle.


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