# Robbing



## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

For those who have never seen robbing, here is the death of a hive in progress. Ignore the date on the photo, I have never set the camera date.
The pic was taken today, 7-23-07


----------



## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

Iddee, thanks for sharing...I actually haven't seen that before. I've seen small numbers of yellow jackets and honeybees bothering the heck out of weak hives...but nothing of that magnitude.


----------



## Chef Isaac (Jul 26, 2004)

What is the biggest clue that they are robbing? Is it the fact that the bees will crawl all over????


----------



## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

Since all workers are female, and don't mate, the first clue is many pairs clinging together.
Next clue is dead and dieing bees on the ground.


----------



## Barry Tolson (May 26, 2004)

I just witness this myself a few weeks ago for the first time. It looked just liie that. At first I thought the hive had a recent hatching that had come out for its first flight Boy...was I wrong!


----------



## Aisha (May 2, 2007)

Thanks for posting that. That looks ferocious! I guess at this point, there's not much you can do.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I guess at this point, there's not much you can do.

Not at all. You can close off the entrance completely. In an hour the robbers trying to get in will give up. Meanwhile you can build a robber screen. After the robbers trying to get in give up, you can let out the ones inside and then put on the robber screen.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesrobbing.htm


----------



## shughes (Jan 17, 2007)

those robber screens are wonderful and work. I built a couple using the images on mbush site. i had a robbing situation on a package in late May and I think putting the robbing screen on after removing my blocked entrance. The hive still had a major setback but its still humming along today. I closed up the hive for a couple days when I noticed the robbing and the robbers inside the hive became part of the hive. the robbers were dark black compared to my italians and noticed them foraging back pollen a few days later


----------



## Ron Young (Aug 16, 2006)

Iddee, 

What was you course of action on this hive. Is this one in your yard, or the corner bee yard?


----------



## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

It was in my yard. By the time I found it, they had emptied it. I just let it go.


----------

