# Robber screens for commercial beeks



## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

I'm not sure I consider myself a commercial beekeeper, but I'll see if I can provide some type of answer while others are mulling things over.

Yes, $17 for a robber screen is way too much for a commercial beekeeper to spend. I try to build my hives for hopefully under $20 each (exclusive of frames, $5 for a bottom, $5 for migratory top, $5 for a deep box, and hopefully under $5 for glue, nails, paint, ect.). That's with local saw mill lumber. Sometimes I end up paying more.

In any event, you can build your own robber screens for much cheaper. I've built ones like this: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e5/89/14/e589144e6a834923a16c0c19483ae887.jpg (not my image) for a few cents. A big roll of hardware cloth and some scrap wood and you're good to go. If you don't have the time to build or store it, yes a bent piece of hardware cloth works too.

But most commercial beekeepers are more concerned with preventing causes of robbing than they are concerned with robbing screens. Having hives of equal strength next to each other, or using entrance reducers (or bricks, sticks, mud to act as entrance reducers) goes a LONG way to preventing robbing. Avoiding spills or feeders that leak are big too. Making sure the area has sufficient forage works too. All of these things prevent robbing from starting, which is what most commercial beekeepers do.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

These guys,
http://www.uoguelph.ca/honeybee/videos.shtml

In one of thier vidios just use a piece of tape with a bee size hole in it.
Cheers
gww


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## Woodside (Aug 10, 2010)

I dont really know.. I run italians and find that if they are heavy and are not weak then I have no issues with robbing, but not shipping to calif till nov might help with that.


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## bfriendly (Jun 14, 2009)

Fine mesh hardware cloth stapled over part of the entrance, guerilla (duct) tape, or an entrance reducer (block of wood) to reduce the size of entrances to the size that the bees can protect. Sometimes I will use a bunch of branches, long grass, or other junk piled in front of hive entrance to confuse robbers and let a hive get situated, if robbing is noticed. 

On nucs I use a 3/4"-1" or so vent hole drilled in the upper 1/3 of the box, covered with fine mesh hardware cloth, (sometimes) along with a hardware cloth cup pointing off to the side over the actual entrance... So bees have to navigate and walk in from the side (probably similar to what mentioned in Tom Glenn video in first post). I find the upper screened vent helps confuse the robbers.

But as has been mentioned, strong hives should be able to protect their entrances.. if you are noticing significant robbing on full size hives, that is a sure sign that they need attention. Combine & move on at this time of year... check for good queen, reduce entrance and make sure they don't have too much extra empty space/boxes in the spring.

For setting up new nucs optimally the rotating discs like this (I have seen homemade as well from a tin can lid/etc. can be found cheaper elsewhere I believe, I use plastic ones) are the nicest setup I have found.. IF you are using drilled entrance holes as opposed to bottom entrances on your nucs... What's nice is you can rotate the disc to make the entrance quite small, very easily. Also very handy for transport. That in conjunction with upper screened vent works well for me. https://www.mannlakeltd.com/steel-entrance-disc-4-positions


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