# Split & robbing



## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Would have to know something about the split to answer that.

But if it has a lot of bees or if temperatures are warm you cannot leave it blocked very long especially if in the sun. Essentially, blocking a hive is not a suitable way to stop robbing other ways have to be found as they cannot usually be blocked anyway near long enough for robbing to abate and not re start once the hive is unblocked.

A lot of what to do to stop the robbing depends if the split has a queen, if it is in the same yard as the parent hive, what sort of hive it is in, what sort of entrance it has, how many bees are in it, how much honey is in it and if there are adequate bees to cover and defend it, stuff like that.


----------



## COAL REAPER (Jun 24, 2014)

i question whether or not you are still in a flow down there. if in fact you are, it might just be the field bees checking out their new digs. if you left the split in the same yard they will all be flying back to the parent hive. in two days there will be only nurse bees left and very little activity. two days after that you should see some foragers returning to the split. look for pollen. so do you see bees ENTERING the split? if no, the bees are flying back to parent hive. if yes and split is in same yard as parent hive, then likely robbing. if yes and split is in different location, orientation flights. AND maybe robbing IF you are in a dearth. hope that is explained clear enough to help you.


----------



## PyroBee (Dec 14, 2013)

The split is two frames of brood and bees in a nuc with a new caged queen. It is in the yard as the parent hive. Today is cool and cloudy possible rain. This is why I thought about keeping them closed up. I have made my own robbing screens. Along the top they have wood with a small entrance. It seems to be deterring them right now.


----------



## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

OK well robbing with a new caged queen often means death to the new queen soon as she gets out of the cage, the bees are too riled up.

I would strongly suggest finding a friend, relative, workmate, or whatever, who lives a couple miles away and would be prepared to babysit your hive for a month to get them away from the hive that is robbing them and give them time to sort themselves out.


----------



## PyroBee (Dec 14, 2013)

We are on a pretty good flow. A lot of clover. Some were orientation flights. It was definitely robbing. I think I have them good for now. I have a screen on with the top entrance so only one bee can go at a time. This way they get ventilation and protection. I thought to myself that I should have done this from the beginning but all the other times has been fine. I wish I had somewhere else I could take my splits would be a lot easier.


----------



## kyell (Feb 3, 2012)

I think all is good advice so far. You are probably right about the robbing screen taking care of the problem, but my first experience with my own homemade robbing screens was a disaster. I had made up small nucs and the robbing screen did not stop the robbing. Nowadays I make larger splits and my robbing screens (the same ones) along with the boosted numbers of bees work just fine. Granted smaller splits in the middle of a heavy nectar flow seem to be safe with the robbing screens too; but the more bees you can shake in with the splits the better.

Here in NC, that point where the heavy flow ends and the bees are back on the clover is a time to be cautious of robbing. We may not be in the dearth yet, but a lot of the bees seem to prefer robbing over collecting cover nectar. Of course, we have a few other things putting out nectar this month too--sumac and sourwood. But where I am the sourwood is mediocre, so I have already started feeding my newest hives and might start feeding some of the old ones (we had a wet, cold spring and I don't think the Tulip Poplar flow was very heavy this year--so they all seem a bit lighter than I would expect for their numbers).

Kyle


----------

