Robbing: The Bees Can Exactly Smell Death In A Hive!

When bees are healthy, even if it is a small colony in a healthy hive free of cracks and various cavities, and if their flight width is in line with the strength of the colony, robbing is very rare. 

There is almost no beekeeper who has not encountered the appearance of robbing inside one or more hives in the apiary. There is “silent” and acute robbing known in beekeeping circles. “Silent robbing” occurs gradually, slightly increasing the pace, and “acute robbing” occurs suddenly, and is almost impossible to prevent.

Both types of predators are caused by the natural instinct of bees to survive and collect food for a dry pasture winter period. Bees can exactly smell the scent of death in a hive, insufficient  strength of the colony to defend itself from disease, insufficient will of the colony in defense of its wealth and accurately recognize the level of defense of a colony, and based on that, they go into robbing. And if a colony cannot defend itself from robbing, then it is best to close the colony and immediately take it to a sufficiently distant apiary from which the bees will not return.

At the new location the bees are sprayed a little harder with diluted sage extract, the entrance to the hive is narrowed to two to three centimeters. After two days, the colony needs to be harder nourished in order for it to get to work as soon as possible.

Mutual plunder of bees, or robbing, can occur in early spring before flowering or in late summer when bee pastures decrease. If he does not notice or stop the robbery at the very beginning, the beekeeper will soon find a pile of dead bees and its parts in front of the hive, as well as discarded wax cells. Diseased colonies in the apiary are always at the forefront for robbing.

When the bees are healthy, even if it is a small colony in a healthy hive free of cracks and various cavities, and if their flight width is matched with the strength of the colony, robbing occurs very rarely. 

Here Are Some Tips On How To Prevent Robbing Bees In Your Apiary!

First of all, all hives should be provided with sufficient food supplies at all times. It is the most prerequisite to avoid robbing. In the dry pasture period, opening the hives should be done quickly and professionally. 

The entrance to the hive should be narrowed and all unnecessary openings in the hive should be closed, the bees should be disturbed as little as possible, and hive inspections should be performed briefly. In case of poor grazing, more experienced beekeepers advise to form a larger number of smaller apiaries at a greater distance. Robbing is usually the cause of many diseases that occur in the apiary.

Bees of healthy colonies by robbing wealth from other bee hives transmit various diseases, as well as ticks, if the colony has died from excessive invasion.