Robbing help please

Today was the first time in over a week that I've been able to get up to my hives. One hive was raising itself a new queen in that time and adult numbers have reduced quite dramatically as it was not a particularly strong colony and then they swarmed.

Today there was some serious robbing going on, and the home bees looked very demoralised, unable to stop it. I closed the entrance down to one bee space, and as they have an OMF, stuffed grass in the remaining gap to keep the robbers out.

But what about any robbers that were inside at the time? Do I need to let them out? I'm going back this evening with a rapid feeder to give them some syrup. Should I take out the grass? Or if I leave it for them to remove themselves, will any robber bees inside have "turned native" by then, and stay with this colony?

The one good thing for the colony is that they have raised a new queen and I was able to catch and mark her. She's a dark one and nice and big. Don't know if she's mated yet, a quick glance showed no eggs, but the weather has been really bad here these last few days so maybe she hasn't been out yet.

You really need to move the hive to another site for a while.

You need a reduced Tunnel entrance around 20mm wide and 100mm long or a under floor entrance if you can not move the hive, i had a bad problem with wasps in my first year with a five frame nuc that had be placed in a national brood box, the wasps where coming and going nearly as often as the bees, the tunnel entrance sharp put pay to that problem.

I've nowhere else far enough away to move the hive to, Protheroe.

They'd already moved the grass when I went back this evening so the question of what to do about robbers trapped inside no longer applies.

I like the idea of a tunnel entrance, Millet, I may have some flexible tubing that diameter. Would that be OK or does it need to be wood? And can I put it on while the bees are flying, or do I need to wait until they've all gone to bed, so they learn how to use it from the inside first?

Tonight I've placed a long piece of mesh folded into a "V" shape down the long side, apex outwards, along the front of the entrance, so the bees have to walk to the ends of the mesh to get inside it and then walk back along to the hive entrance.

You could use a short length of tube out of the entrance.
Your details say you have three colonies and you have no alternative site so I am going to suggest you take a comb of sealed/emerging brood from your other colonies and give these to your weak hive. Two sealed combs should do, the combination of extra numbers and entrance protection should help.

Swarm said:

You could use a short length of tube out of the entrance.
Your details say you have three colonies and you have no alternative site so I am going to suggest you take a comb of sealed/emerging brood from your other colonies and give these to your weak hive. Two sealed combs should do, the combination of extra numbers and entrance protection should help.

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I did that first thing this morning, swarm, when I went to check them. It all seems calm again now. I gave them back a frame of stores as well, from the thieving beggars

madasafish said:

http://www.beekeepingforums.com/threads/5223-Robber-screen-moving-screen

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That screen looks simple enough for me to make and seems a really clever idea. Thanks madasafish

mintmoth said:

That screen looks simple enough for me to make and seems a really clever idea. Thanks madasafish

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I made and fitted two this pm - to nucs to avoid robbing. (I gaffer tape to attach to hive and fill in gaps (Inevitable with my diy

mintmoth said:

I've nowhere else far enough away to move the hive to, Protheroe.

They'd already moved the grass when I went back this evening so the question of what to do about robbers trapped inside no longer applies.

I like the idea of a tunnel entrance, Millet, I may have some flexible tubing that diameter. Would that be OK or does it need to be wood? And can I put it on while the bees are flying, or do I need to wait until they've all gone to bed, so they learn how to use it from the inside first?

Tonight I've placed a long piece of mesh folded into a "V" shape down the long side, apex outwards, along the front of the entrance, so the bees have to walk to the ends of the mesh to get inside it and then walk back along to the hive entrance.

Click to expand...

A wooden one is unbelievably easy to make if you have a piece of pine of the right thickness to fit into the entrance, a hand saw, wood chisel and hammer is all you need, 5 minuets to make, it can be put in at any time of the day or night, i will be busy tomorrow but i can do you a few pictures of making one when i get two minutes if you are interested.
Steve.

Millet said:

A wooden one is unbelievably easy to make if you have a piece of pine of the right thickness to fit into the entrance, a hand saw, wood chisel and hammer is all you need, 5 minuets to make, it can be put in at any time of the day or night, i will be busy tomorrow but i can do you a few pictures of making one when i get two minutes if you are interested.
Steve.

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Yes please, Millet, that's very kind of you. Handsaw, chisel, and hammer I can handle, no power tools except a drill

The mesh barrier seems to be fooling the robbers, so there's no urgency now, but I'd like to make a couple anyway, the mesh is Heath-Robinson'ed on with duct tape. I'm fairly sure it was my strong hive robbing this time, but I know there are at least 2 feral colonies near to me, so prepared protection for all 3 hives would be good.

mintmoth said:

Yes please, Millet, that's very kind of you. Handsaw, chisel, and hammer I can handle, no power tools except a drill

The mesh barrier seems to be fooling the robbers, so there's no urgency now, but I'd like to make a couple anyway, the mesh is Heath-Robinson'ed on with duct tape. I'm fairly sure it was my strong hive robbing this time, but I know there are at least 2 feral colonies near to me, so prepared protection for all 3 hives would be good.

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Are these pictures any good to you, it is a quick and effective remedy and it can be narrowed down again with a couple of shims of wood.
After you have marked it out do several 10mm deep cuts with a saw.
Then chisel from the end into the grain.
You can put the entrance where ever you want but i find it easier on either end if you do not have a router.

Millet said:

Are these pictures any good to you, it is a quick and effective remedy and it can be narrowed down again with a couple of shims of wood...

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Thanks, Millet, I understand what you mean now by tunnel entrance, and yes, I can make one from your excellent picture guide. The instructions are clear, and the woodwork simple enough for my basic skills. I'll get right on it. If it keeps wasps out I shall be doubly happy, as I had some going in and out last autumn.

mintmoth said:

Thanks, Millet, I understand what you mean now by tunnel entrance, and yes, I can make one from your excellent picture guide. The instructions are clear, and the woodwork simple enough for my basic skills. I'll get right on it. If it keeps wasps out I shall be doubly happy, as I had some going in and out last autumn.

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It most certainly keeps wasps out, they try but can not gain entry and also mice, if you want to go all scientific you can narrow it down too 8.5 mm and leave it there all year long, i do and nothing has troubled my ladies yet while that is in place, them standard entrance blocks are dog doo doo IMO as wasps and robbing bee's can sneak in willy nilly , in and up so to speak, with that tunnel entrance the invaders have to pop there head's up not far from the brood chamber 3 frames into the hive the warm way.

This is such a fantastically simple design, which appears to be soooo much better than the standard entrance.

I'm assuming that 100mm is the min. but is there any harm if I just use the wood I have available which is 6" (150mm) or should I cut it down to 100mm.

The only other measurement that is vital, as I understand it, is that the depth of the tunnel must be about 8.5mm - ish , 10 to 7mm I would say?

Thanks for this, been thinking of how to add a Tunnel Entrance to my hives, but had been thinking it needed to be added externally, your's is so much better than what I was going to do.

Millet said:

A wooden one is unbelievably easy to make if you have a piece of pine of the right thickness to fit into the entrance, a hand saw, wood chisel and hammer is all you need, 5 minuets to make, it can be put in at any time of the day or night, i will be busy tomorrow but i can do you a few pictures of making one when i get two minutes if you are interested.
Steve.

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Millet, you are a master craftsman. Move over, all other cabinet makers and make way for the new Chippendale

Popparand said:

Millet, you are a master craftsman. Move over, all other cabinet makers and make way for the new Chippendale

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.. thank you ..

TooBee... said:

This is such a fantastically simple design, which appears to be soooo much better than the standard entrance.

I'm assuming that 100mm is the min. but is there any harm if I just use the wood I have available which is 6" (150mm) or should I cut it down to 100mm.

The only other measurement that is vital, as I understand it, is that the depth of the tunnel must be about 8.5mm - ish , 10 to 7mm I would say?

Thanks for this, been thinking of how to add a Tunnel Entrance to my hives, but had been thinking it needed to be added externally, your's is so much better than what I was going to do.

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It will not hurt anything.. all you will do is loose a extra 50mm of your open mesh floor but the remainder will be ample..when you think about it bees that have gone feral and made new homes in old dry stone cottage sometimes have a lot longer to walk before they reach the brood nest..

Millet said:

Are these pictures any good to you,

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Steve, can you make your photos of the wasp block available again please? Want to build some, to be ready for the wasps later in the year.

Thanks

I have no idea why that has happened.. all i can think of is the photo host i used has gone down.. i will take some pictures on my phone of the spare entrances i have in the garage..give me 2 min's..