Am I being robbed?

[rileyman]

Hi,
A week into my bee ownership and I have noticed a change in the bees. A lot more activity outside - lots of little battles going on - and a number of dead bees in front of the hive. Am I being robbed? Or is it just my lack of experience not knowing what normal behaviour looks like

Any tips/advice would be more than welcome.
I have already reduced the entrance to help them defend it, but what else can I do?
Roger

see vid below ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5St5zRwyQU

 

[Tony19]

Hi,
A week into my bee ownership and I have noticed a change in the bees. A lot more activity outside - lots of little battles going on - and a number of dead bees in front of the hive. Am I being robbed? Or is it just my lack of experience not knowing what normal behaviour looks like

Any tips/advice would be more than welcome.
I have already reduced the entrance to help them defend it, but what else can I do?
Roger

see vid below ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5St5zRwyQU

Looks ok to me, but I might be inclined to open up the entrance

 

[birdsandbees]

really hard to see properly on my current device but some of those bees being hassled look decidedly shiny and hairless? initial thought was maybe CBPV bees being ejected by the rest of the colony?

if you want to check for robbing, shut them in overnight, when you look in the morning if there are bees on the entrance trying to get in then robbing is probable, also, robbing bees are heavy leaving the hive and often fly off slowly and climb the hive before taking to the air.

 

[Hivemaker.]

It is bees with CBPV.

 

[Wingy]

You say 1 week in to bee ownership. Where did you get them from? What did you get? Usually people get a Nuc, average 5 frames but you’re already in a brood box & super. Are they dummied down? Drawn comb or foundation? If all space you have given them a lot to do unless that super is hiding a feeder

 

[Beefriendly]

if you want to check for robbing, shut them in overnight, when you look in the morning if there are bees on the entrance trying to get in then robbing is probable,.

Lots of bees from hives do overnight bivouacs this time of year and return to the hive in the morning wanting to get in. Be hard to tell apart....

 

[rileyman]

Wingy - I should have given more info ...

A 6 frame nuc with 4 frames of brood in all stages. Hived them up last Tuesday - the super is hiding the feeder - at the moment the bees are just in the brood box, with all the other frames just foundation.
I got the bees from Astrid at Hogs Back Bees, Surrey.

Question ... if it is CBPV .. is there anything I can do?

Cheers.

 

[birdsandbees]

Lots of bees from hives do overnight bivouacs this time of year and return to the hive in the morning wanting to get in. Be hard to tell apart....

True, It did cross my mind but may discourage robbing bees in doing so anyway.

Now I've looked again on a larger screen I'm more convinced it is CBPV

 

[birdsandbees]

regarding CBPV as far as I am aware there is no cure, passed by physical contact so ensuring they have space may help rather than being very condensed.
I've only had it twice, the first time they recovered albeit after losing a great pile of bees outside the entrance, it's quite upsetting to witness, the second time on a different colony was fatal, they all dwindled and died out.
if you haven't had them long I'd contact the seller to make them aware and go from there.

touch wood, not had it since.

 

[Flyboy]

Birdsandbees and Hivemaker are more than likely correct but it is difficult to see in the video. If the dead bees are darker and shiny (albeit very slight) then it is the virus. I also have a hive with it at present which is unfortunate.
Good luck