How do I stop robbing when I have limited space ?

[andycadman]

I have limited space in my apiary.

I have just done a split in a hive, and just requeened the queenless half.

Just this afternoon a week after I made the split, the colony with the flying bees has just started robbing the other.

Bearing in mind I have only limited space what can I do to stop it?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Narrow the entrance to a couple of bee's widths helping them guard

 

[sawdstmakr]

Are they robbing all the time or while you are in the hive. If while you are in the hive, try using 2 damp towels over the frames you are not looking at. Did you close down the hive to a 1/2' opening. If not that is the next step.
Jim

 

[andycadman]

No they are going from their hive in huge numbers and robbing the split colony.

Probably because they are so similar they are allowing the robbing bees in.

The entrance block is in the hive that is being robbed so the entrance is narrow.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

I'd narrow it well beyond what a normal entrance block allows - if the robbing is bad down to one or two beespaces - as per wasps.

Are there plenty of stores in the flying bees hive?

 

[Midland Beek]

I am surprised that one half should be robbing the other, but if you think you have read the situation correctly and you have a bad robbing problem you could go to the colony being robbed at night and lock them in for a couple of days. And then when you re-open reduce the entrance down to just a single bee-way.

 

[andycadman]

The interesting fact is that there are two hives near by with unrelated bees in and they are not being affected. It's just the hive from the split with fewer flying bees that is having its stores relocated.

I think I am going to try and move the hive that's being robbed further away, but with limited space I an unsure how at the moment.

There are plenty of stores in both hives.

 

[andycadman]

Just to "square the circle" as it were!

Moved the hive being robbed, (after closing down for three days), to my rose garden 25yards away. Put branches in front in new location. Bees settled in nicely and built up nicely. Problem solved for the short term.

Recently had the offer of an out apiary about 300 yards from my home. Great in some respects, but to move this hive to the new location it needs to be moved 3 miles away. Don't want any stray bees left in my main garden. In the previous exercise any stray bees found there way back into the other hives.

Found temporary location for three weeks. Bees how moved back to new out apiary and at the moment are looking good.

Nice when things work out in the end.

 

[Rosti]

I'd narrow it well beyond what a normal entrance block allows - if the robbing is bad down to one or two beespaces - as per wasps.

Are there plenty of stores in the flying bees hive?

doesn't matter that they were once related, if it's happening, it's happening end of. All you can do is improve their chances of mounting a defense.

 

[andycadman]

Yes and all sorted now. . . . . .