Manic Robbing!!

[Tony19]

ok two hives together in my very small apiary, large colony obtained as a nucleus some weeks ago and hived with a miller feeder and some inverted commercial bee food given to me by the seller.
second hive weak swarm capture new mated queen just introduced, placed a 4 pint rapid feeder on the hive last night with a 2:1 sugar solution.
Checked hives this afternoon and loads of bees around the hive with the smaller colony and the feeder packed with bees. The bees appear to be in a frenzy around this hive and are flying around like demented beeings!!
I've concluded that the stronger colony is now robbing the weaker one of the sugar solution (they should be content with their own feeder!!).
So, in desperation removed the feeder with the sugar solution and things seem to have quitened down and all back to normal.
Have sent for one of Thornes Robo entrances, which I can use all year as it's flexible so may try the feeder again once this has been fitted to the hive. Would still like to supplement this hive with some feed as it needs all the help it can get to build for the winter and hopefully survive into next year.
This bee keeping lark keeps getting more stressful by the day.
Ant further advice would be appreciated.

 

[Beefriendly]

Keeping strong and weak hives in same apiary nearly always leads to robbing once the major nectar flows are over. It's just the way it is in the bee eat bee world.
Your easiest option is to move them elsewhere and hope the wasps don't find them.
Otherwise reduce entrance down to one bee space and beef them up by adding a frame of emerging brood from your strong colony.

 

[pargyle]

Agree with BF .. reduce the entrance to one bee space on the weaker hive .. I would not feed them now ..there's still forage about and if they weren't in your hive as a swarm they would be fending for themselves.

Not sure why you would have a feeder on the other hive at this time of the year ? Strong colony should be able to fend for themselves .. it's a possibility that having got a taste for the syrup they have sniffed out the other source of it. Doesn't take a lot to start a robbing frenzy.

If you can move the weaker hive then move it .. even relocating it in your apiary with the entrance facing a different direction will assist.

 

[Tony19]

Inspected both hives, small weak one, no queen and probably declined due to the robbing. Larger hive now drawn two more BB frames and queen laying well. So it looks like into winter with just the one hive but lessons continue to be learnt.