Robbing

[Angularity]

My smaller colony has been under a robbing attack all weekend; the black bees seem to have got the message, it's now more stripey versions. The wasps just see to be tidying up the wounded. I see the odd ambush, but wasp numbers have dropped since my neighbours wasp nest got the pyrethroid treatment.

In any case, the ground in front of the hive is carpeted with dead bees for about 9 inches, across the front of the hive. I have already closed the entrance down to a single space; is there anything else I can do?

I assume that I can put frames of stores from my larger colony into the small one if they get cleared out, but I'm also worried about low bee population now. I think I need to continue feeding (putting the syrup into an English feeder, just at dusk). Is there any benefit in bringing in a frame of capped brood from my other colony to bring up the numbers?

 

[beeno]

It is most probably your large colony robbing the smaller one. Is the smaller one queen right? Can you see fighting at the entrance? If the answer to both those questions are yes, then shake some icing sugar over the robbers, to make sure they are from your large colony. If so, shut the large colony up tonight until late tomorrow when foraging has finished and open them up fully when you release them, so that they have a large area to defend. In the meantime, you should have covered the smaller colony with a wet sheet white sheet, leave a small gap so that they can find their way in, and smear some vicks vapour rub along the top of the entrance. Feed both colonies the small one after you have shut big one in.
This should give small colony a days respite to forage and hopefully the big one has defending problems of its own when opened up. Read about it, done it and it work for me. Whether you should give small colony brood from large colony is a judgement call. Good luck.

 

[Heather]

May I suggest shake flour over instead of icing sugar or you will have a bigger feeding frenzy. You want I.D, not a free for all.

 

[beeno]

May I suggest shake flour over instead of icing sugar or you will have a bigger feeding frenzy. You want I.D, not a free for all.

I only did a little and they were not interested, too busy trying to get into hive. You can wash off the alightning board afterwards assuming that there is one.