Scouts or Robbers

[markb2603]

Scouts or robbers? How do you tell the difference?
View attachment IMG_4993.mov
View attachment IMG_4993.mov
View attachment IMG_4992.mov

 

[Newbeeneil]

I can’t see how the bees are acting at that distance so it’s difficult but if it’s a bait hive the only reason you would have robbers is if you had some comb with honey in it. If there is nothing to rob then they are scouts.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

That's why we put old empty comb in a bait hive.

There has to be some scouting before robbing, however briefly.

 

[Anduril]

Give us more info on the inside configuration.
The bees appear to be scouts taking measurements. In the bottom video, I saw a bee enter and then reverse out and go back in. I would say the frames are empty. If it was robbing I'd expect the bees to come out heavier than they went in and it would look like an established hive. If you look inside and the frames have stores you would see uneven cells where they have torn the cells to get at the stores.

 

[markb2603]

Inside configuration is 6 frames with one being an old brood frame from last year which I assume there might be some remnants of honey in (but nothing capped or the like), the other 5 are just empty frames.

There is an established wild colony in the area which over the last couple of years would throw out swarms that tended to land in a neighbours roof cavity about 200m away. That new colony might get established for 2-3 years, die out and the process repeats. I’m hoping to snag a swarm or two from either colony.

I had assumed it was robbing of whatever dregs of honey remained but the bees were quite numerous and spent a lot of time zig zagging around the front of the traps rather than going in and back out again.

 

[Dodge]

They look like scouts to me. For a bait hive I would only use one frame and at an edge to the cavity.

Robbers are impatient, dive straight in and will once leaving go.

Scouts are meticulous in there surveying of the hive, you can see them working out the lengh, height, will go in slowly, sometime reverse out and when they do come out they will come out slowly and carry on assessing the outside. They may as well bring a theodolite they are that detailed in my experience.

 

[Anduril]

Inside configuration is 6 frames with one being an old brood frame

That is my best configuration, but in a Paynes poly hive, set up as a 14x12 with DN4's. I've also had swarms in wooden nationals with 11 old frames and OMF. The bees don't seem to care about the amount of light entering the bottom of the hive.
Also I know of a beekeeper who open feeds his bees with full frames in supers and a swarm entered it. (This is to be frowned upon).