Would you believe I (might) have a robbing question?

[NeilV]

Yes folks, yet another robbing question. (However, this one at least is a little different and is not an orientation flight).

I extracted honey yesterday and finished after dark. First thing this morning, I put two wet supers on the two hives at my house. The wet super are above inner covers. It is hot here, so I left cracks at the top for ventilation (no inner cover up top, since they're in the middle).

I came home to eat lunch, and on the stonger of the two hives, there were a bunch of bees going bananas. They are trying to get into the wet supers through the vent holes on the inner cover, and through the crack that I left at the top for ventilation. FWIW, all of these bees look like my bees.

There is a little bit of fighting going on. I saw a couple of bees that were getting the boot and ganged up on by several bees at once. This is my strongest hive and ought to be able to defend itself.

I can't tell what is going on. Do you think my bees are just going overboard trying to get into the supers by the shortest route with a few robbers mixed in? Or is this an invasion from another hive that is trying to get in by the back door?

What I have done is unpropped the lid, taped over the vent holes on the inner cover and put an entrance reducer on. I do have a screened bottom board. However, I'm also worred about the heat. Its 83 degrees now with an expected 86 high today, which is not too bad. Its supposed to get up in the high 90s this week. Can the bees take in in a sealed up box with a SBB at those temps?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks,

Neil

[BEES4U]

First thing this morning, I put two wet supers on the two hives
You needed to put the super on at night or towards evening so their excitement is diminished by morning.
Sorry,
You violated one of the basic rules in keeping bees.
Keep learning.
Ernie

[Eaglerock]

First thing this morning, I put two wet supers on the two hives
You needed to put the super on at night or towards evening so their excitement is diminished by morning.
Sorry,
You violated one of the basic rules in keeping bees.
Keep learning.
Ernie

I disagree; you can put supers on at anytime. Picking the evening you will most likely have more bees than in the late morning too.

However mine work through the night, and they have miners lights. :lpf:

Ernie, think about this. If you have 50 to 300 hives going, are you going to do them all that night or that evening? No, not unless you do some one night, and some the next, and some the next, and so on. I don't know about you, but I don't have that kind of time. You might but most do not. One would have to work in the dark to do them all at night, even if you only had 50 or so.

And I never heard of anyone putting on supers at night. Do you use a flashlight... if so, I would LOVE to watch that... from a distance... :lpf:

Time might mean something to you, but for someone that might be running over 50 hives, that time table might me nothing. If going into my hives I like day time... not night or evening as there are more bees in the hives. I like them to be down in numbers to make it easier to work them.

The basic rules in keeping bees?

Keep learning. :gh:

[NeilV]

But I thought one of the "basic rules in beekeeping" is not to open a hive after dark?!?!

Is there a ranking of the "basic rules" in beekeeping where one trumps another? ;)

Neil

[Eaglerock]

Neil, why not just put them out for all your hives, or both, to clean. You might have a few there from other places, but at least no one gets capped. :D

[Eaglerock]

But I thought one of the "basic rules in beekeeping" is not to open a hive after dark?!?!

Is there a ranking of the "basic rules".....
Neil

That's what I thought... :scratch: he has a special flashlight.... :rolleyes:

>Is there a ranking of the "basic rules" in beekeeping where one trumps another?

Only in the "night time beekeepers assoc."

[Eaglerock]

Ernie this was in fun... you will have to restate what you ment I think.

[NeilV]

I'm pretty sure all the bees trying to get in through places other than the front entrance are robbers.

After I reduced the entrance and plugged the holes, many of the suspect bees have kept, in vain, trying to sneak in through the (now plugged) cracks and holes. If they lived there, I figure they would have gone in through the front door by now.

Also, a few bees keep trying to go in the reduced entrance, and they are immediately given the proverbial "business," which serves them right. These robbers probably belong to a buddy from my bee club who lives a couple of blocks away. I think I need to tell him that his bees are thiefs and my bees can beat up his bees.

On a serious note, how long do I need to keep things on lock-down mode.

Thanks,

Neil

[Eaglerock]

On a serious note, how long do I need to keep things on lock-down mode.

Thanks,

Neil

I have left mine out for all to share, or wait until the next flow before putting them on. Your bees can't use another super right now? Flow is coming, so why not just let them have the super back if you took it off of them?

[NeilV]

The flow is not coming here. Its been getting into the upper 90s and lower 100s and not raining much, although we got some rain this weekend. I extracted because I was worried they would start eating the stores. Maybe it will cool down and rain, but I wouldn't count on it.

I did not set them out because I'm in town and I've heard that can get bees to fighting in a big way.

It is amazing how the smell of pure honey in the air gets them all wound up.

Neil

[Eaglerock]

I extracted because I was worried they would start eating the stores. I did not set them out because I'm in town and I've heard that can get bees to fighting in a big way.

It is amazing how the smell of pure honey in the air gets them all wound up.

Neil

If they were my hives, I would have just put the supers back on. So they can do the clean up and repair any damage and get them ready for the next shot...

[beedeetee]

Well I think that Ernie is right. When I used to put supers back on above the inner cover for them to clean I did it in the evening after the first time. Even at night above the inner cover works fine. Below the inner cover or migratory top won't.

I doubt that commercial guys put their supers back on unless there is a flow. Then you shouldn't get robbing anyway. I stopped putting wet supers back on for them to clean because of this problem. If I need to put them back on because the flow is still going, I haven't had a problem with robbing. Then I do it during the day.

[Eaglerock]

Well I think that Ernie is right. When I used to put supers back on above the inner cover for them to clean I did it in the evening after the first time. Even at night above the inner cover works fine. Below the inner cover or migratory top won't.



:popcorn: Towards the later part of the day just before dark would work best I am sure. Just not at night... :no: I can't believe you would go out in the dark and do that. Unless, do you have a partly lighted area, near some kind of light? When it is dark I can’t see anything where some of mine are. I am NOT about to use a flashlight... that would be suicide.

[Terry Small, Jr]

I attached a red LED bicycle tail light to my helmet for when we move bees. It's lightweight, water resistant, self powered, and the bees are COMPLETELY BLIND to it. :D I can put my face right up to the entrance with no reaction whatsoever.

It's bright enough that I don't need the lights on the forklift if there is just a little bit of moon.

It won't stop the bees from crawling, but except for taking the straps off the truck, we generally don't make contact with the colonies or truck.

[Eaglerock]

Terry, I have heard of that from another beekeeper and was also telling that to Kyle, whom I met through beesource, about the red light. I have done some research and they also state honeybees can't see red. If this is the case, I'm dyeing my suit red...lol :D