What type of bees are these?

[Keth Comollo]

Have you looked inside the hive and confirmed that they are robbing? Robbed honey comb is quite distinct. You don't mention any fighting so what makes you think they are robbing? Maybe your queen just started laying some eggs with sperm from a different drone and those are your bees trying to bring back forage.

[A_Bee_Guy]

Robbed honey comb is quite distinct. You don't mention any fighting so what makes you think they are robbing?

What is different about robbed comb? I have no idea what the difference would be.

And, your second point is also good. There are not a lot of dead bees out in front, but that might be because the hive is too weak to take on the onslaught of robbers.

Thanks for weighing in here.

[Keth Comollo]

This isn't a great photo since I got the sun angle wrong but you should be able to see it. This is a frame from a hive that got flooded in Hurricane Irene. Notice the brood comb (dark) and how the cells are nice and pretty. Then starting at my thumb and going to the top of the frame you will see where the honey was that got robbed out. The robbers shred the combs making it look like it was hit with a Cuisinart. A classic sign of robbing. If you don't see that I suspect you aren't getting robbed and would open up that entrance and put a super on.

[Gypsi]

I'm just putting up with traffic jams and keeping my entrances small for a couple of more days. We JUST got 2 inches of rain, coming out of drought and dearth, and this morning the bees are coming back loaded with pollen. Neither of my weak hives is actually weak, one just needs to go up to a 10 frame, at which point it will be weak, so I have some shuffling around to do in the bee yard, and I will gradually open up entrances as I determine who is strong enough to handle it. I have 2 really strong hives, "muscle bound". If there is flow, they would get bored and rob the smaller hives. Maybe. Beekeeping is local. Did you say whether you had a flow on?

[Keth Comollo]

Disregard my comments about adding supers. I got this thread mixed up with another one.

[JRG13]

Something with that coloration pattern is familiar to me... Anyone recall any other posts with bees looking exactly like that? I know I've seen something about it somewhere.

[franktrujillo]

hi, with many diffrent bee breed in my yard and monitoring the bees with actual robbing going on.looks like there not getting robbed with the photo your showing. since the bees are not getting attacked by the other bees in the pic.which they will do. your queen you have probably mated with the local drones mixture of german black bee i have some bees in my yard that look like those in the pic.monitor the outside of your hive, to see if some with those markings enter with pollen.or you can make a little sugar water and feed one on the outside of your hive and once it gets full see it it flys away or enters the hive.hope that helps

[A_Bee_Guy]

A big THANKS to all the contributors on this post. I really learned a lot!