[JustFed1]

I know what you're thinking..."his hive is being robbed", right?
Here is what I found yesterday: VERY healthy hive. Fed them through the winter with sugar bars inside. Watched them bringing in pollen yesterday like crazy (for a February anyways!)... five to ten bees on the landing with full sacs at all times. Entrance reducer is on smallest setting. Saw no fighting with the guards, and this is my most protective hive. What puzzled me though was seeing one bee after another come out with a sugar clump in its mouth and fly off.
Do you think they are so busy processing pollen that they are ignoring the fact that some bees are robbing their sugar...or does this sound like they are just cleaning up and don't want that sugar in the hive anymore?
As always, thanks for your wisdom!

 

[beemandan]

If you are referring to granulated sugar....it isn't robbing. Most likely house cleaning.

 

[Edymnion]

Its quite possible that chunks of sugar have broken off and fallen down into the hive (on the topbars, maybe on top of the cluster, etc) and they are simply removing the "foreign objects" without really paying attention to what they are.

 

[JustFed1]

Yes sir Dan, granulated sugar chunks.
Thanks for the opinions. I think I'll make it easier on them and just go ahead and remove the bars; especially after seeing how much pollen they were bringing in yesterday.

 

[beemandan]

I think I'll make it easier on them and just go ahead and remove the bars; especially after seeing how much pollen they were bringing in yesterday.

Make certain, before you remove it that they have stores of honey. They need carbohydrates to survive and pollen doesn't supply it.

 

[JBJ]

If you use drivert sugar they are way less likely to remove and will consume faster. It is an inverted form of sugar which is way easier for the bees to use.

 

[Michael Bush]

Or wet the sugar a bit so they recognize it as food. A spray bottle of water is the best tool for this job...

 

[EastSideBuzz]

Moisten it Or invert your sugar with cider vinegar.