Parent hive robbing a split?

829 Views 1 Reply 2 Participants Last post by Michael Bush, Apr 27, 2006

Jeffrey Todd

Discussion Starter · #1 · Apr 26, 2006

Three days ago, I did a cutdown split. The new colony has the old queen, a lot of the stores, and most of the open brood. I restricted the entrance down to about 2" wide and left plenty of cracks for ventilation (not wide enough for bees to pass through).
The day following the split, I noticed some darker bees (from a neighboring hive) attempting to get in but they were turned away by the guard bees. Today I noticed some light golden-colored bees (which I believe are from the parent hive) buzzing and darting around the entrance then getting in without being challenged by the guards. I assume this is because the guards recognize them as being from the same original colony.
How can I stop the parent from robbing the split?
I also noted a few (less than 10) drone larvae (no worker) being discarded by the split; only drones no worker larvae. We did have a cool front come through that dropped the temp down to around 55 at night when it had been around 70. I am not particulary concerned but wanted insight from more experienced keepers.
Thanks,
Jeffrey

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Michael Bush

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Local feral survivors in eight frame medium boxes.

Joined Aug 2, 2002

53,472 Posts

#2 · Apr 27, 2006

If you think they are robbing here's how to tell for sure. Shut them up now (after dark). Some grass will do, but close it well enough they can't get out. Wait until the bees from the other hives are flying and see if there is a mob trying to get in. If there is, leave it closed until the mob goes home. Then open it up.