[WBVC]

Last year we made up a few robber screens that were wood frame with screen over them. They worked quite well for 10 frame deeps...we put them on the weakest hives. The wood must have been poor quality as some warped allowing extra areas for entrance/egress but still worked.

This year, not thinking about robber screens we made up some Coates design nucs. Small entrance right above the flat bottom board. The wood frame of a robber screen will block the hole. Also have some nuc boxes with single circular holes mid way up the box with no entrance at the bottom board. I know..not the best planning but it is what it is. I was grateful someone made up the boxes

So I have seen a robber screen design on line that is simply a bent piece of #8 wire that is attached to the hive....it is open at each end but screens off the front of the entrance. I could tack those over most any entrance hole...but do they work.

Hope they do as that would make things a lot easier

 

[dawsong]

Try the Steve Tabor Screen, It is in the Book he wrote Breeding SUPER bees. SEND ME A EMAIL AN I WILL SEND A PRINT OF IT.

 

[snl]

Search here on BS, some member made some very simple ones ....... he also provide plenty of pics.......

 

[Needo]

I use robbing screens that open down. They work just fine. Four inches of screen down below the entrance is all I use. I wasted some wood by using a table saw to cut out the inside of a 1x4. I stapled a screen over that and screwed it to the hive. It is best to generously pre-drill the holes on the robbing screen. I did split the wood on one of the screens. I used a 1x6 for my nuc. I was more paranoid about the nuc.

 

[Michael Bush]

A simple wire screen over the larger entrance with a smaller entrance in it works pretty well. Not as well as a baffled one, but it's much easier to make and works well enough the majority of the time.

 

[squarepeg]

A simple wire screen over the larger entrance with a smaller entrance in it works pretty well. Not as well as a baffled one, but it's much easier to make and works well enough the majority of the time.

this has worked very well for me. if needed i'll place a rock in front of the smaller entrance forcing the bees to climb up and over it.

 

[David LaFerney]

This works...

And this works great for those round entrance holes...

Do a Google image search for robber screens to see lots of different variations. As long as the basic principle is utilized they will work, and a proper baffled robber screen does not disrupt traffic like a tiny opening does - making it much easier for foragers and house cleaners to do their work. You can leave one on all the time if you want - I even use them on mating nucs without a measurable effect on mating returns.

Robber screens work.

 

[VodoBaas1]

This is the one I made recently. Mine isn't baffled, but I agree that those work as well.