I have read on Bush's site how to stop robbing. I have tried putting a wet blanket over the hive for two days and blocking the entrance. As soon as I open the front, the robbers are back in a few hours. I tired again for another three days and the same thing happened. I tried for two more days and they came back as soon as I remove the screen over the entrance. They are not coming from my other nine hives. When the robbers leave, they fly way up over my house to I do not know where. They have not bothered any other of my hives. I cannot keep the entrance blocked too much longer. The hive was queenless and they are making a new queen from eggs I put in. The queen cell is capped, so the new queen will need to get out in a week or so. Should I move the hive? What else can I try? There is still a lot of honey in it. Thanks,
Tried to stop robbing for seven days, but the robbers come back
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move it
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I had a similar situation with a queenless nuc about three weeks ago. Caught it being robbed and screened the entrance off for 24 hours. Within 24 hours after opening the robbers were back. This time I closed the entrance off for 3 full days with #8 hardware cloth and then installed a home made robber screen with a 3/8 inch opening at the bottom right of the hive entrance and 3/8 inch opening at the top left. This was working well, but I was concerned I had limited ventilation. So I made a new robber screen that did not restrict the bottom entrance but forced the bees to climb the front of the hive about 4 inches to exit at the open top. It has worked for about a week even though occasionally I see confused bees (possibly potential robbers) looking for a way in near the bottom.
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You do need to make robber screens and leave them on until the problem goes away. Covering the hive with a blanket or closing the entrance is something that you should only do for the hour or so it takes to get to a hardware store and make some screens. The blanket is not the cure.
As Michael Bush's page on robbing says, what you've done so far are the initial, temporary steps that you take immediately to stop the robbing while you figure out how to solve the problem. You can't keep them covered or confined indefinitely, you need to fix the problem right away.
Wayne
As Michael Bush's page on robbing says, what you've done so far are the initial, temporary steps that you take immediately to stop the robbing while you figure out how to solve the problem. You can't keep them covered or confined indefinitely, you need to fix the problem right away.
Wayne
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Move the hive away and reduce entrance to one bee.
But: do not forget to place an empty hive at the old place or the robbers will be looking for other hives to rob. So place an empty hive at the original place and either reduce to one bee entrance, too, or use a wire cloth funnel to the inside. This way the robbers will get trapped in the empty hive. Makes a nice artificial swarm. A reduced entrance works, too, because the incoming bees are pushing their way into the hive, since the entrance is just one bee the robbers inside can't get out until late in the evening.
But: do not forget to place an empty hive at the old place or the robbers will be looking for other hives to rob. So place an empty hive at the original place and either reduce to one bee entrance, too, or use a wire cloth funnel to the inside. This way the robbers will get trapped in the empty hive. Makes a nice artificial swarm. A reduced entrance works, too, because the incoming bees are pushing their way into the hive, since the entrance is just one bee the robbers inside can't get out until late in the evening.
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MB has said to use Vicks.
I also think you need to move it a few miles away untill they make a queen.
Robbers know a hive is queenless and will not stop.
I also think you need to move it a few miles away untill they make a queen.
Robbers know a hive is queenless and will not stop.
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