Love the analogy.
Given that your other hive in your apiary is surviving (without feeding?), it might be safe to assume that there’s enough food around to keep them going - the real test will be winter time when foraging opportunity decreases.
Photos are helpful for others to assess the colony strength. But no need to disturb the hive if you don’t have any at this stage.
Beekeeping is as much as a waiting game as a proactive game of strategy.
Wishing you the best. Keep us posted.
No. I’m feeding both, but robbing is only evident on one hive. It could be the ‘good’ hive is doing the robbing, but can’t confirm.
I will be gong in the hives again this weekend.
Bees in their wisdom will ignore the syrup if there is enough nectar about in the bush. So I would use that as an indicator about the need for feeding or not. When I need to feed my hives I use a chicken watering feeder in an empty super on the hive, I wonder if evaporation might account for some of your syrup increase with open trays?
Look forward to an update about the robbing screens.
Cheers
I thought about that but then if it did I’ll end up with a lot of sugar crystals in the containers. The bees do however clean up any sugar crystals.
I have poultry feeders too but I find the open trays with some floats are easier to refill.
So far there is still a lot of activity in front of the robbing frame. Hopefully the robbers are not finding their way in while my bees are navigating it.
Does anyone know how long do the bees take to get used to the new hive entrance after installing the robbing screen?
I made mine with an open top. Just two pieces of timber and a mesh in between, and held in place with string and rubber. The top is open and about 15cm above the old entrance.
It was installed a couple of nights ago. As of today, I still noticed bees coming out from the top, but none going back in. A lot of bees (a hundred maybe) are one the mesh. Don’t know if they are robbers, or by bees trying to get in.
On the plus side, it looks like the robbers are not going in, so it works as expected (thanks @Dawn_SD). I just hope my bees are finding their way in.
For me, it is usually 2 or 3 days, but they all find their way in by evening. I am very happy that you think the robbing has stopped. 
It is now 5 days since I installed my robbing screens. I cannot see any robbing. The bees seem to got around their new higher entrance.
However, I am often noticing that both hives are being very agitated since I installed the robbing screens. They usually fly straight in and out of the entrances, but now, I see a lot ‘random’ flights, in front of the hives.Sort of zig-zagging rather than doing their usual business. They are also less tollerant of me wondering behind the hives.
Could it be that the robbing screens are “annoying” them?
The robbing screens are for both a sheet of mesh 15x21cm, placed in front of a 5cm entrance, about 2cm away, with two pieces of wood to hold it in place on each side.
For the first time in a long time, my bees had some stores when I inspected this weekend. It was of course my syrup, clear as. I also saw a lot of improvement in the hive, with nice brood etc, so was happy.
I was debating with my self whether I should continue to feed or not because they sucked my feeders dry. The eucs are in flower, but probably not flowing much yet, so I gave them one last feed each. I’m sure they already consumed it by now, but I’m hoping that they will use their stores until the eucs start to flow properly. Shouldn’t be that long now.
So yes, I fed them this weekend, but not feeding daily. Next weekend I’ll see what’s left of their stores and decide then.
Ok, thanks. When I have had to feed in the past I found that the bees weren’t interested in the syrup once a good nectar source was located so my guess is that if they are still using it they probably need it. If I had to feed again I’d like to try adding food colouring as a marker.
It’s been pointed out many times that although there may be flowers around it’s not a given that there’s a good supply of nectar. I got caught out watching loads of pollen entering the hive thinking nectar must also be entering the hive. Had I hefted the hive I’d have realised how wrong I was.
Sounds like you’ve a good grip on what’s going on, keep us informed. 
I doubt it. I would speculate that they are still bit low on stores, and so are being defensive of what they have in the hive. Once you get a really good flow, they should settle down again. I would leave the screens on for now, unless they start bearding, in which case the screen may obstruct them more than is useful. 
Thanks @Dawn_SD and @skeggley.
I think I should not hesitate to keep on feeding then. I’m also inclined to leave, or modify those screens and leave them there permanently.
My understanding from what I read is that the way they work is by stopping robbers flying straight in, kamikaze style, into the hive. So, I place a piece of screen slightly further out (staple it to the edge of the bottom board), I was hoping it would still stop the robbers, but leave more space for bearding bees to do their job.
@skeggley, why do you want to add food colouring? There is no chance I will be feeding with a super on, and the syrup looks very obvious in the cells from its lack of colour. Is it just in case they move it to the super later on?
An easy and sure way to know whether the eucalypts have nectar is to observe bird activity rather than bee activity. The Marris on my property are in flower and full of bees, but they are mostly gathering pollen.
Once they have nectar in a few days time, the honey eaters like the Brown and Singing Honeyeater and Red Wattlebirds move in and can be seen feeding on the flowers. Then I know there is nectar.
Thanks @Wandjina that is a great tip.
I think I was a bit of a cowboy when I said earlier that I tasted the flowers to check. They did taste rather sweet but looking back not as sweet as they should be if they had plenty of nectar.
Hi Dawn, may I pick your brain again please? I see you are the de facto robbing screen authority here 
I followed your instructions - and when I saw bearding I removed the screens. I am now seeing robbing again though. How bad it is I cannot tell, I just observe robbing.
I want to make a more permanent robbing screen, and if possible, give the bees some opportunity to beard and fan if they need to.
If my entrance is 10cm in the middle, and I screw in a stiff metal mesh across the full width of the hive, on the edge of the landing board, so about 38cm wide, by 15cm high - will this work as a robbing screen?
I can’t visualize what you mean. Any chance of a rough sketch? 
In the meantime, I would put the screen back on. Interference with bearding will be less of a problem than active robbing.
Of course! I’m no Picasso, but hope this will do…
The screen is just the mesh, with no sides, fixed to the landing board at the bottom to the landing board like so:
No comment. 
But seriously, 
Ahem.
Much flowering out your way Zzz?
Hey Z, is that an iMac with a flip out keyboard? 
Must be that bee sting…
On your robbing screen, I think you can improve it if you make it sloping, top end stapled to the hive, bottom end stapled to the landing platform. The bees will enter and leave from the sides.
We’ll see what @Dawn_SD thinks when she wakes up on the other side of the planet.
Hives are doing well Skeggley, and I stopped feeding. Super is on. It’s way too hot.
Close but no cigar ! 
I think you meant this:
