Newbie beek here, consciously reading all the books and all the potential disasters (is there such a thing as bee hypochondria? By proxy?) and I’ve been wondering whether my bees are getting robbed. Many of the robbing signals mentioned in the books’ checklists are present.
I haven’t seen any actual fighting, but it’s a brand new colony, maybe the guards haven’t caught on to the robbing? The bottom hive body was added recently (the top one is nearly full).
All advice welcome! Should I reduce the entrance farther? Open it up more? Dance naked around the hive?
You tell me…
Dancing naked in front of the hive sounds interesting… I am not sure if there is much research done as to its effectiveness though. That entrance size is about the same as what I have for my bees.
Honestly thought it looks like orientation flights to me. If it were robbing you should definitely see some kind of struggle at the entrance.
I tend to increase the entrance to my hives as it warms up to give the bees more ventilation and to relieve congestion on a full hive. If you are well into spring, there is lots flowering around you, you have warm days and there are no bee predators about e.g. wasps and beetles. Then you could open your entrance wider, if you have cold nights then consider leaving as-is or widening a bit at a time.
Hi Olivier, your bees look good. I would open that entrance up to about 5 inches once the population has expended.
I know a bloke who used to work his bees in the nude when he was living as a hippie many years ago. I don’t know how you’d go dancing naked around the hive… For the sake of research, I suppose it’s worth a try. Keep us informed.
I agree with @JeffH, I would open up the entrance to 4-5 inches wide. Also, I am not sure that your bees need a blanket over them at this time of year, unless you are inside the arctic circle…
I also agree with @Chipper, photos or video, or it didn’t happen! I believe there is a lady who does some kind of nature therapy for people by dancing naked while covered with bees - I wouldn’t recommend it though!
Hello, I read that if you take some time to look around the entrance and see lots of activity and bees coming in without pollen then you may be in the process of a Robbing. If there is lots of bees and activity but most of them are coming in with pollen on them then you are not probably not being robbed it may be just that you have fabulously busy bees.
) and I’ve been wondering whether my bees are getting robbed. Many of the robbing signals mentioned in the books’ checklists are present.
I believe there is a lady who does some kind of nature therapy for people by dancing naked while covered with bees - I wouldn’t recommend it though! 