Robbers
I've got a letalone neibours bees attempting to rob two small colonies.I've reduced the entrances to about 1/2 inch ,sprayed the robbers with water and still they persist.I can't move the colonies away either.Apart from setting fire to my neibours hive -what to do ?.His bees are about 3/4 mile away.
Are you sure they're his and not ferals?
Hi Grizzly,
I remember hearing about somebody who stopped robbing by placing a sheet of glass or a mirror sloping over the hive entrance. The bees in the hive could get out but it confused the robbers. I have never tried it so can say if it would work but may be worth a try.
Jimbo
Hi Grizzly
You could try the following method:
Take an extra crownboard and fix some mesh over one of the openings. Into the second opening you place a Porter bee escape, fixed on with 2 drawing pins. Turn this crownboard upside down and place it between your broodbox and your floor. Make sure your bees have got food and pollen in the hive and provide ventillation at the top.
Now your bees are locked in and the robbers can get into your hive but they can't get out. They will either be killed or will join your colony.
It should be enough to keep your hive like that for one or two days. When you remove that crownboard make sure that the hive entrance is kept very small.
It might be an idea to restrict liquid feeding to small amounts in the evenings, about as much as they will take overnight.
Best of luck, Doris
Where did you get that idea? It almost makes me wish that my bees were being robbed so that I can try it out!
G.
I had a small colony last year that got hazzled and tried to find a solution for them. I locked them up for a couple of days and then decided to move them away to the farm, as there are no other bees within miles.Originally Posted by gavin
If you would like to start some robbing in your hives, just drizzle some honey around and you'll soon get them going!
Doris
Your inventiveness knows no bounds. I'm impressed.
I did say 'almost'! But I did have some robbing last year and who knows, maybe they are again now. I'll look on Saturday. I don't think that I possess a working Porter escape though.
At £1.20 they are just about affordable. Not even I try to make one of them up from what I can find in my kitchen drawers.
D
To get your porter escape to work soak it overnight in a solution of caustic soda.
Jimbo
I've finally got things under control and stopped the robbing.I sprayed the little blighters with about 10 litres of water - they eventually got the message and b------d off back home.I know it wasn't my bees doing the robbing as I marked some of the culprits with white marker and then kept my hive under close scrutiny.No white marked bees to be seen anywhere near.I suspect the cause of the robbing was the two colonies are a bit in shadow in the early morning so don't become realy active until later on .I intend repositiong them later to a lighter less shadowed spot.
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