Robbing is when bees from one colony steal honey from another. It can escalate rapidly and kill a weak colony in hours. Learn to recognize and stop it before disaster strikes.
When Robbing Occurs
Robbing typically happens during:
- Nectar dearth: No natural forage available
- Late summer/fall: After main flow ends
- Early spring: Before flowers bloom
- Drought: When plants stop producing nectar
Signs of Robbing
Early Signs
- Bees hovering and darting at entrance (instead of direct landing)
- Bees investigating cracks and seams
- Fighting at the entrance
- Dead bees on the ground near hive
- Bees with shiny, hairless abdomens (old foragers from other hives)
Advanced Robbing (Emergency!)
- Frenzied activity at all hive openings
- Loud, roaring sound from hive
- Hundreds or thousands of bees fighting
- Wax cappings on landing board (honey being ripped open)
- Guard bees overwhelmed
ā ļø Robbing is an Emergency
Once robbing escalates, a colony can be killed within hours. Strong colonies strip all honey, leaving the victim colony to starve. The queen may be killed in the chaos.
Robbing vs. Normal Activity
- Normal: Bees fly straight in, land, and enter
- Robbing: Bees hover, investigate, fight at entrance
- Normal: Calm buzz from hive
- Robbing: Loud, agitated roar
- Normal: Bees leaving carry nothing visible
- Robbing: Bees leaving have distended abdomens (full of stolen honey)
Stopping Active Robbing
Immediate Actions
- Reduce entrance: To 1 bee width if possible
- Block entrance: With wet towel or grass (allows air but stops access)
- Cover hive: With wet sheet to cool and obscure
- Close hive: Completely for 1-2 days if severe
šØ Don't Use Smoke
Smoke makes robbing worse! It masks alarm pheromones that help defenders identify intruders. Skip the smoker when dealing with robbing.
Robbing Screens
Install robbing screens on vulnerable colonies:
- Creates maze that confuses robbers
- Resident bees learn the new route
- Robbers can't find entrance
- Keep on during dearth periods
Preventing Robbing
Apiary Management
- Keep colonies strong and even in strength
- Combine weak colonies
- Reduce entrances on small colonies
- Don't inspect during dearth (exposes honey smell)
- Clean up spilled honey immediately
- Don't leave frames of honey exposed
Feeding Practices
- Feed in evening (robbers sleep)
- Use in-hive feeders, not entrance feeders
- Never open-feed (invites robbing)
- Don't spill syrup
After Robbing
If a colony was robbed:
- Assess remaining stores
- Check if queen survived
- Feed if stores are low
- Consider combining with another colony if very weak
- Keep entrance reduced until recovery
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