# robbing then throw away hive?



## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

I was looking at another blog and this beekeeper of many years mentioned that her equipment went 'downriver' when she found robbing going on in the hive. She then itemized her 'loss' of the hive from bottom board to outter cover. So I'm assuming that she threw away a hive just because it got robbed out? Is that what you all do? If so, why? If a hive dies out, it just seems natural that the hive would be robbed. But is this standard practice to throw the hive away or is there something I'm missing? Perhaps a reason why the hive would no longer be usable?


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## BjornBee (Jan 17, 2011)

Let me guess.....this blog was from a beekeeper who promotes some sort of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture/Apiary) where they seek public donations feeding off the goodwill of others while having them pay for their hobby via purchased bees and equipment? Seems like all the rage today...asking the public to buy a beekeeper his bees and equipment, by promoting the benefits of pollination in the area.

I have seen this before. Where the itemized losses are shown down to the bottom board, then used as justification for donations of sponsoring a hive at some atronomic price of 3-4-500 dollars per hive "sponsorship".

Am I close?

And NO...there is no reason to throw away a hive, except perhaps in cases with AFB.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

When you find robbing going on in a hive you first need to try and stop it. I have found a wet sheet placed where it hides the entrance or any other holes works well. I have also used a sprinkler that was in use in the garden just feet from the bee hives.

Once it is stopped you need to getthe hive moved to a different location install a entrance reducer plus block all other openings. I use blue 3M painters tape for that.

Now you need to get in the hive and see ifyou can figure out why they were being robbed and if the queen is still alive in it. If you find the queen alive you neede to keep the entrance reduced so they build back up and can guard the hive.

Dead out hives being robbed isn't what I call good at certin times of the year.
If the hive died due to AFB it is now been spread to the hives of the robbers. Keep an eye on them maybe treat with a AFB deterent.

 Al


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

No, this blog wasn't like that. I got to looking at her blog because she took a tree hive and was successful at getting them to go into a regular hive. I was curious as to how she got the queen to go from the tree to the hive. After looking around there, I noticed her mentioning tossing the hive due to robbing and thought I would ask. She didn't say anything about AFB either, so I thought this very strange to consider the hive a loss of anything more than just the bees and the honey that was taken.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Thanks for the info on how to stop robbing!! I've never seen it happening here, but it's good to know. How can you tell if a hive is being robbed of honey? It's not like you see it coming and going as it's in their stomach...


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## OkieDavid (Jan 15, 2007)

Robbing will be considerably different from "normal" hive activity. On a normal hive as bees return they are quickly checked out by guard bees and allowed into the hive. If a stranger wanders onto the landing board they are often quickly run off. A robbing hive will have bees in pretty serious fighting mode falling all over and off the landing board onto the ground.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

When bees are in a robbing mode you will see even more activity atthe hive then when they are oreniting. There will be a lot of darting from the sides to the entrance. Bees taking off will have a drop in their take off from a load of honey too.
There will bea lot of buzzing well above the normal level.


 Al


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