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Author Topic: Pic: robbing vrs the norm.  (Read 986 times)

Offline van from Arkansas

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Pic: robbing vrs the norm.
« on: February 02, 2020, 07:21:01 pm »


Not the best pic, I apologize,  but hoping to convey the subject matter.

Total 6 hives in the pic, one is a dead out being robbed.  The bees at the seam where the hive bodies meet is a clear give away. The violet, soft purple  and yellow nuc, far right, has bees at the seam between the hive bodies.  These bees are robbers trying to find a back door.  There is a frenzy of activity on the entrance by the robbers  also, more activities than the other hives.

Health to your bees.

Van
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Pic: robbing vrs the norm.
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2020, 09:46:24 pm »


Not the best pic, I apologize,  but hoping to convey the subject matter.

Total 6 hives in the pic, one is a dead out being robbed.  The bees at the seam where the hive bodies meet is a clear give away. The violet, soft purple  and yellow nuc, far right, has bees at the seam between the hive bodies.  These bees are robbers trying to find a back door.  There is a frenzy of activity on the entrance by the robbers  also, more activities than the other hives.

Health to your bees.

Van


Nice picture Van, good enough for your post and questions. I will start off by asking you, are you sure of the cause of the death of this hive?  You had mentioned starvation of this hive in another post (Dwarf Wing Virus). If starvation is the cause, then I would assume the abundant honey the robbers are taking advantage of, was below the bees therefore rendering it unreachable to the clustered bees? If this is so that is unfortunate.  I have read that it does happen.
On the other hand, if the supply of honey, which is now being robbed, was beside or above your bees, your bees may not have been healthy. Let's look further. If this was indeed a healthy hive and maintaining a cluster temperature of 92 or close, bees on the outer portions of the cluster should have been able to reach the stored honey reserves that are now being robbed. Therefore they should not have starved. If, and again I say if, this is correct, you may want to look at other reasons for the death of your hive than starvation. I would suggest that you start by looking  at your frames very very closely, if you have not already. Was the dead bees clustered and what proximity to the honey?  In the location of the now dead bees, make sure there are no signs of mites, mite frass etc.  As troutdog so clearly pointed out in another post to you, their could be several reasons that could be the problem of bee loss in winter. If not starvation. Mites would be the first place I would suggest because of the concern of robbing that is going on for the abandoned left behind honey. This  could be the robbing of a mite bomb. We certainly do not want this for you and your bees. If I remember correctly you recently lost another hive to mites since late summer of fall? Keep us updated. Wishing you the best.
Phillip


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« Last Edit: February 03, 2020, 02:53:48 am by Ben Framed »
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Pic: robbing vrs the norm.
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2020, 10:53:31 pm »
A lot of very good detailed questions.  The dead out last summer was mites and the dead out was the same hive that was poisoned last spring. Thank you ID, he figured it was seven dust.

So now on to the today deadout.  No sigh of mite frass, hive last treatment OAV was December broodless stage, four treatments total, July August sept dec.  There is a very small amount of honey in the hive, outer frame, bees died on frames 3 and four inwhich there was zero honey and previous 3 weeks was cluster temps so moving honey not possible.  Zero brood.  Hive did have mold on top frame in the top nuc, last week of December which alerted me to an issue, small number of bees.  Bees died tight clustered 6 inch diameter on both frames 3 & 4.  Dead out was new blood, 2019, carniolan, solid black queen.

Of interest, another hive only inches away has 3.5 frames of honey in a ten frame single deep Langstroth with 5 frames of bees and a small patch of brood.

I think I answered all your questions, Phil.  If not, let me know.

Health to your bees.
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Pic: robbing vrs the norm.
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2020, 11:13:12 pm »
"I think I answered all your questions, Phil.  If not, let me know."

Thanks for the open invitation to more questions Van. The questions are not just for your benefit or my benefit, but the benefit of anyone who may be reading and interested in learning from your unfortunate circumstance, a part of the reason for our forum. But I think you pretty well covered my questions on this topic.  I am sorry that you lost your hive to starvation. If I think of more questions I will let you know.
Blessings,
Phillip



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« Last Edit: February 03, 2020, 02:34:26 am by Ben Framed »
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.