ROBBERIES.
Robbing is another source of occasional loss to the apiarian. It is
frequent in spring, and at any time in warm weather when honey is
scarce. It is very annoying, and sometimes gets neighbors in
contention, when perhaps neither is to blame, farther than ignorance of
the matter.
NOT PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD.
A person keeping many hives must expect to be accountable for all
losses in his neighborhood, whether they are lost by mismanagement or
want of management. Many people suppose, if one person has but one
stock, and another has ten, that the ten will combine for plundering
the one. There are no facts, showing any communication between
different families of the same apiary, that I can discover. It is true,
when one family finds another weak and defenceless, possessing
treasure, they have no conscientious scruples about carrying off the
last particle. The hurry and bustle attending it seldom escape the
notice of the other families; and when one hive has been robbed in an
apiary, perhaps two-thirds of the other families, sometimes all, have
participated in the plunder. One family, if it be large, is just as
likely, and more so, to find a weak one among the ten, and commence
plundering, as the other way.
IMPROPER REMEDIES.
Notwithstanding it is common to hear remarks like this, "I had a
_first-rate_ hive of bees," (when the fact was he had not looked
particularly at his bees for a month, to know whether it was so or not,
and if he had, very likely would not know,) "and Mr. A.'s bees began to
rob them. I tried every thing to stop it; I moved them around in
several places to prevent their finding the hive. It did no good; the
first I knew they were all gone--bees, honey, and all! The bees all
joined the robbers." Now the fact is, that not one _good_ stock of bees
in fifty, will ever be robbed, if let alone; that is, if the entrance
is properly protected. This moving the hive was enough to ruin any
stock; bees were lost at every change, until nothing was left but honey
to tempt the robbers; whereas, if left on its stand, it might have
escaped.
A great many remedies have been given me gratis, which, had one-half
been followed, would have ruined them. The fact is, with many people,
the remedies are often the cause of the disease. The most fatal is, to
move them a few rods; another, to close the hive entirely, (very liable
to smother them); or, break out some comb and set the honey to running.
There are some charms that affect them but little any way. Probably
there are but few bee-keepers able to tell at once, _when bees are
being robbed_. It requires the closest scrutinizing observation to
decide.
DIFFICULTY IN DECIDING.
There is nothing about the apiary more difficult to determine, nothing
more likely than to be deceived. It is generally supposed, when a
number are outside fighting, that it is conclusive that they are also
robbing, which is seldom the case. On the contrary, a show of
resistance indicates a strong colony, and that they are disposed to
defend their treasures. I no longer have any fears for a stock that has
courage to repel an attack.
WEAK FAMILIES IN MOST DANGER.
It is weak families, that show no resistance, where we find the most
danger. In seasons of scarcity, all _good_ stocks maintain or keep
sentinels about the entrance, whose duty it appears to be to examine
every bee that attempts to enter. If it is a member of the community,
it is allowed to pass; if not, it is examined on the spot. It would
seem that a password was requisite for admittance, for no sooner does a
stranger-bee endeavor to get in, than it is known. If without necessary
credentials, there is evidence enough against it. Each bee is a
qualified jurist, judge, and executioner. There is no delay; no waiting
for witnesses for defence. The more a bee attempts to escape, the more
likely it will be to receive a sting, unless it succeeds. How strange
bees are known, would be nothing but theory, if I should attempt to
explain. Let it suffice that they are known.
THEIR BATTLES.
I will here describe some of their battles. I have in the spring
frequently seen the whole front side of the hive covered with the
combatants, (but for such hives I have no fears; they are able to
defend themselves.) Several will surround one stranger; one or two will
bite its legs, another the wings; another will make a feint of
stinging, while another is ready to take what honey it has, when
worried sufficient to make it willing. It is sometimes allowed to go
after yielding all its honey, but at others, is dispatched with a
sting, which is almost instantly fatal. A bee is killed sooner by a
sting, than by any other means, except crushing. Sometimes a leg will
tremble, for a minute; the legs are drawn close to the body; the
abdomen contracts to half its usual size, unless filled with honey. I
have known a pint accidentally to enter a neighboring stock, and be
killed in five minutes. The only places the sting will penetrate a bee
are the joints of the abdomen, legs, the neck, &c. I have occasionally
seen one bee drag about the dead body of its victim, being unable to
withdraw its sting from a joint in the leg. During the fight, if it be
to keep off those in search of plunder, a few bees may be seen buzzing
around in search of a place unguarded to enter the hive. If such is
found, it alights and enters in a moment. At other times, when about to
enter, it meets a soldier on duty, and is on the wing again in an
instant. But another time it may be more unfortunate, and be nabbed by
a policeman, when it must either break away, or suffer the penalty of
insect justice, which is generally of the utmost severity.
BAD POLICY TO RAISE THE HIVES.
A great many apiarians raise their hives an inch from the board early
in spring. They seem to disregard the chance it gives robbers to enter
on every side. It is like setting the door of your own house open, to
tempt the thief, and then complain of depravity.
Let it be understood, then, that all good stocks, under ordinary
circumstances, will take care of themselves. Nature has provided means
of defence, with instinct to direct its use. Non-resistance may do for
highly cultivated intellect in man, but not here.
INDICATIONS OF ROBBERS.
We will now notice the appearance about a weak hive that makes no
resistance, and show the result to be a total loss of the stock,
without timely interference. Each robber, when leaving the hive,
instead of flying in a direct line to its home, will turn its head
towards the hive to mark the spot, that it may know where to return for
another load, in the same manner that they do when leaving their hive
in the spring. The first time the young bees leave home, they mark
their location, by the same process. A few of these begin to hatch from
the cells very early; in all good stocks, often before the weather is
warm enough for _any to leave the hive_. Consequently, it cannot be too
early for them at any time in spring. These young bees, about the
middle of each fair day, or a little later, take a turn of flying out
very thickly for a short time. The inexperienced observer would be very
likely to suppose such stock very prosperous, from the number of
inhabitants in motion. This unusual bustle is the first indication of
foul play, and should be regarded with suspicion; yet it is not
conclusive.
A DUTY.
It is the duty of every bee-keeper, who expects to succeed, to know
which his weak stocks are; an examination some cool morning, can be
made by turning the hive bottom up, and letting the sun among the
combs. The number of inhabitants in them is easily seen. When weak,
close the entrance, till there is just room for one bee to pass at
once. The first real pleasant days, at any time before honey is
obtained plentifully, a little after noon, look out for them to
commence robbing. Whenever a weak stock is taken with what appears to
be a fit of unusual industry, it is quite certain they are either
robbers or young bees; the difficulty is to decide which. Their motions
are alike, but there is a little difference in color--the young bees
are a shade lighter; the abdomen of the robbers, when filled with
honey, is a little larger. It requires close, patient observation, to
decide this point, and when you have watched close enough to detect
this difference, you can decide without trouble.
A TEST.
But while you are learning this nice distinction, your bees may be
ruined. We will, therefore, give some other means of protection.
Bees, when they have been stealing a sack of honey from a neighboring
hive, will generally run several inches from the entrance before
flying: kill some of these; if filled with honey, they are robbers;
because it is very suspicious, to be filled with honey when leaving the
hive; or sprinkle some flour on them as they come out, and have some
one watch by the others to see if they enter. Another way is less
trouble, but will take longer, before they are checked, if robbing.
Visit them again in the course of half an hour or more, after the young
bees have had time to get back, (if it should happen to be them); but
if the bustle continues or increases, it is time to interfere. When the
entrance has been contracted as directed, close it entirely till near
sunset. When it has been left without, it should now be done, (giving
room for only one bee at a time). This will allow all that belong to
the hive to get in, and others to get out, and materially retard the
progress of the robbers.
ROBBING USUALLY COMMENCES ON A WARM DAY.
Unless it should be cool, they will continue their operations till
evening. Very often some are unable to get home in the dark, and are
lost. This, by the way, is another good test of robbing. Visit the
hives every warm evening. They _commence_ depredations on the warmest
days; seldom otherwise. If any are at work when honest laborers should
be at home, they need attention.
REMEDIES.
As for remedies, I have tried several. The least trouble is to remove
the weak hive in the morning to the cellar, or some dark, cool place,
for a few days, until at least two or three warm days have passed, that
they may abandon the search. The robbers will then probably attack the
stock on the next stand. Contract the entrance of this in accordance
with the number of bees that are to pass. If strong, no danger need be
apprehended; they may fight, and even kill some; perhaps a little
chastisement is necessary, to a sense of their duty.
COMMON OPINION.
There is an opinion prevalent that robbers often go to a neighboring
stock, kill off the bees first, and then take possession of the
treasures. To corroborate this matter, I have never yet discovered one
fact, although I have watched very closely. Whenever bees have had all
their stores taken, at a period when nothing was to be had in the
flowers, it is evident they must starve, and last but a day or two
before they are gone. This would naturally give rise to the supposition
that they were either killed, or gone with the robbers.
A CASE IN POINT.
I have a case in point. Having been from home a couple of days, I
found, on my return, a swarm of medium strength, that had been
carelessly exposed, had been plundered of about fifteen pounds of
honey, every particle they had.[13] About the usual number of bees were
among the combs, to all appearance, very disconsolate. I at once
removed them to the cellar, and fed them for a few days. The other bees
gave over looking for more plunder, in the meantime. It was then
returned to the stand, entrance nearly closed, as directed, &c. In a
short time it made a valuable stock; but had I left it twenty-four
hours longer, it probably would not have been worth a straw.
[13] It occurred the last of July.
FURTHER DIRECTIONS.
When a stock has been removed, if the next stand contains a weak,
instead of a strong one, it is best to take that in also; to be
returned to the stand as soon as the robbers will allow it. If a second
attack is made, put them in again, or if practicable, remove them a
mile or two out of their knowledge of country; they would then lose no
time from labor. Where but few stocks are kept, and not more than one
or two stocks are engaged, sprinkle a little flour on them as they
leave, to ascertain which the robbers are; then reverse the hives,
putting the weak one in the place of the strong, and the strong one in
the place of the weak one. The weak stock will generally become the
strongest, and put a stop to their operations; but this method is often
impracticable in a large apiary; because several stocks are usually
engaged, very soon after one commences, and a dozen may be robbing one.
Another method is, when you are _sure_ a stock is being robbed, take a
time when there are as many plunderers inside as you can get, and close
the hive at once, (wire-cloth, or something to admit air, and at the
same time confine the bees, is necessary;) carry in, as before
directed, for two or three days, when they may be set out. The strange
bees thus enclosed will join the weak family, and will be as eager to
defend what is now _their_ treasure, as they were before to carry it
off. This principle of forgetting home and uniting with others, after a
lapse of a few days, (writers say, twenty-four hours is sufficient for
them to forget home) can be recommended in this case. It succeeds about
four times in five, when a proper number is enclosed. Weak stocks are
strengthened in this way very easily; and the bees being taken from a
number of hives, are hardly missed. The difficulty is, to know when
there are enough to be about equal, to what belongs to the weak stock;
if too few are enclosed, they are surely destroyed.
COMMON CAUSE OF COMMENCING.
After all, bees being robbed is like being destroyed by worms; a kind
of secondary matter; that is, not one strong stock in a hundred will
ever be attacked and plundered on the first onset. Bees must be first
tempted, and rendered furious by a weak hive; a dish of refuse honey
set near them is sometimes sufficient to set them at work, also where
they have been fed and not had a full supply. After they have once
commenced, it takes an astonishing quantity to satiate their appetite.
They seem to be perfectly intoxicated, and regardless of danger; they
venture on to certain destruction! I have known a few instances where
good stocks by this means were reduced, until they in turn fell a prey
to others. I have for several years kept about one hundred stocks away
from home, where I could not see them much, to prevent robbing. Yet I
never lost a stock by this cause. I simply keep the entrance closed,
except a passage for the bees at work during spring. It is true I have
lost a few stocks, when the other bees took the honey, but they would
have been lost any way.
SPRING THE WORST TIME.
As I before remarked in the commencement of this chapter, bees will
plunder and fight at any time through the summer, when honey cannot be
collected; but _spring_ is the only time that such desperate and
persevering efforts are made to obtain it. It is the only time the
apiarian can be excused for having his hives plundered, or letting them
stand in a situation for it. We then often have families reduced in
winter and spring, from various causes, and when protected through this
season, generally make good stocks. It is then we wish them to form
steady, industrious habits, and not live by plunder. Prevention is
better than cure; evil propensities should be checked in the beginning.
The bee, like man, when this disposition has been indulged for a time,
it is hard breaking the habit; a severe chastisement is the only cure;
they too go on the principle of much wanting more.
NO NECESSITY TO HAVE THE BEES PLUNDERED IN THE FALL.
The apiarian having his bees plundered in the fall, is not fit to have
charge of them; their efforts are seldom as strong as in spring,
(unless there is a general scarcity,) the weak hives are usually better
supplied with bees, and consequently a less number is exposed; but yet,
when there are some very weak families, these should be taken away as
soon as the flowers fail, or strengthened with bees from another hive.
Particulars in fall management.
I have sometimes made my swarms equal, early in spring, by the
following method, and I have also failed. Bees, when wintered together
in a room, will seldom quarrel when first set out. When one stock has
an over supply of bees, and another a very few, the next day or two
after being out, I change the weak one to the stand of the strong one,
(as mentioned a page or two back,) and all bees that have marked the
location return to that place. The failure is, when too many leave the
strong stock, making that the weak one, when nothing is gained. If it
could be done when they had been out of the house just long enough for
the proper number to have marked the location, success would be quite
certain. But before an exchange of this kind is made, it would be well,
if possible; to ascertain what is the cause of a stock being weak; if
it is from the loss of a queen, (which is sometimes the case,) we only
make the matter worse by the operation. To ascertain whether the queen
be present, do not depend on the bees carrying in pollen; as most
writers assert they will not, when the queen is gone; because I have
_known_ them do it so many times without, that I can assure the reader
again, it is no test whatever. The test given in chapter III. page 73,
is always certain.