ROBBING.
LOSS of stocks by robbing shows carelessness, or a lack of knowledge
as to the proper care of bees. Not one strong, healthy stock of bees
in a thousand will be robbed, if proper precaution is taken. During a
copious yield of honey there is very little danger of robbing. When
there is a slack in the yield, the bees will search about for plunder,
and if a weak stock is found, they will be very likely to attack it.
It is the duty of every intelligent bee-keeper to know the exact
condition of his stocks at all times, and if from any cause he has a
weak stock, be sure to ascertain the cause of their weakness, and if
they are healthy stocks, contract the entrances, in accordance with the
number of bees to pass. But if they are found to be diseased, remove
them. The bee, like the human race, is much better able to defend
itself against the attacks of an enemy when there is but one avenue of
approach, than if there are several.
No refuse honey should be placed in the open air, accessible to all
the bees alike, as this would be very likely to create a desire for
plunder, and incite robbing.
Never, when a stock is being robbed, change it from one stand to
another a few rods distant, to prevent robbing; for this is a very
great injury to the stock, as all the bees that have marked the
location (at the season when robbing will most likely occur,) will
return to the old stand, and be lost. The best remedy, or rather
preventative against robbing, is to contract the entrances to the
hive. After bees have once commenced robbing, and have been successful
in capturing and plundering one stock, they will, as soon as they
have secured the honey from that one, attack some other with great
impetuosity. Success in plundering renders them very courageous; but if
you have contracted the entrances as directed, they will be very likely
to meet their match, and learn a good lesson. A little punishment is
necessary to teach them their proper place.
I knew one of these old wise-heads--such a one as spoken of in the
chapter on "Swarming and Hiving"--to use his familiar logic: "What he
didn't know about bees wasn't worth knowing. He didn't want any book
larnin' to know how to keep bees; he had allers kept 'em, and his
father before him." Well, this Mr. Wiseman found, or thought he had
found, that his neighbor's bees were robbing his stocks. "Zounds!" says
he, "I'll fix 'em!" So he goes early in the morning, before the bees
are flying, and confines his stock, which he thought was being robbed,
by nailing a piece of board closely over each entrance to the hive, so
no bees could pass in or out. About sunrise; or a little later, the
robber bees begin to collect on the front of his hive, seeking to gain
access. He waits until a quart or more have collected, and then he
takes two or three quarts of boiling water, and dashes it upon them.
This he continues through that day, and the next, at intervals, as
often as there are any bees collected on the front of his hive. During
this time he has killed more than _a half bushel of bees_. The third
day he opens his hive, but to his great surprise, _no bees appear_, and
on examination he finds the bees all dead. They had _suffocated_. Want
of air, and the boiling water upon the hive, had destroyed them. And to
crown all, and make his loss still more severe, he found it was his
own bees that were engaged in plundering his stock, and his neighbor's
bees had nothing to do with it. The vast number of bees slaughtered
with the hot water, so reduced in numbers several of his stocks, that
they never recovered, but fell prey to the moth miller that season.
And that was the way he "fixed 'em." There are so many whims and false
notions about bees, that great care should be exercised in adopting
plans recommended by inexperienced bee keepers, or that class who claim
to know everything about bees, yet by their practice show that they
know very little.
There is one other plan, aside from contracting the entrance, which
will prove successful, but which is a little more trouble to apply. If
you find a stock is being robbed, look them over, and be sure that they
have a fertile, healthy queen. If the queen is found to be all right,
but with few bees, take from this hive two comb frames filled with
comb, _with no eggs or brood_, and go to a populous stock, and exchange
these two combs for two others filled with brood. Select such as have
most of the brood sealed over, as you want that which will hatch the
quickest. Put these two combs in the hive that is being robbed, fasten
up the stock by putting wire cloth over the entrances, giving them air
yet preventing the passage of bees.[7]
[Footnote 7: It is well to confine the bees when a large number of
robbers are inside--a larger number if possible than the swarm itself,
for, being confined a few days, they will make that hive their home,
and aid in defending its stores against other robbers with as much
energy as the bees of the original swarm.]
When you put in the two frames with brood, if you find but little
honey in the hive--not enough to last the bees a month or more--put in
one frame containing honey. Put on the feeder and carry the hive to
a dark and quiet room, and fill the feeder with _pure, soft water_.
Let the bees remain in this room four days; then about one hour before
sunset, set them on the old stand, giving them their liberty, with the
entrances to the hive contracted--the lower entrance closed entirely,
and the upper one half closed. Intelligent bee keepers will readily
understand why this plan should prove a success:--First, the bees
that hatch from the brood comb given the weak stock, will be a great
encouragement to the few bees in the hive; and in a _very few days_
they will aid in defending the hive against the attacks of robbers.
Again--removing the hive from the stand seems to disorganize the
robbers, for after they have visited the stand for several days, and
find no plunder, they will give up the search in that direction.
Before taking the trouble to remove a hive as here directed, care
should be taken to be _certain_ that the bees are being robbed. You
can be sure whether it is your own bees or others that are robbing, by
sprinkling them with flour as they come from the hive which you suspect
is being robbed, and watching your other hives, to see if those you
have marked enter them, being very careful that you are not deceived by
the dust from some species of blossoms, which adheres to the body of
the bee, and might be mistaken for the flour.
Bees when plundering a stock will often keep at their work until dark,
some of them being unable to find their hive by reason of the darkness.
Honest workers are not found abroad at that time, and, by the way, this
is a very good test of robbing. In concluding this chapter, I advise
again: _Know the condition of your stocks at all times._ If any have
too few bees, contract the entrances in accordance with that number of
bees to pass. Preventative is much better than cure in this case.