Robbers!

The second hive is progressing in much the same way as the first except that it's a bit quicker as we know the pitfalls to avoid. So this post is going back to visit the bees at the original hive.

We had been told Autumn had arrived but with the hot weather we've been experiencing in the South of England we hadn't believed it. Opening the hive last week we noticed that the bees had begun to move their stores of honey towards the brood chamber in preparation for winter. It was decided that it might be time to start feeding the bees.

A thick sugar syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 water) was made up this morning and poured into a chutney jar with a hole in the lid and a small piece of pipe. When tipped upside-down the syrup runs out for a moment until the pressure drops in the air gap and this holds the syrup in the jar. We decided to poke this (pipe only) through a hole that had been made in one of the bars earlier in the year, which the bees had recently closed up with propolis.

As the jar was turned upside-down a small amount of sugar syrup landed on the ground and just like a cat or dog a bee arrived to gobble it up. Once the bee had gone we wiped up the syrup so it didn't attract wasps and thought nothing more of it.

Returning to the hive a couple of hours later we noticed a Buckfast bee around the hive, thought nothing of it and noted that the bees had already taken some of the syrup - hungry bees!

Another two hours later and we noticed there were lots of bees at the entrance to the hive, several Buckfast bees and quite a few wasps. Checking in the books we realised what must have happened...because the sugar syrup was not immediately cleaned up, bees from other hives had been attacked to our hive. It is quite common for bees to try and rob other hives and this time it was ours that were under attack! Attacks can result in honey stores disappearing and bees being killed or starving through the winter. Over time the pheromones of the robbing bees can mix with those of the hive and they become accepted into the hive being attacked.

Apparently bees robbing the hive will climb up the side of the hive and when they take-off will initially dip down because of the weight of the honey. However, I'm not sure I could spot them from the other bees and even if I could - what could I do about it?

Another two hours later and all is quiet at the hive. The bees appear to have got rid of the robbers and settled down - horray for the hive!