Robbing
Encyclopedia
Robbing is a term used in beekeeping
. Bees from one beehive
will try to rob honey from another hive. Robbing behavior is especially strong when there is little nectar in the field. Strong colonies with the largest stores are the most apt to prey upon weaker colonies. Some robbing is carried out so secretly that it escapes notice. Most of the time, when robbing is going on, one can see bees from the opposing hives fight. The fights can lead to significant losses of bees. Robbing may go on between hives in one apiary
or hives of different apiaries.
Among the races of the Western honeybee the Italian bee
has been identified with an especially strong tendency to rob.
Robbing can be prevented by reducing the entrances of the hive so the attacked hive has a better chance of defending itself. Bees are immediately attracted when a hive is opened and honey super
s are removed.
In the US South, robbing is an archaic term for removing honey. Beekeepers do not actually "rob" bees in modern times, but "harvest a surplus." Some historical methods of bee "keeping" actually were bee "robbing" in that hives were killed for harvest. As recently as the 1940s Southern beekeepers would "sulphur" hives to take honey. This killed the hives and required bee "keepers" to catch spring swarms to replenish their livestock. In some extreme latitudes bees are still killed at the end of the season to take all their honey, then bees are imported from lower latitudes (or even the opposite hemisphere) to begin the next season, but this practice is also dying out, mostly due to expense and movement restrictions.
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
. Bees from one beehive
Beehive (beekeeping)
A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus Apis live and raise their young. Natural beehives are naturally occurring structures occupied by honeybee colonies, while domesticated honeybees live in man-made beehives, often in an apiary. These man-made...
will try to rob honey from another hive. Robbing behavior is especially strong when there is little nectar in the field. Strong colonies with the largest stores are the most apt to prey upon weaker colonies. Some robbing is carried out so secretly that it escapes notice. Most of the time, when robbing is going on, one can see bees from the opposing hives fight. The fights can lead to significant losses of bees. Robbing may go on between hives in one apiary
Apiary
An apiary is a place where beehives of honey bees are kept. Traditionally beekeepers paid land rent in honey for the use of small parcels. Some farmers will provide free apiary sites, because they need pollination, and farmers who need many hives often pay for them to be moved to the crops when...
or hives of different apiaries.
Among the races of the Western honeybee the Italian bee
Italian bee
Apis mellifera ligustica is the Italian bee which is a sub-species of the western honey bee .- Origin :The Italian honey bee is thought to originate from the continental part of Italy, South of the Alps, and North of Sicily...
has been identified with an especially strong tendency to rob.
Robbing can be prevented by reducing the entrances of the hive so the attacked hive has a better chance of defending itself. Bees are immediately attracted when a hive is opened and honey super
Honey super
A honey super is a part of a commercial beehive that is used to collect honey. The most common variety is the super with a depth of 6⅝ inches in the length and width dimensions of a Langstroth hive....
s are removed.
In the US South, robbing is an archaic term for removing honey. Beekeepers do not actually "rob" bees in modern times, but "harvest a surplus." Some historical methods of bee "keeping" actually were bee "robbing" in that hives were killed for harvest. As recently as the 1940s Southern beekeepers would "sulphur" hives to take honey. This killed the hives and required bee "keepers" to catch spring swarms to replenish their livestock. In some extreme latitudes bees are still killed at the end of the season to take all their honey, then bees are imported from lower latitudes (or even the opposite hemisphere) to begin the next season, but this practice is also dying out, mostly due to expense and movement restrictions.