The danger of alien bees attacking hives can arise in any apiary. Honey theft is observed more often due to limited resources, forcing bees to rob near and distant neighbors. Let's consider the danger of bees attacking a hive, what to do in this case, how to deal with theft in an apiary, what measures can be beneficial, and which are considered effective.
What are the consequences of bee theft for an apiary?
Hungry bees do not hesitate to steal all the honey and even bee bread from someone else’s hive without a trace if the owners cannot protect their home. If the attack is not stopped in time, it will be difficult to save the robbed family.
The bees and young animals that did not die in the fight are doomed to death from hunger. Naturally, the beekeeper also has nothing to count on; it will not be possible to collect honey from such a hive.
Evidence of attack
Some bees steal systematically, but usually they are provoked into stealing by inappropriate weather, cold, wet or too dry, when there is little pollen and nectar, and there is no bribe. In such cases, bees begin to look for non-standard food sources. The reason for the attacks may be that some unscrupulous beekeepers do not monitor the hives and leave gaps in them where other insects can penetrate. Thieves do not enter the houses from the main entrance, but look for a way to get into the hive through the gaps between the boards.
You can tell that there is a thief bee in front of you by its loud buzzing, zigzag flight, and the bee's search for cracks through which it can get inside. Flying out of the hive, she tries to fly low near the ground so as not to be noticed by her owners. A family of bees swarms above the house, trying to repel the attack. Dead bees can be seen near the hive.
How to deal with bee thieves
You need to deal with alien bees as soon as they are discovered. There are measures that give a good effect, they are used most often.
Standard events
If the hive is attacked, you should do the following:
- reduce the entrance to the house so that no more than two individuals can fit there at a time;
- cover the house with a canopy made of planks so that the entrance is invisible to other insects;
- close the cracks;
- check the condition of the queen; thieves attack the hive if the queen is weakened;
- move the houses to another place so that the insects are forced to look for them again;
- Douse the hive with water to remove the smell of honey.
Red light lantern
If the attack began due to the fault of the beekeeper who carried out the inspection, this method will help. Inspection and work with the hive should be carried out at night, illuminating the house with a lantern with a red lamp. Light with a red spectrum has a calming effect on insects; you can work without protection. During the day, it is better not to disturb the bee family, let them work and collect honey.
Using a regular straw
You can stop the attack in this way: close the entrance, leave in its place a tube with a diameter of 1 cm and a length of 3 cm.
The bees easily enter through the tube, but cannot get out, since the passage is blocked by other insects. In the evening the entrance is closed, by which time the thieves gather inside the hive. If the house is moved to another place, it will be easier for the bees to get rid of uninvited guests.
Salt
You can prevent an attack by sprinkling regular salt on the flying boards and roofs of the hives. Thieves will be afraid to land on them; they can be driven away or caught.
Other methods to combat bee theft
If you have established where the thieves are coming from, you need to open the lid of their hive. Instinct will force insects to return to their home in order, as it seems to them, to protect it from danger. The attack will stop quickly.
Unpleasant odors can repel bees just as well as salt. To do this, you need to smear the landing board with a strong-smelling substance - gasoline, diesel fuel. Bees can also be distracted using traps made from lightweight materials.A honey solution is poured into them, the smell of which causes insects to fly. You need to hang them somewhere away from the hives.
Preventive actions
Bees tend to rob weakened colonies, so you need to monitor the health of the queen and workers, and complete all required work on time. During the period when insects can attack each other, reduce the lumen of the entrance to the size of 1-3 bees. While working with the hive, when pumping it out, make sure that honey or other products, the smell of which will become a lure for strangers, do not get on the hive.
If honey accidentally gets on the boards, you need to wash it off with water. It is advisable to wash the equipment so that no traces of sweetness remain on it either. When working with frames, you should cover those that are not currently being processed with a cloth.
It is necessary to seal all the cracks, crevices, holes through which insects can crawl into a home that is not theirs. You need to work with the hive as quickly as possible to prevent thieves from noticing the open home. Do the work in the evening, when everyone is in place.
It is recommended to move the apiary from time to time to another place, preventing the insects from remembering the location of houses that are attractive to them.
Bee attacks on neighboring hives and theft of stored honey can happen in any apiary. The reason lies in bad weather or improper care of the apiary. In any case, you need to start solving the problem as soon as it appears. You can cope with an attack quickly if you take action. An unprotected family can be robbed in a matter of hours and be left with no means of livelihood. The beekeeper's loss will also consist in the fact that he can no longer expect honey from such a family. Thieves also stop collecting nectar in the hope of easy money.
