MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

THOUSAND ANSWERS 205Generally robbing is owing to some carelessness on the part ofthe beekeeper, and prevention is better than cure,Q. (a) Last summer I cut a bee-tree and secured a fine swarmof Italians, with a fine-looking queen. I put it in an 8-frame hive,and in a few weeks examined it, and it had six frames of cappedbrood, and the other two frames very nearly full. In a few daysI noticed the bees dragging out their young, and every morningthe ground would be covered with young bees not large enoughto fly. I opened the hive and found they were tearing the combsto pieces and had nearly all the brood out of the combs. Thequeen was still in the hive and seemed to be in good condition. Ina few weeks more I opened the hive again, and found only ahandful of bees—queen and bees had disappeared. They werewithin a few feet of the kitchen door, and I do not think theycould have left without some of us hearing them. Can you tell mewhat was the matter?(b)^ Do you think it will be safe for me to use these frames ofcomb in another colony this spring?A. (a) I don't know. The only way I can account for thecombs being torn is that robbers did it. They might also drag outthe young bees, leaving the queen, at least for a time. Yet itseems very strange that a colony strong enough to have sixbrood-combs should have been overcome by robbers. Perhapsthey were starving.(b) If my guess is right that the combs were torn up by robbers,then it will be safe to use them again.Q. I have read in the bee journals about bees that seemed determinedto rob, and if any of them are that way probably I havesome of that stock. I would be glad if you can tell me where Ican get a stock that is not inclined to rob.A. It is possible that there may be a strain of bees naturallygiven to robbing; yet you will find that all bees are inclined thatv/ay when opportunity offers at a time when nothing is to be hadip the field. Please understand that bees have no morals, andwhen they can't get honey from the fields it seems entirely honestto get it from some other hive if they can, and you will probablyfind that the better they are at gathering from the field thebetter they are at robbing if they turn in that direction. Whenrobbing occurs, it is not generally because the bees are such badrobbers, but because the beekeeper has done some fool thing toexpose a weak colony and start robbing. Keep colonies alwaysstrong and avoid the start. Bees that have once engaged in robbingare the more inclined to begin another time, but it is nottrue to say of them, "Once a robber always a robber."