Attack of bees on the hive: what to do and methods of combating theft, how to prevent

The danger of an attack by alien bees on the hives can occur in any apiary. The theft of honey is observed more often due to limited resources, forcing bees to rob near and distant neighbors. Consider what is the danger of a bee attack on a hive, what to do in this case, how to deal with theft in the apiary, what measures can be beneficial, which are considered effective.

What threatens the theft of bees in the apiary?

Hungry bees do not hesitate to steal all the honey and even bee bread from someone else's hive if the owners cannot protect their home. If the attack is not stopped in time, it will be difficult to save the robbed family.

Bees and young that do not die in the fight are doomed to starvation. Naturally, the beekeeper also has nothing to rely on, it will not be possible to collect honey from such a hive.

Evidence of attack

Some bees steal systematically, but usually bad weather provokes them to steal, cold, wet or too dry, when pollen and nectar are scarce and there is no bribe. In such cases, the 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, leaving gaps in them where foreign insects can penetrate. The 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 determine that a thief bee is in front of you by a loud buzz, zigzag flight, a bee looking for cracks through which it can get inside. Departing from the hive, she tries to fly low near the ground so as not to be noticed by the owners.A family of bees swarms over the house, trying to repel the attack. Dead bees can be seen near the hive.

How to deal with thieving bees

You need to fight alien bees as soon as they were discovered. There are activities that give a good effect, they are used most often.

Standard Events

If the hive is attacked, do the following:

• reduce the entrance to the house so that no more than two individuals can fit there at the same time;
• cover the house with a visor of boards so that the entrance is invisible to foreign insects;
• close slots;
• check the condition of the uterus, thieves attack the hive if the uterus is weakened;
• move the houses to another place so that the insects are forced to look for them again;
• pour water over the hive to wash away the smell of honey.

Events to be held in spring and autumn, during the period of the greatest activity of thieves.

Red Lantern Light

If the attack started due to the fault of the beekeeper who conducted 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, collect honey.

Using a regular straw

You can also 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 they cannot get out, because the passage is closed by other insects. In the evening, the notch is closed, by this 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.

Table s alt

You can prevent an attack if you pour ordinary s alt on the arrival boards and the 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 it is established where the thieves come from, you need to open the lid of their hive. The instinct will make the insects return to their home, in order, as they think, to protect it from danger. The attack will stop quickly.

Unpleasant odors can scare away bees no worse than s alt.To do this, you need to smear the arrival board with a strongly smelling substance - gasoline, diesel fuel. You can distract the bees with the help of traps that are made from lightweight materials. A honey solution is poured into them, on the smell of which insects fly. You need to hang them somewhere away from the beehives.

Prevention measures

Bees tend to rob weakened colonies, so you need to monitor the he alth of the uterus, working individuals, and do all the necessary work on time. During the period when insects can attack each other, reduce the gap of the notch to the size of 1-3 bees. While working with the hive, when pumping out, make sure that honey or other products do not get on the house, the smell of which will become bait for strangers.

If honey accidentally gets on the boards, you need to rinse with water. It is advisable to wash the inventory so that there are no traces of sweetness on it either. When working with frames, cover those that are not currently being processed with a cloth.

It is necessary to close up all the cracks, cracks, holes through which insects can crawl into a home that is not their own. You need to work with the hive as quickly as possible to prevent thieves from noticing an open dwelling. Do work in the evening when everyone is in their places.

It is recommended to move the apiary from time to time to another place, preventing insects from remembering the location of attractive houses for them.

Bees attacking neighboring hives and stealing 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. An attack can be de alt with quickly if you take action. An unprotected family can be robbed in a matter of hours and leave no means of subsistence. The loss of the beekeeper will also consist in the fact that honey from such a family is no longer to be expected.The thieves also stop collecting nectar in the hope of making easy money.

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