What is the theft of bees and how to fight it?
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Theft bees: methods of control
Theft bees: danger and how to fight it?
About, how to deal with the theft of bees almost every beekeeper knows firsthand, because it is a fairly common problem, which can meet the beekeeper regardless of seniority and experience classes.
In order to exclude the possibility of such problems in your apiary, carefully watch families.
This is especially true at a time, when no bees are busy and they have nowhere to gather nectar.
Often the theft bee seen in spring, has not yet begun a good stable medosbor.
But, there are cases of theft of honey bees and early fall, weak when the family can not counter the threat.
How dangerous theft?
When the dangerous time, bee-thief by any means try to get into their second hive: through the cracks, eye or in any other way.
How dangerous stealing bees
first, what do they do – is to get rid of cancer, since when it becomes, family simply stop resisting threatened.
It was after, kill a thief uterus, they can enjoy plenty of the fruits of their labor: make ambrosia, copper, and sometimes even destroy brood.
Bees, left without a uterus and feed for the winter, trying to find a new residence – family.
If this fails, they also begin to robber's life and steal supplies in other hives, bringing in their.
Bee theft scared by the fact, what, rozkravshy one or two hive, Bees do not stop, gradually stir covers the entire apiary, and often more than one, gradually moving to neighboring lands.
Read: Frames for beehives: sizes for different.
The causes of bee zlodiysta
If the beekeeper does not solve the question as to, what to do in the apiary, then stealing the bees simply destroy it bee lands, as gradually spreading from hive to hive it is now all the family.
Those, Survivors will tend to fly or find another place with food.
First you must avoid factors, which can trigger the beginning theft:
- weak medosbor;
- rejection of any measures to protect the weakest families in their own apiary;
- heredity, ie bees, you, perhaps, sheltered or purchased, just used to look for food so;
- wide open notch too much space in the hive while, when there is no process of collecting honey;
- hystkist construction of hives: many cracks, clearance;
- nearby is apiary, where many hundreds of unprotected honey, feeding, etc.;
- beekeeper spends feeding during a summer bee.
There can trigger the process of theft is too hot weather even during a gathering honey.
So, hives so much heat, honey fragrance spreads throughout the area, a thief flying at him, as honey plant.
How to understand, that your apiary bees began stealing?
To start, take a look carefully to their hives, by the summer of bees.
Thief fairly easy to find, since it does not fly on a flat trajectory, and winding and very much abuzz, as if actively collecting pollen.
When she flies the nest, the, looking up from the board prylitnoyi, immediately goes down rapidly and then begins to pick up speed and altitude.
If you can catch this bee, you can push some to her belly.
If you see, proboscis with honey or nectar secreted, then you are on the right track and caught rozbiynytsyu.
Approaching to hive, bees thief is not trying to get there through the main letok, because they are afraid to meet with residents of the nest and protection.
First they fly around, looking for holes, cracks and gaps and, if they are, it crawls through them.
Most thievish bees differ in appearance: smoother, with a predominance of black in color.
If during the inspection of hives the beekeeper notices, one that bees are actively prylitnu rush to board, going to club, the, probably, they were attacked by thief.
Also, sign theft is considered a large number of bees around the hive, pierce sting.
Another sign robbed the hive during the collection of honey is considered a strong decrease in activity of the bees, responsible for collecting honey, their transition to defensive positions and too many deaths of individuals in the nest.
If at the time you open the hive robbery, everything rozbiynytsi abruptly buzzed as high as possible and try to fly the nest.
They do not react to smoke and can not sting.
In the event, when your apiary celebrated mass theft process, it will lead to a noticeable loss, as honey in the comb is wort, waste of wax is too much, brood , usually, not formed or die in the attacks.
Among other things, a transition to the weak side of bees "crime": they just fly away from their nests, joining a criminal gang for attacks on other hives.
Read more: Beekeeping for Beginners – how to start an apiary.
How to deal with the theft of bees: prevention
Of course, better to prevent theft, than to fight his removal, and neutralization of consequences.
so, if a period, which the bees store honey has stopped due to lack of honey plants, Follow these rules and you will not terrible crime bee:
Do not open the eye too often, certainly not leave it open for a long time.
Fighting theft of bees
Work with your hives only late in the evening or at night.
If you notice signs of the presence of the apiary zlodiyok, then stop all work and carry them away.
Continuing after working with bees, or when their conduct carefully wash all equipment and tools, and hands, thus getting rid of the smell of honey.
Overview hives (if it is really necessary) should pass quickly.
Use a wet cloth when working with hives.
If you cover them beyond, which at a particular moment not working, Thieving bees do not sit on it, because they do not like.
When you want to open the hive, then it should narrow to letok – it will most efficiently defend the residents of proof.
By following these simple rules, You can not worry about, that your apiary bees zavedutsya thief and you have not the question that, how to deal with them.
But, now that fact bee crime took place to be, must quickly react and try to restore the original state.
Read: How to prepare bees for wintering outdoors.
How to recover after the theft bdzholosimyu?
The beekeeper needs to know, that if every bee has experienced a stressful situation, related to the fact of theft, it is not the end.
Little of, which should help the bees to restore strength and balance in the nest, so also prevent repeat attacks, what will happen.
Bees, involved in theft, Returning back to the nest, specific dance dance, which makes it clear to others, that is near honey plant and its sure to visit.
So, with each successive raid will be more hrabizhnyts.
First of all, once found, that the hive robbers got into the habit, family should redirect to another location.
You can prepare a special fertilizer as 3 liters of sugar syrup or to the bottom of the hive pour sawdust, which interrupt odors.
Read more: As winter bees in the hive
If you zlodiyok frozen in the act, then close the eye.
This uncomplicated action will clog alien bees in the nest, so your family will be able to compete for their stocks.
It is also necessary to take water and spray the outside of the hive – it should knock and remove a strong honey scent.
Then open eye at that distance, that he could fly with only one bee.
The rest is covered bar. Bee-hostess in the hive fly without problems even in a narrow gap, but not the local insect, probably, No.
Experienced beekeepers recommend to deal with the facts of theft through various mazes, which cover the entrance pupil.
So, bees can only move one by one.
But, those, living in the hive, navchatsyaya quickly and will move right, Unlike those, who came to enjoy meeting other people and pick up supplies to his home.
There are more radical methods of struggle and tricks, allowing to forget about the theft of bees in his apiary.
So, There is a special case in the form of a skeleton, which stretched polyethylene.
Before hive inspection, tent placed over it and beekeeper, thereby preventing infiltration of outsiders in the hive.
Remember to constantly strengthen our families. So they can protect themselves and their food from strangers.
If notice, No nest in the uterus or it is very weak, immediately take steps to update and its pidsadzhenni.
If you notice bees fight, then obsypte of flour, Observe the way and then departure thieves gang.
Hive, which they returned, should be treated with smoke. Bees will protect yourself and your food.
So, they just forget theft.
Some beekeepers have resorted to fraudulent methods: replace the beehive, that was attacked, blank.
Arriving robbers will think again, honey over and stop fly.
