John Sewell asks:
> Why is robbing such a problem? ...
and the descrobes his observations to date regarding robbing:
> I have never observed any frenzied activity during or after this, only the
occasional bee
> getting chucked out of a hive that they're unwelcome in.
If you have not observed the frenzy, you haven't observed real robbing.
Entire yards can get into a fit when robbing gets going in ernest. Robbing
bees aren't nice to each other. Many bees die. Entire colonies (the ones
being robbed) can perish. It's not a pretty site.
And, robbing can get started in a yard and never be witnessed by the
beekeeper. Ever scrape off burr comb from top bars and leave it on the
ground? Then pack up and go home? Perhaps that could start a bout of
robbing that you never see because you're not there.
The best way to deal with robbing is to ensure that it never starts in the
first place.
Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!