Hello Jeff & All,

Robbing happens after a flow. Reduce entrances on weak hives and hope for
the best.

Combine weak hives also works.

Once robbing becomes the norm for an apiary stopping robbing is hard.

Open feeding:
Many thoughts around on open feeding. In your case the open feeding is like
a honey flow so takes the bees minds off robbing. Good idea and what I have
done for years in severe robbing situations (discovered after severe robbing
is the norm).


I have found when only *open* feeding a large number of hives the strongest
colonies get the lions share and the hives which need the feed the worse get
short changed.

I like to feed each hive with a feeder and only those which need feeding. In
my opinion well worth the labor cost.

I do like to open feed the last couple weeks before winter to cause italians
to plug the brood nest with honey shutting down egg laying of the queen.

Others may have different veiws as open feeding is common with commercial
beekeepers.

Bob

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