Reduce risk of robbing
Robbing occurs when strong colonies raid weaker ones during nectar dearth, typically in late summer and early autumn. Prevention hinges on three core measures: maintaining a reduced entrance that guard bees can defend, ensuring colonies are of adequate strength, and avoiding exposure of honey, comb fragments, or sugar solutions near the apiary. All feeding should take place inside the hive and preferably in the evening when forager activity is low.
Synchronised feeding of all colonies in the apiary at the same time prevents scout bees from one colony discovering another colony's food source. Weak colonies unable to defend themselves should be merged with stronger ones or given an entrance reducer immediately. Removing any sources of strong sweet odours — spilled syrup, uncapped honey, wax residues — from around the apiary substantially reduces robbing risk.
Austria explicitly prohibits feeding honey outside the hive under section 5 of the Beekeeping Act (Bienenzuchtgesetz), recognising this as a primary robbing trigger with biosecurity implications. Greece provides the most detailed recognition protocol listing multiple behavioural signs of active robbing including zigzagging flight, fighting at the entrance, increased dead bees on the board, and greasy sticky entrance surfaces. Most other countries focus primarily on prevention rather than recognition.
Warnings: May depend on the regulations in force in the given country.
Please check out the B-THENET Platform for the Best Beekeeping Practices tailored to each country in the national language, co-developed with practicing beekeepers in the National B-THENET Centres of those countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden).
BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING
Ongoing | 2022-2026
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden