Glossary
A temporary screen attachment placed over the hive entrance that confuses robber bees while allowing resident bees (who learn the alternate entry path) to enter and exit freely. Robbing screens are used during nectar dearths when stronger colonies attempt to steal honey from weaker ones.
During nectar dearths, when flowers stop producing nectar and foragers have nothing to collect, strong colonies may resort to robbing: sending waves of foragers to steal honey from weaker neighboring colonies. A colony under sustained robbing attack can be stripped of its entire honey stores in hours, leaving it to starve. Robbing screens exploit a behavioral difference between residents and robbers to solve this problem.
The screen covers the hive entrance, blocking the direct path inside. An alternate entrance (typically a small opening at the top or side of the screen) provides access for bees who learn its location. Resident bees, who return to the hive dozens of times daily, quickly learn the new entry point. Robber bees, who are visiting for the first time, fly directly to the blocked entrance and cannot find the alternate route. They bounce off the screen repeatedly, eventually giving up and returning to their own hive.
Install a robbing screen at the first signs of robbing behavior: intense bee activity at the entrance (far more bees than normal, with fighting), bees circling and probing every crack in the hive, and dead bees on the landing board from guard-robber fights. In areas with predictable nectar dearths, proactive installation before robbing begins is even better. In Florida, late summer and early fall (between the palmetto and Brazilian pepper blooms) is peak robbing season.
Signs of robbing include: frenzied activity at the entrance far exceeding normal traffic, bees fighting on the landing board, bees probing cracks and seams of the hive looking for alternate entries, a sudden increase in dead bees at the entrance, and yellow jackets or wasps joining the attacking force. Inside, rapid depletion of honey stores confirms the diagnosis.
Entrance reduction helps, but a robbing screen is more effective. Entrance reducers narrow the opening but robbers can still find and enter it. A robbing screen completely blocks the visible entrance and provides a hidden alternate route that only residents learn.
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