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Absconded and robbed out hive

  • 30 Sep 2024 4:34 PM
    Message # 13413895

    I opened the hive yesterday to remove the Formic pro pads I treated with 2 weeks earlier and with the intent to start feeding and was sad to find an empty hive.  There were about 50 bees and a few yellow jackets working the empty, chewed out frames.  My assumption was that the majority of the robbing happened after they already absconded, but the question remains, why did they leave?  

    Anyone want to speculate if the Formic pro treatment can trigger this? (entrance reducer was removed, slight crack of the cover, temperature window was obeyed).

    Or was it the robbing pressure?  I just don't have a sense of how heavy that has to be to cause them to vacate.  I've been noticing a few yellow jacket-bee battles at the entrance, but no frenzy.  I had never seen any yellow jackets actually in the hive (until post absconding).

    Hive was a first year from a nuc: two deeps- bottom one full and second one about 3/4 of the way full of honey.  

    Thanks for any advice or opinions!  

    Nicole

  • 4 Oct 2024 1:07 PM
    Reply # 13415734 on 13413895
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Hard to say after the fact as timing can provide clues.

    Formic has been known to kill or drive out queens. (my first thought)

    A lack of dead mites in the bottom would reduce mites as a cause.

    Bees are ruthless this time of year, any weak hive WILL be robbed out. A weak hive will not battle the insurgents.

    A true ROBBING event would leave lots of dead bees from the carnage, so the lack of a large number of dead in the hive would eliminate that.

    They may have swarmed and failed to re-queen (very likely)

    Last modified: 4 Oct 2024 1:13 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
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