ROBBING IN THE APIARY 167 



of sweetness is likely to crawl up the hive a little way 

 so as to have the advantage of a high place to "jump 

 from'^ as it takes wing. The virtuous worker comes 

 out of the hive slim and depleted of her load and 

 flies off leisurely to the field, while the robber comes 

 out stuffed full and furtively climbs up the side of the 

 hive in order to be able to be off. 



We usually detect robbing in our apiary by the 

 fighting which we observe about the entrance; when 

 we see a pair of workers rolling over and over with 

 each other in the grass near the hive we know that 

 one of them is a robber, but as we do not know 

 which one we are obliged to apply the test meted to 

 the knights of old, and believe that the one who 

 survives is in the right. However, we take measures 

 at once to defend this hive. Also if we discover the 

 bees to be particularly cross some day, we look about 

 to see what has aroused their ire, and nine times out 

 of ten find that robbing is the cause of their ill 

 temper. 



HOW TO STOP ROBBING 



Contract the entrance to the hive being robbed. 

 To do this we place blocks in front of it, leaving only 

 enough space so that one or two bees can pass in at 

 a time. The robbers having to enter in single file 

 attract the attention of the suspicious sentinels and 

 are either driven back or killed at once. It is unsafe 

 to close the entrance entirely, unless it is done with a 

 wire screen, for the bees within will smother unless 

 the air is admitted through the entrance. It is 



