THOUSAND ANSWERS 205 



Generally robbing is owing to some carelessness on the part of 

 the beekeeper, and prevention is better than cure, 



Q. (a) Last summer I cut a bee-tree and secured a fine swarm 

 of Italians, with a fine-looking queen. I put it in an 8-frame hive, 

 and in a few weeks examined it, and it had six frames of capped 

 brood, and the other two frames very nearly full. In a few days 

 I noticed the bees dragging out their young, and every morning 

 the ground would be covered with young bees not large enough 

 to fly. I opened the hive and found they were tearing the combs 

 to pieces and had nearly all the brood out of the combs. The 

 queen was still in the hive and seemed to be in good condition. In 

 a few weeks more I opened the hive again, and found only a 

 handful of bees — queen and bees had disappeared. They were 

 within a few feet of the kitchen door, and I do not think they 

 could have left without some of us hearing them. Can you tell me 

 what was the matter? 



(b)^ Do you think it will be safe for me to use these frames of 

 comb in another colony this spring? 



A. (a) I don't know. The only way I can account for the 

 combs being torn is that robbers did it. They might also drag out 

 the young bees, leaving the queen, at least for a time. Yet it 

 seems very strange that a colony strong enough to have six 

 brood-combs should have been overcome by robbers. Perhaps 

 they were starving. 



(b) If my guess is right that the combs were torn up by rob- 

 bers, then it will be safe to use them again. 



Q. I have read in the bee journals about bees that seemed de- 

 termined to rob, and if any of them are that way probably I have 

 some of that stock. I would be glad if you can tell me where I 

 can get a stock that is not inclined to rob. 



A. It is possible that there may be a strain of bees naturally 

 given to robbing; yet you will find that all bees are inclined that 

 v/ay when opportunity offers at a time when nothing is to be had 

 ip the field. Please understand that bees have no morals, and 

 when they can't get honey from the fields it seems entirely hon- 

 est to get it from some other hive if they can, and you will prob- 

 ably find that the better they are at gathering from the field the 

 better they are at robbing if they turn in that direction. When 

 robbing occurs, it is not generally because the bees are such bad 

 robbers, but because the beekeeper has done some fool thing to 

 expose a weak colony and start robbing. Keep colonies always 

 strong and avoid the start. Bees that have once engaged in rob- 

 bing are the more inclined to begin another time, but it is not 

 true to say of them, "Once a robber always a robber." 



