BEE MANUAL, 255) 
had been obtained from a neighbouring cordial factory. Captain 
Moore informed me that Mr. Koefoed, of tomato sauce fame, 
told him he lost on one occasion several pounds of tomato sauce 
that he had forgotten to cover up, thanks to the robber bees. 
“Robbers” will at this time be found visiting all the hives 
in the neighbourhood, flying round the covers and joints, trying, 
like burglars, to effect an entrance without being seen by the 
inmates. If, in these expeditions, they should come across a 
weak hive, they are bold enough to go in by the entrance door. 
Tf one bee should be fortunate enough to get away witha 
pilfered load, he will soon be back with some more of his hive 
companions ; and this will go on systematically until in the 
end the hive is emptied of its honey, leaving the inmates in a 
starving condition. In most cases these villains will commit 
murder ; they will find the queen and kill her, and while the 
colony is, in consequence, in a demoralised state, “do a good 
business ” in their nefarious practices. They also exert an evil 
influence over the inmates of the robbed hive ; for these will 
sometimes join with the robbers, and help to steal their own 
stores, leaving their old home to take up their quarters with 
the plunderers. 
HOW TO KNOW ROBBER BEES. 
It is rather difficult at first for the inexperienced to detect 
robber bees approaching a hive, but by careful observation one 
may soon become familiar with them. A robber bee, instead 
of alighting at once at the entrance, will fly and “ dodge” 
about, making now and then a feint to settle ; but should one 
of the sentinel bees at the entrance approach her, she at once 
starts back, as it were, out of the sentinel’s range. If she finds 
the entrance too well guarded, she will try to find some other 
plage to enter, hovering about the sides and back of the hives, 
and examining the joints of the floor-board, super, and cover, 
which the proper inhabitants of the hive would not be likely 
to do. Should there be reason to suspect that robbing has 
been started in any particular hive—and sometimes it is not 
easy to detect it at first—watch the bees as they come out of 
the hive; and if they appear to be loaded (which can be seen 
by the increased size of their abdomen), and find it difficult to 
rise and fly away, you may be certain that they are robbers. 
To find out which hive—if in your own apiary—the robbers 
