ROBBERY. 
37 
the whole hive and the grass. Robbers will hesitate to light 
on the wet hive or wade through the wet grass, while the 
bees in the hive will find their way out and in. 
Some persons have told me that when they had a hive at- 
tacked, they have carried it first to one side of the house and 
then to another to evade the robber, but still they took it 1 
Of course they took it ; that was made doubly certain by the 
moving. Every time the hive was moved a great many bees 
would leave and return to the old stand and be lost, thus 
weakening it until ruin was certain ; because the robbers 
would be sure to find them in a very few minutes if left any- 
where in the vicinity. 
Persons frequently lament to me, that their neighbors’ bees 
attacked and destroyed one, two, or three of their best colo- 
nies. It is not agreeable to have to dispute honest people’s 
words, yet I always doubt such reports. There is no doubt 
that thby were robbed, but that they were their best. It is 
probable that at some previous time they had been their best, 
but they had' either swarmed almost all their bees away, or 
were queenless, or by some other means were rendered un- 
thrifty, and became an easy prey to robbers, which only an- 
ticipated their destruction by moth, for such families will gen- 
erally perish by some means if not helped. The bee-keeper 
in such cases generally sees a good many bees about the en- 
trance, and is thereby deceived, supposing there are also a 
proportionate number inside. 
HOW TO DETECT liOBBERS. 
When a colony is seen going out and in late in the even- 
ing, after others have ceased to labor, I suspect either that it 
is robbing or being robbed. If on examination those coming 
out appear to be full and rather clumsy in taking flight, my 
doubts of their honesty become strong, and I feel myself jus- 
tified in arresting a few of them on suspicion ; and if on tear- 
ing them open their honey-sack proves to be gorged with hon- 
ey, I consider this circumstantial evidence sufficient, and con- 
demn them accordingly. 
Then, to detect the headquarters of the olan, sprinkle the 
bees as they come out with flour, and notice if any of the 
other hives have white bees entering them. If not, you ma y 
conclude they belong elsewhere. 
