Robber Bee Screen

[dmiller]

I purchased a robber bee screen from Brushy Mountain and put it in place yesterday. The top (secret) hole is open. Should I open the larger hole at the bottom from time to time? The bees seem disoriented due to the new screen. I suppose they will figure this out soon enough. Will robber bees figure out there is a secret entrance as well? Should we open the lower entrace if robbers are not present? Do we keep this lower entrance closed until November? This did not come with instructions nor intent of use. Maybe someone who has used the robber screens before could give me a few pointers on it's best use.

Thanks, Dmiller

[Jacobs]

I use the same style screens and have devised my own usage scheme. I will leave all doors open if I install the screen when there is no robbing going on. If I put a screen on after a robbing incident has started, I will start with the top door open and the bottom doors closed. If I have time to stay around, I will open the bottom doors for about a minute from time to time to let robbers out and then close the bottom doors. My thinking is that this will let the robbers out, but not give them time to go back to their hives and bring back additional robbers to enter the opened bottom doors. If I have time, I will do this open/close routine a few times. This will reduce the number of robbers trapped in the hive and reduce the numbers of bees that wind up dead in the bottom of the hive from ongoing fighting.

The only time I have seen robber bees discover the hidden door is when robbing has been so intense that the robbers cover the entire screen including the top and just stumble onto the upper door. If it looks like robbing is getting this intense, I will close up the top door as well and apply my Vap-o-Rub around the robber screen edges to throw a confusing scent into the air. The Vap-o-Rub does seem to slow intense robbing when applied.

[dmiller]

Hey Thanks, I'll give your suggestions a try.

[jpcows]

I have been having problems with robber bees but I did not have time to order a screen. I found this link and tried it. It works well.
http://www.colonialbeekeepers.com/index ... &Itemid=43

[Wally]

Here's mine...


http://www.beekeepingforums.com/threads ... ing-screen