Honeybee Robbing

While working in the bee yard I managed to get side tracked on another hive and left a few frames laying exposed, one with honey. When there is a natural flow of plants and trees producing nectar this would not be a problem. Bee prefer nectar (fresh food) over honey (preserved food). We have been pretty fortunate this season as we have had regular rain periods. However we have entered a dearth now and there is little nectar available. This causes what beekeepers call "robbing" where stronger hives will target weaker hives and raid their honey stores. Of course leaving a frame of honey out in the open can cause robbing within minutes. I took the following video to give you an idea of the frenzy involved when the robbing instinct takes over. The video has not been sped up and the last portion shows that once the frenzy starts it continues long after the cause has been removed. You will see the bees still fighting over remnants that may be left on the ground 20 minutes after the frame was removed.