As long as there is enough food around provided by nature, bees most likely won’t trigger their robbing instincts.
This means you can safely leave the frames outside after honey extraction without worrying too much about a frenzy breaking out among your bees.
The Robbing Instinct in Bees
Bees are opportunistic creatures, and when food becomes scarce, they can turn to rob other weaker hives and start a small war between colonies.
This usually happens when nectar flows are low, and the bees are desperate to find additional resources to sustain the colony.
Why Natural Abundance Keeps Robbing at Bay
When nature is generous and provides ample sources of nectar and pollen, bees are content to forage as usual and ignore any other food sources.
This natural abundance keeps the robbing instinct in check, allowing beekeepers to manage their hives with less concern about triggering a robbing event.
Leaving Frames Outside After Extraction
After extracting honey, it’s common to leave the frames outside for a while so that bees can clean them up.
As long as there’s plenty of food available in the environment, this practice is generally safe.
The bees will happily gather the leftover honey without becoming aggressive or attempting to rob neighboring hives.
Here are a few tips:
Choose the Right Time: Make sure the surrounding area is still in a strong nectar flow.
Monitor Bee Activity: Keep an eye on how your bees are behaving.
If you notice an unusual amount of activity or aggression around the frames, it might be best to bring them back inside.
Spread the Frames Out: By spacing out the frames, you reduce the likelihood of a large number of bees congregating in one area, which can sometimes lead to more aggressive behavior.
Close to Home: Leave the frames near the hive but not directly in front of it.
This helps the bees focus on cleaning up rather than feeling the need to defend the hive.
When to Be Cautious
While leaving frames out is often safe during times of plenty, it’s important to recognize when conditions might change.
If a sudden shift in weather or a drop in nectar availability occurs, the robbing instinct could kick in faster than you can imagine.
In these cases, removing the frames promptly is best to avoid any issues.
