[BjornBee]

Bees generally go through a series of positions within the hive, such as nurse bee, guard bee, forage bee, etc.

Does anyone know if there is actually a "robber Bee" phase to a bee's life? Or is it an opportunity type thing. Or do bees actually leave a hive as a robber with the intentions of going after another hive?

I hear some say that one type or another is prone to robbing, which if true, would lend to believe that genetics may play a part. But I'm not sure if it's true, or just casual observations, that seemingly gets repeated.

Comments?

Thank you.

 

[Iddee]

Are you asking for opinions, or proven science???

My opinion is another hive that is assessable is just another food source. If one forager finds an easy way in, she will do the dance and take the others back.

The fact that their choice is [1] nectar, [2] sugar, [3] honey, in that order explains why it only happens during a dearth. Any hive will become robbers if that's the only food available.

It's just like cleaning out extracted frames when the supers are set out. They don't clean them well during a flow, like they will during a dearth.