Thousands of bees recently swarmed a Canadian beekeeper’s shop in what she described as a chaotic “robbery attempt” for honey.
Robber bee behavior is common in late summer when nectar is scarce and colonies grow desperate. University of British Columbia researcher Alison McAfee compared the bees’ behavior to bears fattening up for winter, noting that if a colony is too weak, it can actually die from a robbery attack.
Christine McDonald, who runs Rushing River Apiaries in Terrace, British Columbia, said she was left panicked when “thousands and thousands of bees” poured into her indoor shop late last month. The invasion came during late summer, when food sources become scarce and so-called “robber bees” try to steal honey from weaker colonies.
Bees fail to rob McDonald’s apiary
Although she’s worked with bees for years, McDonald admitted the scale of the incident was overwhelming. The bees found their way in through cracks in an old bay door, and after one bee performed a “waggle dance” to signal the food source, the rest followed in droves.
The owner scrambled to protect her stock, throwing tarps and lids over equipment before coming up with an unusual solution: she sacrificed her bathroom. By leaving the light on, she managed to lure the bees inside, where she could safely collect and release them.
Even so, it took four to five days before the bees stopped returning. McDonald has since taped up the shop’s doors to prevent another incident, and most of her honey supply was saved.
Rushing River is now back to producing honey, though Christine admitted the unexpected raid was one of the most stressful moments she’s faced in her beekeeping career.
