Identifying Robbing Behavior

Many new beekeepers often wonder if their hive is being robbed.  Often times, it is actually an orientation flight (which I most often observe around 4:00 pm).  In this video, you can see actual robbing behavior.  Note the massive amount of bees going into the nuc and not orienting (doing figure eights).  Bees leaving the nuc are also climbing up before taking off (because they are loaded with honey/nectar).  Also observe the bees on the grass in front of the nuc.  Other signs include bees fighting in front of the entrance and a large amount of wax cappings in front of the entrance.  You can also see in this video bees attempting to enter the hive through a small gap in the cover.  Robbing often starts this way.  As I pan to the right, you will see a hive that the day before experienced robbing.  With this hive I installed a robbing screen and it quickly put an end to the robbing. My friend Ron made this screen for me because, as he puts it, my robbing screens are shameful.  For those wondering, the nuc being robbed is a laying worker nuc (queen failed and I missed it) that I had not yet shaken out.  I don't try to save laying worker hives - it is not worth the time.