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Robbed out hive #920154

Asked October 17, 2025, 3:20 PM EDT

I have a 10 frame hive that has no honey in it. I’m assuming it was robbed. I have another 10 and an 8 that have lots of honey. Is it ok this time of year to steal from those hives and put frames of honey in the robbed out hive. There are still quite a lot of bees in the hive and i have been feeding also. I really would like to save this hive if I can. Thank you

Ottawa County Michigan

Expert Response

Thank you for reaching out with this beekeeping question!

Yes, you can move honey from your other hives to the hive that was robbed out. I would just caution you to not move too much honey and risk the other colonies starving. Colonies tend to cluster low in the hive and them move up, so I'd arrange honey frames so that each hive has a top box full of honey.

Oftentimes colonies that are robbed out have underlying issues that make it difficult for them to protect their food stores, such as disease, queenlessness, etc. We also see colonies get robbed out if they were left open by the beekeeper (for an inspection, etc.) at a time of year when bees were prone to robbing.

It makes sense to feed now. Bees may still take, store, and dry sugar syrup as long as daytime temperatures are warm. You can feed winter patties, sugar, or candy/fondant in the winter. You may want to use robbing screens to prevent further robbing.

Happy beekeeping!

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