Bee Robber Screen

thingiverse

This is my interpretation of a honeybee robber screen developed by Dr. Eric Mussen at UC Davis. I have found better robbing prevention success with a taller screen (6in) and more durability with a complete frame. Bees, especially in close proximity, will rob honey from weaker or smaller bee colonies when there is a nectar dearth and this screen drastically cuts down on such robbing. Researching honey bee robbing at UC Davis provides more information on how it works. To create a complete screen, two ends (sides), four bars (stiles), and two splines must be printed. Two bars and a spline make up a complete stile. The bars are designed so that they can be printed laying flat without supports for the spline cavities. The stiles can be assembled with or without glue. Attach points to sides can be glued and/or screwed/stapled together. One may want to place the screen on the beehive so that some minor adjustment can be made for hive width during assembly. A fine nylon or steel mesh must be glued or stapled to the outside of the robber screen body to allow airflow but no passage for bees. As a side benefit, the bars and sides can be printed in different colors to create a unique pattern for each hive allowing bees to imprint on the color/pattern combination to prevent "drifting". These screens can be used year-around but also can be removed during nectar flows. This particular screen fits an eight frame deep or medium hive body with base. I use a small lashing strap to hold the screen to the hive body, but it can be held in place with a small interference fit, screwed, or nailed. 3/20/19 Added 10 Frame stiles