Raids by rival hives aren’t rare after a dry, hot summer, but Christine McDonald was surprised to find her store besieged
A Canadian beekeeper has described fending off thousands of “robber bees” as they raided her shop in a brazen attempt to steal honey.
Christine McDonald, who owns Rushing River Apiaries in the British Columbia city of Terrace, said she entered her shop to find it overrun by the swarm.
“I think that’s the most panicked I have felt … There’s thousands of bees, I don’t know where they’re coming from, and I need to protect all of the honey,” she told CBC News.
Raids of rival hives are common after hot, dry summers, when a “nectar gap” emerges between spring blooms and autumn flowers. Larger bee colonies also need more food to collect and store.
