When forage is scarce in the field, bees belonging to different colonies often wage fierce wars over the stores already in hives. Thousands are killed and the victors relentlessly carry off as booty every drop of honey from the vanquished hive, leaving its bees to starve miserably. A great stir and loud buzzing in the hive of the conquerors attests their rejoicing over the ill-gotten gains. Nor have they any code of morals which inclines them to select as opponents forces equal in strength to their own. With them "all's fair in war." Their only object is plunder, and they therefore select the most defenseless, a colony disorganized through loss of its queen being an especial mark for a combined attack. Extreme caution to prevent robbing is always advisable. A little carelessness or neglect in the apiary early in the spring or toward the latter part of the season may result in much loss. It is easier to prevent robbing than to check it at once or without loss after it is well under way. Leaving honey exposed about the apiary often induces robbers to begin their work; hence extracting and similar work must be done in bee-proof rooms whenever the bees are not gathering honey freely. It may at such times be necessary to do all manipulating early in the morning, before many of the bees have begun to fly, or later in the day, after they have ceased, or even under a tent made of mosquito netting and placed temporarily over the hive to be manipulated. Queenless and weak colonies should be put in order if possible before the honey flow ceases. In any event the entrances of such hives should be contracted until but few or even no more than one bee can gain access to the interior at one time. Professor Cheshire has devised an excellent entrance block to prevent or check robbing. This is shown in fig. 70, and is so simple that anyone can make it. When contracted and placed at the hive entrance it will be seen that the robbers must make their way through a narrow and bent passage, something they are loath to attempt, especially if at the first onset they find the passage well guarded. [Illustration: Fig. 76.--Cheshire anti-robbing entrance: _st_, stationary piece; _s_, slide; _p_, pin or stop. (Redrawn.)]