[b]How, Why did the bees eat 25 LBS of honey in 1.1/2 days?[/b]

[bees in gray]

Had about 25 lbs of honey in a shallow super Friday, all frames were at least 75% capped. I put the bee escape board under the super with triangle facing down, put the cover on and slid cover back to even block the inner cover vent. Saturday there were thousands of bees flying all around my 3 hives and robbing. Thousands of dead bees around my hives. Today, Sunday I go out to take my honey and the super was filled with bees and ALL the honey was eaten, ALL OF IT!!!
All I had to do is blow the bees out of the super with air on Friday?
Lesson learned!! Earlier in the season I had a super almost 1/2 full, went back to add a 2nd super a week later and all the honey was gone. What is going on?
   And one of my hives is has over wintered 4 years now and I have not got a single once of honey from it. I've requeened it last year. What am I doing wrong?

[kathyp]

1st thing...where are you?  you can put your location in your profile.

some years are bad.  last year and the year before i barely got enough honey for my own use.  this year was a bumper crop.

i'm not sure how your super got robbed out if you had it closed with the escape board on.  was the super off the hive?  there must have been a way for the robbers to get inside. maybe you can clarify that part?

[hankdog1]

you may also get more help if you have one of the moderators move your post to general beekeeping

[Scadsobees]

The bees only need a little hole to start the robbing.  The bee escape made it so the hive couldn't defend it against the bees getting in.  That would be my guess.  I use a combination of Bee-quick and a shop-vac blower to get the bees out.

As to the other honey....if they have a dearth, especially earlier in the summer, they will eat whatever they need to keep the brood alive.  Location can help pinpoint these problems as northern states won't have a problem as quickly with dearth early in the season.

[BeeHopper]

Yup, you was robbed, you see, bees are good it 

[bailey]

how do they eat 25 lbs of honey in 2 days?
with a big sweet tooth grin.
bailey

[hankdog1]

Bailey I'd end up in a diabetic coma if i ate that much honey in 2 days   

[bailey]

but there are a few thousand of them!