A little warning

[Thymallus]

One of my hives had adopted a mass defense policy of a ring of bees sat outside the entrance head butting wasps as they try to enter. Picture doesn't quite capture the ring. Entrance size now reduced to tunnel.

Interestingly the rest of the hives are not being subjected to the same level of attack and (currently) coping well.
Alas 2 small nucs moved to a beeless apiary (is there such a thing?) are suffering from wasps and I have closed them up with food. When to re-open is a question. Any thoughts on that?

 

[BeeJayBee]

Anywho... thoughts on the wasp guard?

I've never used one, but there was a thread about something similar which suggested the idea works ok.

edit
This thread has a similar picture, but it's short on discussion. I can't find the other one(s).
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=26098

 

[Fritillary]

Anyone had much experience of a device like this?

Well - I had something similar on my hive recently before I had to transfer the bees out completely for a while, since the wasps weren't baffled by it. I think it helps, and it seemed to work in a previous year, with a stronger colony - maybe that was the difference - and I've had them on other hives, but this time...

 

[retired bill]

Underfloor plan

View attachment UNDER FLOOR ENTRANCE copy (1).pdf

I hope this attachment works if so I made this underfloor entrance and it has worked for me.

bill

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

posts #8 to 10 as well