ARGGGHHHHH.......these damned wasps!

[Rosti]

Originally Posted by Hombre
Now how to ensure that the inner surface of say a three or four inch length of this material is sufficiently rough to give the bees purchase, or is there no need for that due to the dimensions?

I've done this on my Miller feeders. Coat surface with waterproof PVA - generous coating, then sprinkle sand over the lot and compress into the surface, leave to dry 12 h +, brush off, works a treat. R

 

[Hombre]

Rosti, you are a mind reader? I was primarily in Wickes thinking about turning a plastic box into a miller feeder and the twin wall polycarbonate seemed to be an answer.
Good also if it was considered to instrument a hive with a number of cheap photo transistor beam break circuits.
Thanks.

 

[oliver90owner]

WPC,

You were right, your frames are the cold way. Did you turn the brood box round?

Are the wasps still getting in?

It is nearly two clear days since I last gave some advice. If they are still getting in, I would think you are close to losing, or have already lost this particular battle with those wasps.

What is the up-date? How is the other of the weaker pair managing?

Regards, RAB

 

[Hawklord]

Your frames are warm way. Put the frames with brood/bees up to the entrance that way the bees will be closer to brood and entrance without being divided.

Must have been a senior moment.

You were right the frames are cold way. If I were you I'd run them warm way and make sure the frames with bees on are close to the entrance rather than the back wall or middle of the brood chamber.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Hi,

Yes, I turned the boxes so that the brood frames were aligned with the entrances and so that the main bulk of the brood was up against the 'front door'. The frame feeders are situated against the back wall now.

They appear to be coping a little better - the wasp traps (converted 2 litre bottle traps) are being emptied daily and I have located a nest in the ground some 30 yards away, which I am about to deal with (got a slight issue with getting permission from the landowner whose land it is situated on.....they're a bit 'knit your own yoghurt' about killing animals and insects!).

I've been slightly side-tracked by a strong nuc that I bought and picked up about 10 days ago SWARMING this morning, which certainly took me by surprise......I'm running out of kit fast and have learnt that it always pays to keep a spare brood box, roof, floor and made-up frames handy!

What a year..............!

WPC,

You were right, your frames are the cold way. Did you turn the brood box round?

Are the wasps still getting in?

It is nearly two clear days since I last gave some advice. If they are still getting in, I would think you are close to losing, or have already lost this particular battle with those wasps.

What is the up-date? How is the other of the weaker pair managing?

Regards, RAB

 

[wbchive]

Hi,
(got a slight issue with getting permission from the landowner whose land it is situated on.....they're a bit 'knit your own yoghurt' about killing animals and insects!).

Bribe them with some honey. If you don't have any get down to Asda for some cheap stuff and soak the label off. Even Hippies have their price.

Steve

 

[buzzy bee]

Hi

I hate these wasps too, there are alot of them around, there must be so many nest around, and they must be big this year!

What benifit does the Wasp (by wasp I mean the wasp that is ticking us all off, I know there are lots of different ones!) have in this world!

I would exterminate them if I could!

Cheers

Dave

 

[oliver90owner]

White Park Cattle,

I've been slightly side-tracked by a strong nuc that I bought and picked up about 10 days ago SWARMING this morning,

Got the swarm? Clear out the queen cells, return the queen to the nuc hive and dump those excess bees in with your problem colony. Icing sugar or flour to unite quickly. Watch out for a further robbing problem with the feeder in the weak hive, but a thought to be going on with.....

buzzy bee and other newbies,

What benifit does the Wasp... have in this world!

They scavenge all sorts of things. Clean up dead bees around the hives. They will kill insects or larvea and use them as meat for their larvae. They eat aphids and other insect nuisances.

Generally do good and no bother to bees until about mid July onwards - unless a nest is close to a hive and the bee colony is not too strong.

They then try to scavenge what is not theirs, as their nest is expanding rapidly and other sources of food are inadequate. If they can get it, they are the benefactors, bees are the vanquished. Normal survival of the fittest really.

A strong colony with only one reasonably sized entrance is easily master of the wasps. If they get in, they either are chased out or carried out. Weaker colonies are fair game and probably would not have survived the winter anyway in the wild.

Perhaps the successful wasp attacks on our hives should be telling us something?

I will not have a weak nucleus late in the season. It has to be built up strong enough to resist the jaspers. OK, we help our bees. Judicious frame swapping from stronger colonies (in good health), feeding to encourage egg laying, good queens, moving colonies near to nectar flows, closing down entrances, etc, etc.

I would anticipate that those of us who have kept bees for several years do not view the wasp quite as nastily as the newer starters. Ok, I do not particularly like them around my colonies, but I know how to deal with them now (yes, I did have wasp problems in my early beekeeping seasons and have learned from that experience) - let the bees sort them out!

Wasp trapping is not the best solution - but it helps, and makes the beekeeeper feel better. Strong colonies are the solution every time!

Sorry, but it comes back to the fact that beekeeping with only one or two hives is more difficult than with a few more. But you have to start somewhere.....

Regards, RAB

 

[Haughton Honey]

Good advice RAB. Thank you.

Regarding the judicious adding of frames from stronger colonies, what is your preferred method of doing this?

Regards

WPC

 

[oliver90owner]

Bees or just frames?

Frames? - hatching brood. Just put them in the brood nest generally.

Bees? - I thought I said above for this instance. There are several methods which can be employed but in this case it needs to be quick, by the sounds of things. Icing sugar or flour seems to me to suit the time and urgency of this particular situation. If you don't want to risk them going back to their old hive and/or risk robbing, move the bees to another apiary.

If they are bees from another colony (hive box) - positively locate the queen before making a calamitous mistake (especially at this time of the year).

Watch out for your nuc, if you are pinching bees from that - it may succumb to wasp attack if you are not careful.

Regards, RAB

 

[bobandbec]

When adding bees you can spray them with hand held sprayer containing "flavoured" water, then shake them in from the top. Done this earlier today to a nuc under attack. Also decided to close the entrance for 24hrs with feed on. Use young bees to shake in if possible.

Peter

 

[Haughton Honey]

Thanks Peter - I will try this technique later today as things need a good sorting out!

When adding bees you can spray them with hand held sprayer containing "flavoured" water, then shake them in from the top. Done this earlier today to a nuc under attack. Also decided to close the entrance for 24hrs with feed on. Use young bees to shake in if possible.

Peter