Bad Year For Jaspers

[WalnutTreeBees]

Many spiders do not like to tackle wasps or bees but them big garden spiders and house spiders have more gut's..

Saw a big black spider take out a wasp inside my shed the other day. Wasp was caught in the spider's web by the window, spider rushed in and appeared to bite the wasp, then backed off a few cm to watch as the wasp became immobile/died. It was really quite amazing how effectively the spider was able to dispatch it - there was a brief moment where I almost felt a bit sorry for the wasp, then I remembered that it was a wasp...

 

[citrus]

what is this wasp doing then ?

Went to petworth house yesterday (national trust)

Lovely red plant was getting mobbed by wasps ..

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SR9q2biTnAeuMTT38

are they after aphids or the plant ?

think the national trust need to be more proactive about wasp management tho as it was wasp alley near the entrance !

 

[Erichalfbee]

Went to petworth house yesterday (national trust)

Lovely red plant was getting mobbed by wasps ..

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SR9q2biTnAeuMTT38

are they after aphids or the plant ?

think the national trust need to be more proactive about wasp management tho as it was wasp alley near the entrance !

Is that a Persicaria?

 

[Karol]

<snip>
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SR9q2biTnAeuMTT38

are they after aphids or the plant ?

<snip> !

After nectar. Wasps are an important pollinator obviously not in the same league as honeybees but still ahead of bumbles once they go into their sweet feeding phase.

 

[hrferrier]

I had an awful time with wasps last year. One of my hives was decimated we tried everything to save it. Even my strong hives were being completely ambushed. One the wasps realized there was food more and more came and there was no stopping them.

I did my research and discovered this method of making a defend able entrance. (not my blog) I used a plastic take away tubs and drawing pins to make my porches and I credit them with saving my other hives. I hope this helps other beeks as it was devastating to watch.

https://beebedlam.co.uk/2016/08/

 

[Beefriendly]

Nice neat solution. Well done.
You might want to look up Millet's tunnel entrances, a bit moire complex to make but they also do the trick when wasps become more than a nuisance.
Also underfloor entrances cut down incursions.

 

[Karol]

I had an awful time with wasps last year. One of my hives was decimated we tried everything to save it. Even my strong hives were being completely ambushed. One the wasps realized there was food more and more came and there was no stopping them.

I did my research and discovered this method of making a defend able entrance. (not my blog) I used a plastic take away tubs and drawing pins to make my porches and I credit them with saving my other hives. I hope this helps other beeks as it was devastating to watch.

https://beebedlam.co.uk/2016/08/

I notice from your site that you used home made pop bottle traps. These cause more of a problem around hives because they attract more wasps than they kill.

https://tinyurl.com/y436po8j

 

[gmonag]

I installed a Waspbane last week, upwind of the hives and it has trapped mostly flies and moths as well as wasps. Normal, or I am doing somethong wrong?

No wasps bothering the hives though, so I am well pleased.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I installed a Waspbane last week, upwind of the hives and it has trapped mostly flies and moths as well as wasps. Normal, or I am doing somethong wrong?

No wasps bothering the hives though, so I am well pleased.

Normal
But your trap should be downwind

 

[gmonag]

Yes downwind - senile moment!

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Is that a Persicaria?

Yes. A proper good one too.

 

[Millet]

Nice neat solution. Well done.
You might want to look up Millet's tunnel entrances, a bit moire complex to make but they also do the trick when wasps become more than a nuisance.
Also underfloor entrances cut down incursions.

That little solution is a waste of time..Wasps hawk around and around and again till they find a weakness..then they will be in..these tunnels surely stick the little Devils on the back burner ..

 

[Antipodes]

When I started watching the test at Edgbaston, I thought they were bees hanging around the pitch, but no, it was wasps. Perhaps they were attracted to the sweat odours? I've never seen it before in the Ashes. They kept having to stop play.

https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/news/edgbaston_wasps_aleem_dar_england_australia.html

 

[Karol]

As a child I remember summers' constantly plagued by wasps. Interestingly I saw a flock of sparrows for the first time since I can remember and loads of butterflies and bumbles this year and insect strikes on the car are visibly up on previous years. Shouldn't say it, but it does in my mind correlate to declining use of neonics.

 

[mbc]

As a child I remember summers' constantly plagued by wasps. Interestingly I saw a flock of sparrows for the first time since I can remember and loads of butterflies and bumbles this year and insect strikes on the car are visibly up on previous years. Shouldn't say it, but it does in my mind correlate to declining use of neonics.

Or could be due to global warming

 

[Karol]

Weather patterns certainly affect vespinae populations from one year to the next but global warming if it is happening would suppress vespinae populations (the type of wasps we have) in favour of polistes populations (paper wasps like you find around the med). Polistes are far more numerous than velutina yet we haven't heard of a single incursion into the UK. Global warming wouldn't explain why vespinae populations were more numerous prior to 2000 when global temperatures were supposedly cooler!

 

[Beefriendly]

Or could be due to global warming

Or simply last years exceptionally warm summer followed by a very mild winter allowing an excess number of queen wasps to survive. I have never seen nor killed as many queen wasps as I did this spring.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Cracking summer last year and mild winter to follow. I think I’ve seen two wasps round the bees and n’er a queen killed all spring.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Cracking summer last year and mild winter to follow. I think I’ve seen two wasps round the bees and n’er a queen killed all spring.

same here - saw plenty of queens but no wasps plagueing the bees

 

[Karol]

Or simply last years exceptionally warm summer followed by a very mild winter allowing an excess number of queen wasps to survive. I have never seen nor killed as many queen wasps as I did this spring.

Mild winters tend to suppress queen survival. Wasps prefer harsh winters which keep them in suspended animation until spring breaks with nectar flows. Mild winters take queen wasps out of hibernation prematurely and they starve once they have consumed their fat bodies.