Bait hive - unexpected occupant

[MJBee]

For the 5th year running my bait hive has attracted a swarm. I wasn't expecting this one as the day before it arrived was awful - thunder, torrential rain and hail 43mm in all , accompanied by squally wind. The day it arrived dawned fine with a light breeze and they had just moved in when the thunderstorms returned.

I had a look at them today to replace the starter strip frames with full frames of foundation. There was a European hornet floating about but I thought she was hunting stray bees - wrong - she had been evicted from the bait hive by the swarm

 

[Erichalfbee]

What a beautiful thing

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Error

 

[Tom Bick]

Lovely photo and interesting that the swarm kicked out the hornet. I had a queen wasp sniffing round my bait hive this year and was in a dilemma what to do but in the end blocked the entrance for a few hours to encourage her to go elsewhere and find a more appropriate location.

 

[MJBee]

There are about 12 cells in the nest at least 6 have eggs so she was just getting started. I'm not sure that the "starter strip" would support a full sized hornets nest so the bees may have saved heart ache of a collapsed nest later.