BBKA news June 2017

[Gilberdyke John]

The postman brought my copy today. The standard of contributions seems to be noticeably higher than some of the previous issues. However I did notice a paragraph on wasps page 185. Forum members would perhaps compare the article to the knowledge about wasp activity which Karol dispensed in this forum?

 

[Erichalfbee]

The postman brought my copy today. The standard of contributions seems to be noticeably higher than some of the previous issues. However I did notice a paragraph on wasps page 185. Forum members would perhaps compare the article to the knowledge about wasp activity which Karol dispensed in this forum?

Not a member. What does it say please?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Not a member. What does it say please?

In summary, beware the number of queens that have successfully established nests. Suggestion of getting traps out now.

If they are the ubiquitous low efficiency traps they could easily have quite the opposite effect to that desired

Also suggests check traps often to avoid harming beneficial insect population.

It seems to suggest the bbka thinks wasps aren't beneficial even during the protein hunting stage.

 

[Anduril]

Not a member, anything about Asian hornets?

 

[Erichalfbee]

In summary, beware the number of queens that have successfully established nests. Suggestion of getting traps out now.

If they are the ubiquitous low efficiency traps they could easily have quite the opposite effect to that desired

Also suggests check traps often to avoid harming beneficial insect population.

It seems to suggest the bbka thinks wasps aren't beneficial even during the protein hunting stage.

Thanks. A lot of us here do heed Karol advice. Thank heavens he was here when we needed him.

 

[Flabellum]

The postman brought my copy today. The standard of contributions seems to be noticeably higher than some of the previous issues. However I did notice a paragraph on wasps page 185. Forum members would perhaps compare the article to the knowledge about wasp activity which Karol dispensed in this forum?

This being the guy who reckons a nest eats an improbable 3 tons of insects per year?....and advises not killing queen wasps in spring but will then se you an expensive wasp trap for when they become a problem.......hummmmm.

 

[pargyle]

This being the guy who reckons a nest eats an improbable 3 tons of insects per year?....and advises not killing queen wasps in spring but will then se you an expensive wasp trap for when they become a problem.......hummmmm.

You could not be further from the truth ... Karol is one of the good guys with an incredible knowledge of wasps and their behaviour ... he was hounded out of the forum by people like you who just don't get it. Best spend some time reading Karol's legacy of posts and knowledge on here before posting a trashy post that, frankly, I really didn't want to reiterate.

 

[Millet]

You could not be further from the truth ... Karol is one of the good guys with an incredible knowledge of wasps and their behaviour ... he was hounded out of the forum by people like you who just don't get it. Best spend some time reading Karol's legacy of posts and knowledge on here before posting a trashy post that, frankly, I really didn't want to reiterate.

I 100% Agree with you there, if it was not for Karol's in depth advice and PM's which he did not have to send i would probably be in a different situation now, i may well have lost my first colony to wasp and i would have continued doing what i used to do and splat every wasp i seen, i am now into my third season with wasp safe entrance blocks and i no longer kill wasps for fun, i just let them get on with it and i only place a trap out at the back end of the year if i notice a increase around the hives, i probably do not need to put a trap there but i do just to be on the safe side.

 

[GaryB]

I 100% Agree with you there, if it was not for Karol's in depth advice and PM's which he did not have to send i would probably be in a different situation now, i may well have lost my first colony to wasp and i would have continued doing what i used to do and splat every wasp i seen, i am now into my third season with wasp safe entrance blocks and i no longer kill wasps for fun, i just let them get on with it and i only place a trap out at the back end of the year if i notice a increase around the hives, i probably do not need to put a trap there but i do just to be on the safe side.

 

[Flabellum]

Read up about social insects like wasps for yourselves to discover the depth you have been hoodwinked. Those of you who are able to of course.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Not a member, anything about Asian hornets?

There's always something about Asian Hornets!
Best source of up to date info in a fast moving situation following a sighting is in this forum.

 

[domino]

I'm too lazy to hate people on the Internet.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

This being the guy who reckons a nest eats an improbable 3 tons of insects per year?....and advises not killing queen wasps in spring but will then se you an expensive wasp trap for when they become a problem.......hummmmm.

I confess to a degree of cynicism about the actual weight of insects consumed by a nest but with any source of information I analyse what i read and filter before accepting. As one part of a wide ranging topic it doesn't make the whole invalid.
Karols contribution has been gratefully received regarding the behaviour of wasps, their foraging patterns, navigational skills and accuracy. Also the human health risks to be borne in mind if stung by wasps. (compare the risks from bee stings)
The benefit they provide in the overall eco system should be balanced against the nuisance to humans (and bees) when the grubs they spend their time feeding protein no longer require the protein and the sugar foraging begins.
You can, with ingenuity and a bit of effort, make your own high efficiency trap if cost is your overriding concern. Alternatively you can set up a perimiter line of el-cheapo traps far out from your hives which in conjunction with destruction of a few obvious nearby nests works for me.
It just seems to escape a lot of people that parking in or next to an apiary any fruity or sugary liquid containing traps (which some wasps escape from and take the location back to their nest mates who will come along in droves to sample) isn't a wise move

 

[Erichalfbee]

Read up about social insects like wasps for yourselves to discover the depth you have been hoodwinked. Those of you who are able to of course.

I presume, then, that you are sufficiently knowledgable to give us advice regarding protecting our colonies. I, for one, am keen to hear

 

[Anduril]

The terminology is incorrect, wasps are semi-social insects.

 

[masterBK]

It is always wise to be cautious believing everything a person says who may be trying to sell something. Much of what Karol wrote was indeed good verifiable stuff but there were some aspects of it that I was sceptical about.

Anduril : I think the correct term is actually Eusocial (a term invented by Suzanne Batra in 1966 and expanded by Charles Michener and Edward Wilson)

 

[Anduril]

It is always wise to be cautious believing everything a person says who may be trying to sell something. Much of what Karol wrote was indeed good verifiable stuff but there were some aspects of it that I was sceptical about.

Anduril : I think the correct term is actually Eusocial (a term invented by Suzanne Batra in 1966 and expanded by Charles Michener and Edward Wilson)

I was thinking of the terminology, solitary, semi-social and social.

 

[Flabellum]

The terminology is incorrect, wasps are semi-social insects.

Sorry Anduril, the term social is correct (solitary wasps excepted) and as Master Beekeeper has pointed out the term I could also have used is eusocial.

 

[Flabellum]

I presume, then, that you are sufficiently knowledgable to give us advice regarding protecting our colonies. I, for one, am keen to hear

Keeping strong colonies stops wasps opportunistic scavenging. Defining a strong colony might be a root problem.

 

[Anduril]

Sorry Anduril, the term social is correct (solitary wasps excepted) and as Master Beekeeper has pointed out the term I could also have used is eusocial.

Solitary as in solitary bees, semi-social as in wasps and bumble bees, the queen is the only surviver and hibernates over the winter. Social as in honeybees, workers and queen survive in cluster and continue as a flowing river. Eusocial which include ants, honeybees, wasps and bumble bees where they cooperate within the hive.