Guard Bees

[EdNewman]

Hi All,
how obvious and active should guard bees be?

The reason I ask is that I'm getting a fair few wasps hanging around the hive now. I think they are still after protein as they haven't tried getting into the hive, but there is no sign of any guard bees at the entrance of the hive (and this is a fairly strong hive).

I was under the impression that guard bees check everything coming into the hive?

Ed.

 

[xgeordie]

My guard bees are bloody useless as well. Put some wasp traps out.

 

[Gardenbees]

They vary a lot! One of my hives has guard bees that gang up on wasps in twos and threes, overpowering them at the entrance and dropping to the floor, battling with them to see who can get the first sting in. The other strong hive has guards that fly around above the entrance and hit wasps from above, like hawks, knocking them onto the ground. My third colony seem to let absolutely anyone through the entrance without even noticing them, so I keep their entrance as small as possible. They seem to do OK, but I wouldn't hold out much hope for them in a really bad wasp attack.

 

[Swarm]

Watched a guard bee in one of my nucs single handedly keeping around half a dozen wasps out. She worked her socks off.

 

[madasafish]

I have one hive entrance two bee widths. patrolled by 3 gaurd bees outside. Other hives with entrance 3 x as wide and not a guard bee to be seen.

Wasps around but at present more interested in raspberries 10 metres away. Wasp trap (with raspberries) has only caught two so far but the fox knocked it over so had to refill and the fruit is not quite ripe.. needs a week to rot and smell and then we'll see some corpses.. I hope.

 

[circe]

Last year I had a colony that would ball up over the entrance when the wasps were about - didn't ever see any make it in - although there were corpses of wasps on the ground outside..... I also think that alighting boards make it easier for wasps to sneak in...

 

[beeatshellards]

MY GUARDS HAVE BEEN THROUGH TRAINING SCHOOL. THEY TAKE NO PRISONERS AND DO A FINE JOB OF KEEPING ALL THE UNWANTEDS OUT

 

[russw]

try putting your finger at the enterance, you'll soon find out how good your guard bee are.

 

[psafloyd]

MY GUARDS HAVE BEEN THROUGH TRAINING SCHOOL. THEY TAKE NO PRISONERS AND DO A FINE JOB OF KEEPING ALL THE UNWANTEDS OUT

Including you?

 

[beeatshellards]

yep! including me too

 

[Birnambeekeeper]

I put out wine bottles with sugar syrup at the bottom and they can most be filled! I've never found a wasp actually in the hive during an inspection but have found bumble bees on several occasions and the bees have seemed uninterested in them

 

[xgeordie]

Having spoken to the bees, I would like to retract an earlier statement that my guard bees are "bloody useless". They now seem to have got the message and I've also seen them carrying out the bodies of dead wasps....but I'm still going to try some of that rat glue.

 

[bump3r67]

My guard bees are too busy chasing me to be bothered with wasps.
Lips just starting to go down lol

 

[bluesman]

gaurds

my got bees are good too on the two hives sas trained

 

[EdNewman]

Having spoken to the bees, I would like to retract an earlier statement that my guard bees are "bloody useless". They now seem to have got the message and I've also seen them carrying out the bodies of dead wasps....but I'm still going to try some of that rat glue.

Still can't see any guard bees, but they are there and working. Two dead wasps on the landing board last night.

Time to reduce the entrance I guess.

Ed.

 

[Luminos]

Is the type of bee a factor here?