Heads Up

[Monbees]

Just to say that we are getting reports that lots of wasp nests are still in their hunting phase. That being the case beekeepers need to be vigilant that 'wasp pressure' doesn't appear to have peaked yet and that vulnerable nucs need to be monitored closely.

Does anyone have experience of T****s new Wasp Out entrance block?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does anyone have experience of T****s new Wasp Out entrance block?

Do you mean Thorne’s?

 

[Monbees]

Do you mean Thorne’s?

Yes, l thought see weren't allowed to advertise!

 

[Millet]

Do you mean Thorne’s?

Even i knew that...lol.


















.

 

[philipm]

Yes it's just a piece of electrical trunking stuck on to an entrance block why not make your own.

 

[Karol]

No.
At the picnic table on the lawn in front of the house in the sunshine a ten minute walk from the hives. At the apiary the wasps are dissecting evicted drones in the grass. They already know there is food there.

Quantity, quality and type of the food makes a difference to the level of wasp recruitment. So individual drones scattered about are point sources of food that won't encourage 'swarm' feeding and what you'll see is individual wasps randomly patrolling for 'cast offs'. Residual protein foods that can't be manipulated by an individual wasp in one hit promote swarm feeding. Meat scraps and a pile of drone larvae fit that bill. Random individual wasps are far easier for hives to bat away than a potential swarm.

 

[ShinySideUp]

Does anyone have experience of T****s new Wasp Out entrance block?

Had a look at the video, the Wasp Out is a piece of cable trunking with holes drilled in it! Screwfix (for example) have it for £2.25 for 2 metres, bit of glue and a drill and Bob's your uncle.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Residual protein foods that can't be manipulated by an individual wasp in one hit promote swarm feeding. Meat scraps and a pile of drone larvae fit that bill. Random individual wasps are far easier for hives to bat away than a potential swarm.

As I said
It was well away from the hives and for my own amusement

 

[Apiarisnt]

Had a look at the video, the Wasp Out is a piece of cable trunking with holes drilled in it! Screwfix (for example) have it for £2.25 for 2 metres, bit of glue and a drill and Bob's your uncle.

Bought one, made three more. They work well against the wasps but you need to be take them off from time to time to allow the bees easier clearing out. Judging by the number of dead drones they hauled out of one hive when I removed the block, I got the impression they had started knocking them off inside the hive.

 

[XYZ]

Saw two wasps walk into a small nuc of mine on one beespace... Thing is, it's a nuc I made up to introduce a bought-in queen.

Two wasps in around a minute, feels like it may be too late but if there's any advice on how to stop them I'm all ears.

 

[citrus]

Bought one, made three more. They work well against the wasps but you need to be take them off from time to time to allow the bees easier clearing out. Judging by the number of dead drones they hauled out of one hive when I removed the block, I got the impression they had started knocking them off inside the hive.

how do you fit them to a paynes poly hive tho ?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Saw two wasps walk into a small nuc of mine on one beespace... Thing is, it's a nuc I made up to introduce a bought-in queen.

Two wasps in around a minute, feels like it may be too late but if there's any advice on how to stop them I'm all ears.

Nucs shouldn’t be small this time of year
Three frames of brood preferably at least one emerging and a few frames of nurse bees shaken in. If it’s stuffed with bees it will cope. If it’s not it won’t

 

[XYZ]

Nucs shouldn’t be small this time of year
Three frames of brood preferably at least one emerging and a few frames of nurse bees shaken in. If it’s stuffed with bees it will cope. If it’s not it won’t

Cheers Dani - As the queen has been in the cage at the top of the frames since last night what moves would you advise now? Adding another frame of brood and shaking some more bees in?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Cheers Dani - As the queen has been in the cage at the top of the frames since last night what moves would you advise now? Adding another frame of brood and shaking some more bees in?

Yes just take her out put her in your pocket add more bees wait fifteen minutes or so then pop her back and start your three day count again
That’s what I would do
Somebody else might have a better idea

 

[SDM]

I'd just add another frame of emerging brood( maybe a 2nd once that ones empty) so there's no need to restart the 3 days, the sooner they're queenright, the sooner they'll mount a better defense against the wasps

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'd just add another frame of emerging brood( maybe a 2nd once that ones empty) so there's no need to restart the 3 days, the sooner they're queenright, the sooner they'll mount a better defense against the wasps

Im a great fan of push in cages too

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not the best frame but enough to give you an idea
A frame of emerging brood. Eggs in the middle old brood with some bees emerging round it younger brood on the periphery

 

[Beefriendly]

Are the wasps causing a problem inside the hive?
Seeing a couple enter and having a wasp problem are totally different issues. I often find one or two knocking about even in my strongest hives.
If 100's you may need to take action, if only a couple don't worry too much.
You could turn that entrance block over to the 4 bee space spacer and put some cable conduit entrance over it to stop the wasps getting in.
Very similar to the Thornes one shown here.

 

[XYZ]

Im a great fan of push in cages too

I have a push in cage but opted not to use it thus far... Is that your go-to method?

Are the wasps causing a problem inside the hive?
Seeing a couple enter and having a wasp problem are totally different issues. I often find one or two knocking about even in my strongest hives.
If 100's you may need to take action, if only a couple don't worry too much.
You could turn that entrance block over to the 4 bee space spacer and put some cable conduit entrance over it to stop the wasps getting in.
Very similar to the Thornes one shown here.

I could do that. I think I have some conduit kicking about.

Not the best frame but enough to give you an idea
A frame of emerging brood. Eggs in the middle old brood with some bees emerging round it younger brood on the periphery

I should have some like that in the hive I split from. Will have a look tonight.

Thanks everyone I appreciate it. The wasps got in and weren't kicked out while I was there, so just wondering if that was happening at around 7am, are they getting busier as the day goes on?

 

[Beefriendly]

if that was happening at around 7am, are they getting busier as the day goes on?

Wasp fly much earlier than bees. If you have stream of wasps entering during the day you need to look out.