HELP - Hornets

[madasafish]

I see no problems in killing wasps at this time of year.
They are doing no good and doing a lot of harm. The queens have all left their nests..

In reality I could kill thousand now and have zero effect on next year's population..And we all could..

So making a fuss about it - and stopping it all - will make zero difference..

It's people who kill aphids in spring /summer we should be complaining about

 

[user 819]

As I see it if one has a wasp issue then the yes trap by all means, same with a nest if it is causing an issue.
If I don't put a trap out then they don't turn up in great numbers or appear routinely, all a trap full of dead wasps tell me is that I have lured them to it by the 100's/1000's. It doesn't tell me that they are being a nuisance to my colonies or are likely to be. I judge probably like many as to whether entrances/ hives are being un-indated.
A nuc I watched the other day has a bee space entrance and yes I saw a wasp enter and it came out, I placed a glass sheet up against the front. The bees took a few minutes to figure it out and since then I haven't noticed any more wasps getting in. The nuc is only small with 3 frames of bees but it is alive and well with no signs of fighting inside.

 

[madasafish]

The wasps here are in great numbers and very hungry. The tunnel entrances, conduit entrances and glass fronts are solved by the local wasps in less than 10 minutes..

The only solution is a narrow entrance AND a strong colony coupled with underfloor entrances..at least for the numbers of wasps we have..


Of course, I might be breeding super intelligent wasps (as well as pesticide resistant varroa

 

[Swarm]

Seen the same, wasps working out any entrance mod in no time at all. One nuc so hammered I moved it and same again. Decided it was better to save the queen by giving her to a local beekeeper who had a failing queen and was going to do a unite.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Happily, so far my wasps seem particularly thick or cowardly and don’t storm the tunnels.

I’m concerned though, that there will be a dearth of fruit for the wasps (it all seems early this year) and things will get more challenging through September & October.

 

[madasafish]

I have tried destroying hive and wasp scents by spraying neat vinegar on an affected nuc.

Too soon to say if it works...but it smells like a chip shop...

 

[ericbeaumont]

Sorry to tell you but if someone wants to steal from me or harm my friends ( the bees) they are going to get it. No emotion.

A strange and disturbing view: to consider bees friends is an emotional response and as bees are livestock that are only one part of the jigsaw of nature, and certainly not your friends, such a selective view is bound to cause needless destruction.

 

[user 819]

As the thread has shown us humans have varying ideas of how we perceive them, they cause issues in some areas and none of any consequence in others. However like the weather local situations can be totally different, I see no reason why they can't be left to let and let live where they aren't causing an issue.

 

[Hachi]

Hello, I live in Normandy, and a couple if weeks ago I met a lovely couple in the town of Falaise (William the Conquerer’s home). The couple were both beekeepers, and had had problems with Asian hornets. They had constructed wooden frames with a covering of chicken mesh (the holes were probably about 10mm), and they had installed an electronic hornet trap. I have never seen one before, it was a vertical four sided frame, with fine wires strung top to bottom. Bees fly easily between the wires, but hornets hit a wire and are destroyed. They believe the combination of both these approaches has controlled the issue. Austin

Have you a picture or drawing Austin?

 

[frankenstine]

sounds to me its a mofifyed fly trap or working on the same princaple, two mesh grids with gaps between the wires big enough for bees to fly through and far enough apart so a bee cant touch or nearly touch both at the same time, but a larger insect like a hornet ends up touching both completing the cuircuit and a few KV fry it

 

[malgreen]

As the thread has shown us humans have varying ideas of how we perceive them, they cause issues in some areas and none of any consequence in others. However like the weather local situations can be totally different, I see no reason why they can't be left to let and let live where they aren't causing an issue.

Now! if you would have read my original post, it stated that I was having a big problem with wasps. If you (and others) wish to get on your holier-than-thou soapbox about dispatching wasps that's fine by me. I don't kill wasps for fun as have far better things to get on with. I will admit I'm not your fully signed up "tree hugger" and I do care for the planet. Blasphemy I hear you cry then best I be banished to the back and beyond for raising my head above the parapet. PS I was at the extinction rebellion in London a few months ago but that would be wrong as well I guess.

 

[malgreen]

A strange and disturbing view: to consider bees friends is an emotional response and as bees are livestock that are only one part of the jigsaw of nature, and certainly not your friends, such a selective view is bound to cause needless destruction.

I guess you are right but we are all wired up differently. Well that's what my psychologist tells me anyhow.

 

[Newbeeneil]

So we kill everything that has outlived its usefulness?!
Don't tell my 90 year old mother in law!

Ah but as far as she's concern she's still got a use...... annoying you

 

[malgreen]

A strange and disturbing view: to consider bees friends is an emotional response and as bees are livestock that are only one part of the jigsaw of nature, and certainly not your friends, such a selective view is bound to cause needless destruction.

Yawn.

 

[GuyNir]

Don’t see wasps in big numbers here. Yes, they’re around but currently no threatening colonies.

 

[madasafish]

Lost 1 nuc (weak), 1 hive (weak) and 1 mating nuc (weak) to wasps...

There is a message there..

I have enough strong nucs to replace all losses next year

 

[xray7]

On the subject of wasps I thought this was worth a mention. Whilst in the garden today I spotted a queen wasp on a leaf on my fig tree copulating with three drones who took it in turns to get a piece of the action.i felt very privileged to witness such an event when she swiftly flew off with a big smile on her face ( ok I didn't actually see that ) but fascinating all the same and especially considering how late in the year this happened.