Hornet problem?

[MonicaB]

This morning I have watched hornets at my hives. There is one present almost all the time they’re taking bees on the wing at the entrance. I’m almost certain it’s the European hornet. Seeing them predate your bees is horrifying largely because of their size. I’ve set up traps with beer and sugar in (that’s all I’ve got) although I’m loathe to kill them. Should I be worried or let nature take it’s course? Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I’m loathe to kill them.

So don't - Crabro really do have little impact on the honeybee, but (amongst other things) the British beekeeper's obsession with slaughtering anything which isn't Apis mellifera is having an adverse effect on their already struggling population

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Funnily enough It was only last week that I discovered that there is a colony of Vespa crabro just a few yards away from my Garn Cottage apiary - I wouldn't have known they were there if my friend hadn't decided to chat to me from the lower orchard which is just across the stream from the hives and, whilst leaning on a pollarded oak tree in the orchard he noticed hornets flying from a hollow at its base.

 

[MonicaB]

So don't - Crabro really do have little impact on the honeybee, but (amongst other things) the British beekeeper's obsession with slaughtering anything which isn't Apis mellifera is having an adverse effect on their already struggling population

Ok thanks, I’d much rather let them live if it’s not going to not going to cause my bees to decline too much.

 

[MonicaB]

I use the term ‘my bees’ very loosely here, well aware they’re not mine

 

[pargyle]

So don't - Crabro really do have little impact on the honeybee, but (amongst other things) the British beekeeper's obsession with slaughtering anything which isn't Apis mellifera is having an adverse effect on their already struggling population

They are becoming a rarity in my neck of the woods ... only seen one in the last few years - scared the living daylights out of me when it buzzed me in late July when I was sitting outside with an evening drink. They used to be seen regularly around my wildife pond in the garden - I think they predate quite a lot of small insects but I've never seen them attacking my bees. There are a lot of beekeepers in my area that are waspophobic and the number of those bloody drinks bottle traps I see hanging around (and not just beekeepers either !) must be having an effect on the population. Seen very few wasps around this year as well ...

 

[MonicaB]

They are becoming a rarity in my neck of the woods ... only seen one in the last few years - scared the living daylights out of me when it buzzed me in late July when I was sitting outside with an evening drink. They used to be seen regularly around my wildife pond in the garden - I think they predate quite a lot of small insects but I've never seen them attacking my bees. There are a lot of beekeepers in my area that are waspophobic and the number of those bloody drinks bottle traps I see hanging around (and not just beekeepers either !) must be having an effect on the population. Seen very few wasps around this year as well ...

I’ve never seen a live hornet before this morning, so was alarmed. Having spent the day observing them with the bees I’m happy to let them live. They really are peaceful and also predate on wasps and wax moth. So I removed my traps.

 

[oliver90owner]

Wasps do not bother honey bees a great deal until after they begin to sugar-feed. Remember that traps are there to attract wasps. Unnecessarily attracting wasps to your apiary is certainly not the most clever of ideas.

 

[Jules59]

I decided a couple of years ago not to put up and traps that kill. I modified the "coke bottle" trap so that most insects can escape (a bit of trial and error regarding hole sizes) and only larger ones are retained but not drowned. I hang them in the fruit trees in the apiary, only as AH monitor now.
Far fewer wasps around this year, and no hornets seen which is a first for several years.

 

[Swarm]

Stunning creatures, this one took this huge horse fly out of the air and proceeded to decapitate it on the road.
Complete with crunching sounds

 

[Pembroke]

They are becoming a rarity in my neck of the woods ... only seen one in the last few years - scared the living daylights out of me when it buzzed me in late July when I was sitting outside with an evening drink. They used to be seen regularly around my wildlife pond in the garden - I think they predate quite a lot of small insects but I've never seen them attacking my bees. There are a lot of beekeepers in my area that are waspophobic and the number of those bloody drinks bottle traps I see hanging around (and not just beekeepers either !) must be having an effect on the population. Seen very few wasps around this year as well ...

Non beekeepers trapping wasps might be taking part in this:

https://www.bigwaspsurvey.org/
The organisers are very careful with their trap timing so as not to catch queens but only the left over wasps on their sugar feeding.

As the hornet has a similar lifestyle to a wasp (I'll stand to be corrected if I'm wrong about that) then one hornet will indicate a nest nearby from which the queens will be leaving now. If you know the size difference between a worker wasp and a queen just imagine how large a queen hornet will be.

 

[MonicaB]

Stunning creatures, this one took this huge horse fly out of the air and proceeded to decapitate it on the road.
Complete with crunching sounds

Indeed that are spectacular, I have a new appreciation for them now I’ve observed them for a while. Gentle giants indeed - not for the horse fly though!

 

[MonicaB]

Non beekeepers trapping wasps might be taking part in this:

https://www.bigwaspsurvey.org/
The organisers are very careful with their trap timing so as not to catch queens but only the left over wasps on their sugar feeding.

As the hornet has a similar lifestyle to a wasp (I'll stand to be corrected if I'm wrong about that) then one hornet will indicate a nest nearby from which the queens will be leaving now. If you know the size difference between a worker wasp and a queen just imagine how large a queen hornet will be.

I’d really like to see a Queen hornet now. I may try and search their nest and try and get some photos.

 

[bobba]

Last year I had a similar problem, My hives are in a little netted compound. But I had caught a swarm and it was outside the compound.

So I expanded the netting to go around the hive and the hornets stopped coming.

They dont seem like it when they have restricted room to maneuver. The netting forces the bees to make a steep decent before entering the hive. The hornets do not seem comfortable in this area as bees were always flying down from above them.

Hornets are amazing creatures so it was nice not to have to kill them.

Unfortunately my solution wont be practical for most people.

 

[Loxley]

We have a hornet nest in our attic at the moment, they aren't causing any problems at all and it's good to see them out and about. My bees are about 50m away and i only occasionally see the odd hornet up there. They do seem to like climbing the windows at night though, I think they are attracted by the lights!

 

[Moobee]

Wasps do not bother honey bees a great deal until after they begin to sugar-feed. Remember that traps are there to attract wasps. Unnecessarily attracting wasps to your apiary is certainly not the most clever of ideas.

I stopped this year as was alarmed at the number of insects drowned in my traps. I've put up one of those Waspinator thingies and reduced my entrances right down but same as Phillip, not seen any yet this year.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I opened one hive the other day and noticed a dead hornet lying on the mesh floor. I assume that it managed to get into the hive and was swiftly dealt with but was too big for the undertakers to get it out.

 

[peteinwilts]

Wasps do not bother honey bees a great deal until after they begin to sugar-feed. Remember that traps are there to attract wasps. Unnecessarily attracting wasps to your apiary is certainly not the most clever of ideas.

A couple of my apiaries are hammered by wasps 6-8 weeks before I generally feed. I also do not use swarm traps to attract them. More likely to be conditional on wasp population density and lack of easy to get to adult wasp forage. The wasps are usually desperate and bee+wasp battles are frequent (more than a casual interest!). On bad years, I use tunnel entrances to minimise hive losses.
Regarding European Hornets, 'most' nests are relatively small and rarely see more than one on an apiary. They do take bees, but also take wasps, so the enemy of my enemy...