I need some excellent workable solutions pls. I have an invasion of wasps which is devastating my colonies, especially the weaker ones. Entrance reduced to a single bee size and still they stream in and leave with winter food supplies. Currently closed hive with grass for 24hrs. Wasp Bane was useless. Not sure moving to Association apiary is a workable solution for logistic reasons. Thanks
How to stop invasion of wasps
- Thread starter Paddyg
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As you have ruled out moving the hives you could try one thing many have had success with which to insert a piece of conduit into the entrance to create a tunnel. Apparently wasps are not keen on walking down said tunnel so the bees find it easier to defend.
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How did you use the waspbane? Have you looked at the website here
https://www.waspbane.com/5-1-bee-keeping/There is a section on beekeeping.
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For it to work effectively, you would need multiple waspbanes, placed directly infront of the entrances and the entrances blocked for a few hours. Then open up and monitor, if there is a further onslaught of wasps, continue with the above action.
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Another version of the wasp baffle. I have just had to make up another four following a wasp inundation.
enrico
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Thanks Dani, that was the link I was trying to put on the other wasp thread!
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It’s in the stickies if you ever want it
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/index-of-stickies.50958/
Thanks very much for your very prompt and useful replies. I have now inserted a 10mm conduit into the entrance of a kewl floor and fits perfectly. I have drilled offset 8mm holes (front one about 6” left of centre, rear one 6” to right of centre. Certainly flumuxed the wasps! Appreciated…
Try and ensure brood frames are by the entrance I found a large colony that clearly hasn’t read the books and was mainly occupying the top bb. This situation is perfect for wasps to nip in when the temperature drops. Simply a case of reversing the boxes and pushing brood frames to the centre.
an invasion of wasps which is devastating my colonies, especially the weaker ones
Some good suggestions. Main reason, I expect, for your travails is likely having weak colonies at this time of the year. Do make a note to avoid this next year.
Strong colonies with narrowed entrances will generally keep the wasps out, or eject them soon after entry. And don’t even encourage wasps into the apiary, either. Feeding, unnecessary inspections, placing wasp attractants (traps), etc are to be avoided.
Unite weaker (healthy) colonies in time to avoid these problems. Fewer strong colonies is better than losing colonies serially to wasps - they will move other colonies as they exhaust the stocks from the weakest.
Good luck with your efforts this year, but remember - in future - that avoidance is the far better defence.
Some good suggestions. Main reason, I expect, for your travails is likely having weak colonies at this time of the year. Do make a note to avoid this next year.
Strong colonies with narrowed entrances will generally keep the wasps out, or eject them soon after entry. And don’t even encourage wasps into the apiary, either. Feeding, unnecessary inspections, placing wasp attractants (traps), etc are to be avoided.
Unite weaker (healthy) colonies in time to avoid these problems. Fewer strong colonies is better than losing colonies serially to wasps - they will move other colonies as they exhaust the stocks from the weakest.
Good luck with your efforts this year, but remember - in future - that avoidance is the far better defence.
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I recently had a nuc getting murdered by wasps , tried the tunnel method and all sorts , didn't work , what worked in the end was:
1. closed the hive to 2 bee spaces
2.made a small cage out of pallet wood and varroa mesh to to make a box with a screen.
3. drilled a side entrance also 2 bee space wide.
The mesh gets the wasps confused at first then when they find the first entrance they get inside the cage and panic.Due to the small cage size there are a lot of bees stacking up trying to get in and out of the hive.It turns into a kill zone , the wasps panic and get pressed against the mesh as they forget where the first entrance was, the bees then clobber them.
After a while the wasps give up.I also put some traps out made of 2l plastic bottles with small holes drilled in the side and filled with a mix of Guinness and sugar.
Try asking your neighbours if you can sort any wasp nests in their garden for free.
1. closed the hive to 2 bee spaces
2.made a small cage out of pallet wood and varroa mesh to to make a box with a screen.
3. drilled a side entrance also 2 bee space wide.
The mesh gets the wasps confused at first then when they find the first entrance they get inside the cage and panic.Due to the small cage size there are a lot of bees stacking up trying to get in and out of the hive.It turns into a kill zone , the wasps panic and get pressed against the mesh as they forget where the first entrance was, the bees then clobber them.
After a while the wasps give up.I also put some traps out made of 2l plastic bottles with small holes drilled in the side and filled with a mix of Guinness and sugar.
Try asking your neighbours if you can sort any wasp nests in their garden for free.
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Have you a photo? I could add it to the stickies.
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Neat.
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I mean its anything but neat but it did the job
I fitted a piece of tubing to make a tunnel entrance but the wasps are happily using it. Any suggestions?
Move them to a new location. Have you looked inside to see how strong your colony is? If wasps are gaining free access, unchallenged there is a problem.
enrico
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You need to offset the entrance from the front to one side, then give them a long narrow tunnel which is why I use the trunking. Not sure if you did that but just for the record a piece of tube in the entrance doesn't work very well. Also with the trunking you can move the entrance every day. The bees easily find it but it seems to confuses the wasps!
