Loitering wasps

[Beezy]

Hi, I put my mouse guard on last weekend as I thought it was getting sufficiently cold that the bees weren't doing much and hadn't seen any wasps for a few days. However, whenever I've nipped down to look at the hive, I've seen a few wasps hanging around and a couple going in through the mouse guard holes. There are still bees coming and going when it's milder, so should I be concerned about this or will the bees be ok to sort out any intruders?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

They shouldn't really be allowing the wasps in and as its not yet proper cold, if twas me, I'd remove the guard and put in an entrance reducer.

 

[bobinfleet]

I have the same problem with wasps and so have left my entrance reducer on and will wait a little longer before putting the mouse guards on

 

[oliver90owner]

As always. Depends on the strength of the colony.

Full width mouseguard? Wrote about this only this last week. Can pose a problem.

I would be concerned at any wasps going in a colony and a) not coming out chased by bees after a very few seconds, or b) not being stretchered out within a few minutes.

Common sense that wasps actively robbing a hive is bad news.

 

[MandF]

I have the same problem with wasps and so have left my entrance reducer on and will wait a little longer before putting the mouse guards on

Same here

 

[Travelator]

How exciting! One of the *very* rare occasions when I can say that WBCs make life easier! You can have a full-width mouseguard and adjust the amount of it that's actually available using the wooden slides (unless you took off the slides for the summer and now can't find them again...)

 

[BBG]

Hi, I put my mouse guard on last weekend as I thought it was getting sufficiently cold that the bees weren't doing much and hadn't seen any wasps for a few days. However, whenever I've nipped down to look at the hive, I've seen a few wasps hanging around and a couple going in through the mouse guard holes. There are still bees coming and going when it's milder, so should I be concerned about this or will the bees be ok to sort out any intruders?

After our loss, we would be alert that this might be the early signs of CCD or wholesale robbing.

Sorry to be dramatic but we would weigh hive and inspect that all was well also that bee numbers have not dropped significantly.

 

[northernsoul]

yes I agree, a few wasps shouldn't be an issue for a few thousand bees and the wasps should fly out fairly quickly irrespective of mouse guards.
if the wasps are not coming out then you have a problem and the colony might be collapsing

 

[MuswellMetro]

don't bother to take the mouseguard off, just pin a bit of carboard over it or tape over part of it, reduce the width of the guard say 5 holes, why? because it is a pain re pinning the mouseguard back on and prizing out the block

Then remove the card later in the month when the yellow BBBBBBBBs have die out

 

[Swarm]

...And if temps are still favourable (as promised for this week) it wouldn't hurt to have a quick shufty under the CB to see how things are looking.

 

[Beezy]

Thanks for the replies and advice. I'll block some of the mg with tape temporarily and if it's warm enough will have a quick peek inside this week.