Newbee's first wasp attack

[verney]

Yesterday my hives were experiencing their first real wasp attack. Strongest hive was doing okay. Lucky wasps left the hive like bullets from the barrell of a gun, unlucky ones got beehandled. I have two NUCs on the yard. Stronger one had three or four guard bees to meet every wasp that showed at the entrance. I only saw one wasp entering the hive. Weaker one was not doing anything, wasps just walked in the NUC.

Wasps seemed to refine their strategy at nearby tree. There were at least one hundred of them in that tree. I sprayed them with bug spray and swatted all wasps that landed near my hives. Attack soon wear off, not sure why. Maybe me poisoning the neighborhood or their work day was full. Sun was starting to set and temperature was starting fall.

In the evening I added an extra frame of bees with capped brood to the weaker NUC and closed both NUC entrances to about one centimeter. What else can I do? Are they after the honey or larvae?

 

[the beehive lodge]

remember bug killer will kill bees too

i wouldn't spray them with any pesticide as this could and will kill your bees if any wasps enter your hives close the entrance's to weaker hives bees have the best chance to defend that way.
put wasp traps down look up the treads on how to make them good luck and keep your bees safe

 

[flemage]

Hi Verney

I have heard of a tunnel entrance which you can make and fix to the entrance of a hive. apperntly wasps wont enter as they dont like going into a tunnel.

Not sure where i saw that......... has any one else heard of, or have plans for a tunnel entrance?

Good luck with it all.

 

[Steve_gts]

close the entrance's to weaker hives bees have the best chance to defend that way.

I know this is what TBL meant, but just to be clear, don't close them completely, but reduce them.

I've heard that tunnel entrances do work, but not had enough of a problem to try them yet. Another recommended method is to lean some glass over the entrance, the bees can work out how to get around it, but the wasps can't.

 

[scuttlefish]

Make some wasp traps up out of plastic drink bottles and hang a couple of them around the apiary?

I know some people don't link traps because they attract wasps to the apiary - but if the wasps are there already then they could be useful.

 

[Haughton Honey]

There are only two practical things to do that will ensure survival against aggressive wasps.

Ensure your colonies are strong (by uniting, if truly necessary) and close your entrances right down to 1.2cm if it really is that bad.

 

[yeogi75]

Mr

Hi Verney

I have heard of a tunnel entrance which you can make and fix to the entrance of a hive. apperntly wasps wont enter as they dont like going into a tunnel.

Not sure where i saw that......... has any one else heard of, or have plans for a tunnel entrance?

Good luck with it all.

sysonbyhotel bee cam for tunnel inside hive and outside

 

[verney]

Today was easier day. Only one or two wasps were circling the hives and they caused very little disturbance. Weaker hive seems more alert now with guard bees at the reduced entrance.

 

[richardbees]

I saw the idea of a piece of glass in front of the entrance on this forum last year and tried it out.

2" by 6" glass sheet propped against the entrance - which was already reduced to an inch wide slot.

It worked a treat! I did it at night and next day the bees realised it was there when they left and landed either side so they could walk behind it when they returned.....whereas the wasps just kept bashing into it.

 

[MuswellMetro]

There are only two practical things to do that will ensure survival against aggressive wasps.

Ensure your colonies are strong (by uniting, if truly necessary) and close your entrances right down to 1.2cm if it really is that bad.

if under heavy act from wasps then it is better to close the entrance as you say but also move them to a new apiary to break the attack cycle

 

[Tom Bick]

Wasps I have almost forgotten what they look like have only seen a couple all year!!!! I am a bit worried for them.

 

[flemage]

Hi Tom

Me too, I saw a few queen wasps early in season April ish, but not one since. But I wouldn’t worry they are proper survivors and will be back, if not this year then next.

They did really nail one of my hives last year so kind of glad but there is always balance needed in every thing.

 

[Silly Bee]

Hi Verney

I have heard of a tunnel entrance which you can make and fix to the entrance of a hive. apperntly wasps wont enter as they dont like going into a tunnel.

Not sure where i saw that......... has any one else heard of, or have plans for a tunnel entrance?

Good luck with it all.

It's a method I use, and it's very good (sorry if anyone else replied already)

I make a tube about two inches long, close one end, and make the other end 2 bee spaces wide. Put it over the entrance.

It will confuse the bees for a hour or so, so do it on a nice day in the morning, by lunchtime they will have worked it out.

It baffles the wasps.

 

[Silly Bee]

ps


I make it from varroa mesh.

 

[verney]

I make it from varroa mesh.

That sounds like an interesting idea. Hmm, did I get this straight? So you make atube out of mesh, plug one end, make small opening on the other end, one side of the tube is open and you place tube's opening next to the normal opening of the hive?

 

[Silly Bee]

Take a piece of mesh, about 4" long, 4" wide.

Bend it around a pencil or similar so it's "U" shaped.

Then, bend it back, each side of the "U" bend so that it has a flat side on either side of the tunnel, close one end.

The two flats are pinned over the hive entrance so that the bees can see the hive entrance,and into the hive. but have to go to the end to get in.

The bees work it out, but not the wasps,

Wish I could draw a picture and post that, but I hope you get the idea.

 

[verney]

Take a piece of mesh,

Got it, thanks.

 

[alanf]

Wasps I have almost forgotten what they look like have only seen a couple all year!!!! I am a bit worried for them.

Yep. I saw more queen wasps in March/April than I've seen workers in the past month. Was the weather so bad that they failed to start nests?

 

[Tom Bick]

Hi Tom

Me too, I saw a few queen wasps early in season April ish, but not one since. But I wouldn’t worry they are proper survivors and will be back, if not this year then next.

They did really nail one of my hives last year so kind of glad but there is always balance needed in every thing.

Yep. I saw more queen wasps in March/April than I've seen workers in the past month. Was the weather so bad that they failed to start nests?

I actually spotted a wasp today. Its all very odd this time of year I would expect a good few hassling the bees by now.

 

[Karol]

I actually spotted a wasp today. Its all very odd this time of year I would expect a good few hassling the bees by now.

Definitely as a consequence of the weather. We monitor wasp populations and have never seen anything like this before. Last year wasp nest maturation was hampered by severe gales arriving just before maturation. The timing could not be worse as many wasp colonies virtually collapsed just before their sexual progeny was about to be produced. Strong gales in summer blow workers out of homing range so they can't navigate back and get lost/confused. It took quite some time for wasp colonies to recover and we eventually saw wasp nests mature as late as November but what we saw was a fractured dribble of maturing colonies instead of the usual concerted mating swarm. That in itself probably caused problems in the number of queens that were able to successfully mate and may help explain why there are comparatively few colonies despite the number of queens seen in spring.

The other issue that we've seen is that we've had a mild winter and mild winters are not good for wasp populations. They do far better when we have harsh winters that carry their hibernation through to when the first spring blooms comes out. Queen wasps survive almost exclusively on nectar when they emerge in spring (making them valuable pollinators). Unlike bees they don't have reserves of honey so can't survive if they come out of hibernation prematurely.

The other interesting thing that we've seen is a protracted period from late February to mid May where diurnal temperatures oscillated around 10° to 15°C. Wasps emerge from hibernation when temperatures reach about 10°C in the shade. In wasp language this means dark and cold structures such as walls, rockeries etc. What we've seen this year is south facing structures that hit 10°C releasing their queens earlier on in mid March but north facing structures releasing as late as mid May with a constant dribble in between. This drip drip emergence of queens is so unusual as normally emergence is compressed into a two to three week window. The late emerging queens are about two months behind in terms of nest development and with the weather being as bad as it has been they really have not had the opportunity to recover. If the weather now improves you may see a sudden burst of late activity. The concern is however that because it's been difficult for wasps to find insect prey that they may turn to bee colonies out of desparation in which case they'll come for the grubs and bees and not the honey. That's a competely different type of attack and one where bee colonies are more susceptible to being wiped out especially young nucs. Wasp traps are useless in such cases and any techniques such as those described on here for funnel entrances, roving hive locations etc need to be considered instead. Wasp traps only have a place when wasps are sweet feeding.