Uniting and wasp attacks

[Huggibear]

Hello
I've brought 2 of my 4 hives back home from my out apiary this weekend to try and foil the wasps.
Unfortunately my garden wasps have already found them and one hive still looks decidedly defeated - no bees flying and wasps going in and out.
I peeped in this hive - and think they may be queenless but they were so angry I closed up before getting through all frames.
My question is am I best to just unite over newspaper with QE with the other hive asap?
Will the stronger hive be distracted and let wasps in during this?
Will they be able to get rid of the newspaper through the 1-2 bee space entrance ?
Thanks for your help ( I hate wasps ! )

 

[Swarm]

You have to be absolutely sure they are queenless before considering uniting. Do you have the entrances reduced?

 

[Huggibear]

Hi
Yes - diy tunnel entrance with plastic cable trunking ( maybe wasn't long enough ) over worst affected hive- they haven't even been out on orientation flights - so no pollen going in.
Other hive has reduced entrance to 1/2 beespace and a see through plastic decoy over they are out gathering pollen and fighting wasps off better

 

[TooBee...]

The Tunnel Entrance needs to be at least 100mm long, closing the Hive up for a day may help, two days if things are really bad, but you can't really keep them closed in for any longer.

If you have any Feed in the hives or around the apiary this will attract wasp, also most wasp traps may attract wasps as well.

If they are Queenless, I have no experience of this so late in the year, but it's been weeks since I even saw a Drone, so I doubt that even if they raise a Queen, she'll not be able to mate. Search very thoroughly for eggs, if there are none then obviously that suggests no Queen. There was no signs of eggs in one of my Hives for about a week while they were under severe Wasp attack, even though a laying Queen was still there!

The Aggression; is that normal, my Hives become aggressive when you inspect them when they are Queenless, another indication you may have no Queen?

Apart from Uniting, you might be successful in introducing a Queen (I think I saw somewhere advertising the sale of Queens until October?), but you must prevent the wasps from attacking first.

You could try a Queen Castle, but that's starting to guild the lily, and even though I have done it, it's not something I would advise, a lot can go wrong. If you are going to Unite, use two Queen Excluders just in case there is a Queen in the Upper Box (it stops the Queens from being able to reach each other - the mistake I made!), place the newspaper between them. Naturally the top entrance would be closed.

I had real trouble with wasps this year (many of us did), so I would actually close the bottom entrance for one day to throw the wasps off the scent, I found this did help to reduce their attacks for 24hrs after the entrance was re-opened, long enough for the Guard Bee caste to be reformed.

Hope this helps, good luck. Please let us know how it all goes.

 

[Beefriendly]

You guys need to start keeping strong colonies. I have nucs that are doing better than your hives.
How many frames full of bees do you have per hive?
My suspicion is they won't cover more than 4 /5 frames and would be better off housed in a Nuc.

 

[Millet]

Hello
I've brought 2 of my 4 hives back home from my out apiary this weekend to try and foil the wasps.
Unfortunately my garden wasps have already found them and one hive still looks decidedly defeated - no bees flying and wasps going in and out.
I peeped in this hive - and think they may be queenless but they were so angry I closed up before getting through all frames.
My question is am I best to just unite over newspaper with QE with the other hive asap?
Will the stronger hive be distracted and let wasps in during this?
Will they be able to get rid of the newspaper through the 1-2 bee space entrance ?
Thanks for your help ( I hate wasps ! )

Tunnel entrances will save your bees if it is not too late.. the standard entrance blocks make life easy for wasps and bee robbing colonies..
Read on my posts and topics.. and feed the bees after the entrance is defendable .. Also i see 100mm mentioned elsewhere... what does that mean to you ??? .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You guys need to start keeping strong colonies.

 

[Huggibear]

Oh dear - it was my strongest hive 11 full frames before MAQs, 4 supers of honey.
Queen was seen after MAQs removed (she's 2017 yellow ) then I've not inspected due to wasps. Maybe I shouldn't have taken all the honey. I'll look properly today or tomorrow in the warm snap. It had about 7 frames of bees when I peeped in but I only saw a tiny patch of sealed brood before I shut it up. I had thought about transferring to a nuc if the queen is there . ( but won't the wasps still go in ? )
The 100mm tunnel I think means 100mmm from the inner entrance to the outside - I have mine blocked one end and the inner entrance piece I cut out is about 20mm wide.
Good idea about the 2 queen excluders - I hadn't thought of that.

 

[drex]

As Beefriendly , And to start using test frames before pronouncing queen less hives.

 

[Eyeman]

Tunnel entrances will save your bees if it is not too late.. the standard entrance blocks make life easy for wasps and bee robbing colonies..
Read on my posts and topics.. and feed the bees after the entrance is defendable .. Also i see 100mm mentioned elsewhere... what does that mean to you ??? .

A weeny? But maybe average in Ireland!

 

[enrico]

I think food may be the problem. Mine are losing a pound in weight a day without wasps. Try and refunds wasps and feed
E

 

[Huggibear]

Thanks - been in this afternoon and seen the queen , but really no eggs just a small patch of sealed brood . I had a rapid feeder on but they weren't even taking that but there is very little store in the brood box. I assume this is a starvation situation - I have trickled some syrup over ( wasps trying to dive under the cover cloths too) .
I've also put mesh over my small tunnel entrance to drive the bees up and out of a small gap at the top - it seems to have stopped the wasps.
I assume keep feeding - do I need pollen patties or better syrup?
Thanks as ever for all your help

 

[Swarm]

The upward facing entrance should help a lot so that's a plus. It sounds like a brood break, at least you know she is still there
Are there empty frames that you could remove in order to dummy them down? If so, add 'fat' follower boards to take up the space and put them in a stronger position until she starts laying. You can replace the frames as/if they need them.
How many frames were the bees covering? Did you see pollen?
Carry on feeding, you could even pour syrup directly into a spare comb if they are looking that sorry.
Fingers crossed.

 

[enrico]

A lack of food will obviously mean no brood. All you can do now is feed as much as possible but it is likely they will not get strong enough for winter
If their numbers are low enough I would put them in a poly nuc with fondant and sugar syrup together in the feeder if there is one as a part of the nuc.
Good luck
E

 

[Beefriendly]

It had about 7 frames of bees when I peeped in but I only saw a tiny patch of sealed brood before I shut it up. .

That is a weak colony. Feed and feed, even consider reducing to a Nuc.

 

[Huggibear]

Thanks I think I'll go the 'nuc' route. I've found and defrosted a full super frame of honey - is it ok to put that in ( no disease in any of my hives ) or will it give too many problems with brace comb later .
Also any tips for best reduced entrance - Using the rotating disc ? I think I'll use some mesh too .