Wasp attacks bees

[DRam]

I was checking on our bees as we have recently reduced the hive entrance as there are wasps around and its not a huge colony. We are also aware this this is robbing season, although I don't really know what we do to combat that other than reduce the hive entrance.

Anyway, I became aware of two bees 'wrestling' under the hive. At first I though it was an 'undertaker bee' but both seemed to be fighting, and then a wasp joined in from nowhere. The bee that the wasp wasn't on broke away, and the wasp seemed to be getting the better of the other bee, so they were dispatched.

I'm not sure if i can upload videos to the forum so the you tube link is below



Anybody know what is going on - is this normal?

 

[drdrday]

I often see similar when the bees start kicking out drones. The worker bee is so busy struggling away with the drone that they don't seem to notice until the wasp is on them. The struggle between the bees breaks up with the wasp choosing which one it carries on after and the other getting away.

The wasps around my hives seem to have worked this out too. They don't risk going for the hive entrance, but will instead pick off the more vulnerable bees.
My eyesight isn't good enough to see from the video whether or not the bee being hassled is a drone, or maybe a worker from another colony that's being seen off!

 

[DRam]

drdrday,

Thanks for the reply, it is interesting if they are kicking out drones. I didn't think of that, but next time will look much closer. That would be preferable to a robber bee.

I know that drones get kicked out when the colony gets ready for winter, but would they also do it if they have too many drones in the colony.

We had a drone laying queen and combined colonies, so there were a couple of frames of only drone brood about to hatch, would they eject these additional drones from the hive?

 

[drdrday]

Drones are needed for reproduction, but that's all. So when swarming season starts to wind up drones become more of a drain on the colony than a benefit. I would therefore imagine that if a colony has a surfeit of drones, thanks to a drone laying queen, they would also find that the cost outweighed the benefit so they might start trying to reduce numbers. Don't know for a fact, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised, especially coinciding with the season drawing to a close too.

I only have two colonies, one of which still has drones at the moment and doesn't seem to be turfing them out yet, but the other has very few remaining drones now, even though I haven't witnessed them being given the boot.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Drones are needed for reproduction, but that's all. So when swarming season starts to wind up drones become more of a drain on the colony than a benefit. I would therefore imagine that if a colony has a surfeit of drones, thanks to a drone laying queen, they would also find that the cost outweighed the benefit so they might start trying to reduce numbers. Don't know for a fact, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised, especially coinciding with the season drawing to a close too.

I only have two colonies, one of which still has drones at the moment and doesn't seem to be turfing them out yet, but the other has very few remaining drones now, even though I haven't witnessed them being given the boot.

Drones have more uses to the colony than mere reproduction.
Some colonies “choose” to retain some drones into the Winter, others seem he’ll bent on getting rid of them.
My colonies are being attacked by wasps like yours and I hate to see it, but it’s nature!
You could look into fitting tunnel entrances to reduce the carnage to come.

 

[drdrday]

Drones have more uses to the colony than mere reproduction.

I'm aware that drones can help with thermoregulation in the hive - but this is something that worker bees naturally do too. What other roles do drones have in a colony? In particular, are there any that a less 'expensive' worker bee doesn't do?