Wasp power

[The Poot in Somerset]

Lots of problems last year with wasps..
So this year started early with wasp traps. Caught about 10 wasps in 5 traps.. in total - not per trap.

Apart from the few wasps caught have seen so far no sign of the number seen last year. Given the cold and wet June and July we have had locally, I am unsurprised. But as August is still young.....

Same here in early Spring / Summer - only a small number caught.
Now the garden is plagued with them. They are still hunting protein, not sweet stuff, so worse is still to come.

 

[joelsoo]

i witnessed a foraging worker bee attacked by a wasp. Bee was landing on a lavender flower, once landed, the wask flew straight on to her and both fell on the floor, i had to step on them to squash both. Likely the wasp would have delivered the sting to the bee already anyway so worker bee would not have survived anyway.

 

[Gunzo]

I set my traps in March. Caught 10 Wasp queens in the first month.
Haven’t seen a wasp this year until last week. Traps are doing their bit in the apple trees.
nowhere near the numbers of last year had to move three nucs last year due to them being hammered by wasps.

 

[Gunzo]

I set my traps in March. Caught 10 Wasp queens in the first month.
Haven’t seen a wasp this year until last week. Traps are doing their bit in the apple trees.
nowhere near the numbers of last year had to move three nucs last year due to them being hammered by wasps.

Great fun closing the nucs up early morning and swatting wasps with a badminton racket Suited up

 

[Pembroke]

Hate to be a spoil sport but it's the fumes from the petrol that kill the wasps not setting fire to it afterwards.

As to the nest near the hive, pint of petrol down the hole at dusk, slab over it until morning should kill the nest. Although like bees I wold expect the wasps to have a secondary entrance close by so just a slab over the near entrance would force the wasps to use the other (hopefully further way) access.

 

[steve1958]

I removed one nest this year. It was still fairly small so I was able to visit after dark and collect it whilst the wasps were inside.
Usually I don't get involved in wasp nest destruction but this one was too near to my beehives.

Last year I destroyed a nest of wasps in the ground.
I cut a Pepsi bottle in half and placed the top portion over the hole in the ground..
Over this I placed another half bottle that I had pierced with a nail to let air flow but keep wasps in.
So a bit like an upside down bottle trap.
Then left it to work.
Seemed to do the trick. Lots of dead wasps in the top half.
Also you could spray the inside of the top half with ant spray and it would work faster.

 

[rampino]

It took me three attempts to kill off the wasps. Two drownings with detergent and water (didn’t kill all of them). Then the old lady who owns the garden produced some liquid wasp killer, which I poured into their entrance. This has done the trick. I would have preferred to stick with the first method as it is a bit kinder to the environment. And less likely to affect the bees.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Same here in early Spring / Summer - only a small number caught.
Now the garden is plagued with them. They are still hunting protein, not sweet stuff, so worse is still to come.

Today was different. Loads of wasps drowning in cider traps. The move from protein to sugar has started.
This evening one hive was under attack - a number of bees on the landing board defending the entrance. Wasps grabbing bees and fighting with them. Entrances will be further reduced tomorrow and some experimental tunnel entrances put in place.