Wasp queens hibernating under roofs

[DanBee]

As per the title, really - following the warm December weather, I've found additional wasp queens tucked up under hive roofs. Currently running at about 1:8 for queens found : hives checked, or 1-2 per apiary. The record so far was four in 23 hives.

I have been removing and destroying them. Whilst I know wasps are beneficial in the spring and early summer, I don't want to encourage nests near the apiaries for late summer robbing. Hence I view each queen removed now as a nest nearby that never happens.

I have been collecting them in alcohol so that they can be used in dissection classes:

 

[Millet]

Why on gods Earth did you do that i would use more fowl language but i will be removed from the forum, there's no need at all to do such a pathetic thing, management in Autumn when they become a problem is easily achievable.
Hang your head in shame and i hope you get infested by Asian Hornets.

 

[philipm]

Why not just relocate them away from your hives. I've lost hives to wasps but thats not an excuse to eradicate them all.

 

[SDM]

I saw a.regular wasp trying it's luck at getting into one of my hives a few days ago.
Do you they know it's winter ?

 

[Tom Bick]

A drop in the ocean.

Will probably unknowingly disturb a few myself that could be enough to kill them when checking hives and equipment, not to mention the ones in my firewood log pile.

I wouldn't go out of my way to kill them but there's probably a huge mortality rate.

 

[REDWOOD]

I'm not innocent when it comes to wasps, I have killed the odd one or two. I don't see the difference between a jar of wasps or a bottle full from a wasp trap. Perhaps when you see about 50 wasps attacking a poor nuc it might change your mind. I don't use wasp traps but have often had to reduce nuc down to a single bee space.



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[Hivemaker.]

I think a good idea would be for those that dislike wasps to post any queen wasps they find onto those that would like to care for them, would not cost the carers much in postage, and they could potentially end up with hundreds or even thousands of queen wasps to introduce into their area...win, win, situation.

 

[Millet]

..

 

[DanBee]

Each to their own! Happy to post them onwards as HM suggests, have some rats too if they are of interest.

The point is I don't remember seeing this many in previous winters, suggesting it was a good autumn for wasps and hence they may well be numerous next year. Also, these have appeared since my early Dec inspections...

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I think a good idea would be for those that dislike wasps to post any queen wasps they find onto those that would like to care for them, would not cost the carers much in postage, and they could potentially end up with hundreds or even thousands of queen wasps to introduce into their area...win, win, situation.

Can the forum have a register of members willing to accept queen wasps please?

 

[oliver90owner]

I think the conditions in spring will be more important, in determining the numbers of nests next season. Nest founding is the real danger time for queen wasps.

 

[Icing Sugar]

Late summer/early autumn I had a very busy wasp nest about 4 metres from one of my apiaries (10 hives and several nucs). The amount of activity at that wasp nest took me by surprise and, for a couple of weeks or so, I spent as much time watching them as I might take doing a hive inspection! The honey bee colonies were understandably of interest to scout wasps but, with one exception, they proved impenetrable due to the guard bees at the entrances. Being unable to take any honey back to their nest, the scout wasps were unable to recruit any more wasps. The one nuc that got robbed out was almost certainly down to stupidity on my part. Firstly, I inspected the nuc in the middle of the day well after the local nectar flow was over - that probably served as an advertisement for robbers (bees or wasps) and gave a scout wasp an easy way in. Secondly, I then decided to treat it with oxalic acid and therefore changed the entrance to a bigger one that will accommodate the sublimator - a bigger entrance is of course harder to defend. (I treat with OA in early autumn rather than mid-winter in the hope that my winter bees will be stronger for it). Then I sublimated, unthinkingly using the same OA dose for a poorly ventilated nuc as I do for a full colony - I don't think the bees liked it. Next time I went into the apiary, the nuc was completely empty. Not a single bee in there, dead or alive. All stores stripped bare. Coarse cappings strewn all over the nuc floor. I found the bees (which had absconded) hanging underneath another hive. Whether they had absconded due to robbing or the OA I do not know. Even after that, no other colony in the apiary suffered a wasp attack. So far in my beekeeping career, I am happy to let wasps be. In my personal case, it is me who needs to improve my basic skills!

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[drex]

To lose a colony to wasps is very saddening. A couple of years ag, I had to go away for about 5 days, at the tail end of summer. Checked all hives before departure and all seemed OK. On return a lot of wasp activity round one hive, so I had a look inside. The whole hive was just a mass of wasps, with no bees left. I let them finish off plundering that colony, narrowed the entrances on the rest and put glass over that. Mercifully the robbing did not spread. However to see a good colony overrun by a mass of wasps is not a good feeling.

 

[REDWOOD]

One solution is keep defensive bees, wasps won't go anywhere near them.

 

[Millet]

One solution is keep defensive bees, wasps won't go anywhere near them.

My bees are pretty defensive i would say from the dead wasps on the paving stone under the entrance of the hive this summer, however the reduced tunnel entrance must pay a big part in this, last year before Karol and other members suggested and tunnel entrance i would see wasps sneaking in and coming out 5 minutes later, with the tunnel entrance they are turfed out instantly usually with around three bees stuck to them, funny to see i must add, now i know how to protect my hive i will never purposely kill any Queen wasps as it is not needed.

 

[Curley]

What about harlequin ladybirds? I have hundreds of the beggars in the roofs and on the crown boards in one apiary. Non native but not harming the bees either. Brush them out to freeze or live and let live? After all as a species they are here to stay now.

 

[snelgrove]

Had wasp nest in bird box in front garden, my first thought was to destroy it. However they were no trouble and I left them alone and the nest broke up in late August. Quite large for normal wasps

 

[MartinL]

I think a good idea would be for those that dislike wasps to post any queen wasps they find onto those that would like to care for them, would not cost the carers much in postage, and they could potentially end up with hundreds or even thousands of queen wasps to introduce into their area...win, win, situation.

Next time pack them carefully and send to Cardigan or Durham where they will be better appreciated!

 

[DanBee]

What about harlequin ladybirds?

Haven't seen many (any?) of these under hive roofs, but I do spend much of the year moonlighting as an earwig farmer apparently...

 

[MartinL]

What about harlequin ladybirds? . . . . . . Non native but not harming the bees either. Brush them out to freeze or live and let live? After all as a species they are here to stay now.

MMMM, bordering on the Grey Squirrel debate there!