Wasp Queens

[Karol]

yes them poor queens??? save youre money don't by a wasp bane just nip between finger and thumb

I think it is such a shame when bee keepers lose touch with the balance of nature. By all means kill queen wasps before they establish their colonies. It's only the equivalent of letting 4-5 metric tonnes of insect pests live (per queen that you've killed) that'll then need pesticides to be controlled. Just don't complain if any of your bees are affected by pesticides or if there's a decline in natural fauna as a consequence of their 'indiscriminate' use!

 

[jonnybeegood]

You kill a queen in your area which might not have bothered your hive, maybe another more agressive one moves in & its colony devestates your hive. Why not wait & see! If you get wasps bothering your hives , then do something to stop them or kill them but to do it before they bother you is just like going out & killing foxes when they havent done anything to you or anyone else, its the same mental attitude. Like most persecuted pests they do more good than harm but people dont take the time to think about the good :-(

 

[kazmcc]

I think it is such a shame when bee keepers lose touch with the balance of nature. By all means kill queen wasps before they establish their colonies. It's only the equivalent of letting 4-5 metric tonnes of insect pests live (per queen that you've killed) that'll then need pesticides to be controlled. Just don't complain if any of your bees are affected by pesticides or if there's a decline in natural fauna as a consequence of their 'indiscriminate' use!

Yes!! That.

 

[Fatbee]

Karol makes very valid points. Honeybees are just one of many amazing insects but get protection from man because they give us honey. It's always "I'm squishing them to protect my bees". The detachment of humans from the natural environment is one of the problems of modern day and as beekeepers I think we should be pro nature because it gives us everything back.
I remember the same for and against them debates last year on the forum - this one will continue to rumble on!

 

[Hivemaker.]

I like wasps, and wish people would stop killing them, including this craze of trapping them, Karol could help in this situation by stopping the sale of these evil traps he manufactures, no wasps in this area last year, well very few, only saw one all year.

 

[Karol]

I like wasps, and wish people would stop killing them, including this craze of trapping them, Karol could help in this situation by stopping the sale of these evil traps he manufactures, no wasps in this area last year, well very few, only saw one all year.

I think that's a little unfair.

There is a world of difference between eradication and management and there is a world of difference between sexual progeny and workers. Having traps that are selective and highly specific means that only the barest minimum number of nuisance foraging wasps have to be controlled. It should also be born in mind that worker wasps at this stage are already 'dying' from starvation so the impact of the traps on wider ecology is very very minimal. It's about having your cake (read honey) and eating it!

I'm not going to apologise for the work we do in trying to achieve a responsible middle ground that is win win for bees, wasps and humans. I certainly won't apologise for the bee hives that we help save or the human lives for that matter.

Evil traps indeed!

 

[TOBY-3652]

I think it is such a shame when bee keepers lose touch with the balance of nature. By all means kill queen wasps before they establish their colonies. It's only the equivalent of letting 4-5 metric tonnes of insect pests live (per queen that you've killed) that'll then need pesticides to be controlled. Just don't complain if any of your bees are affected by pesticides or if there's a decline in natural fauna as a consequence of their 'indiscriminate' use!

my bees are on a farm and if u saw the amount of spray they use. its unreal I don't think me killing wasps is going to make one jot of a difference to how much spray they use.

 

[TOBY-3652]

You kill a queen in your area which might not have bothered your hive, maybe another more agressive one moves in & its colony devestates your hive. Why not wait & see! If you get wasps bothering your hives , then do something to stop them or kill them but to do it before they bother you is just like going out & killing foxes when they havent done anything to you or anyone else, its the same mental attitude. Like most persecuted pests they do more good than harm but people dont take the time to think about the good :-(

valid point to kill a queen THAT MIGHT not of bothered youre hives. but if I kill it IT WONT BOTHER MY HIVES.. and as to killing foxes I have seen what foxes do and here they are killed on sight

 

[jonnybeegood]

valid point to kill a queen THAT MIGHT not of bothered youre hives. but if I kill it IT WONT BOTHER MY HIVES.. and as to killing foxes I have seen what foxes do and here they are killed on sight

Ah! Great, another "kill on sight" beekeeper, & here was i thinking beekeepers were passionate about wildlife & thats why they took it up, i am finding various types coming to light on here. :-(

 

[Karsal]

Stirred up a Hornets nest!!

 

[kazmcc]

Stirred up a Hornets nest!!

........so to speak

 

[TOBY-3652]

Ah! Great, another "kill on sight" beekeeper, & here was i thinking beekeepers were passionate about wildlife & thats why they took it up, i am finding various types coming to light on here. :-(

I have lived in the countryside all my life I shoot hunt and fish I keep bees and iff the need arises I kill bees. I know where most of my meat comes from. I don't kill on sight at all

 

[TOBY-3652]

........so to speak

 

[kazmcc]

Moi?

 

[jonnybeegood]

I have lived in the countryside all my life I shoot hunt and fish I keep bees and iff the need arises I kill bees. I know where most of my meat comes from. I don't kill on sight at all

""valid point to kill a queen THAT MIGHT not of bothered youre hives. but if I kill it IT WONT BOTHER MY HIVES.. and as to killing foxes. I have seen what foxes do and here they are killed on sight"

You seem to contradict yourself in your two posts if you arent killing on sight?

 

[Karol]

my bees are on a farm and if u saw the amount of spray they use. its unreal I don't think me killing wasps is going to make one jot of a difference to how much spray they use.

Well that's alright then. Your conscience is clear.

 

[Erichalfbee]

my bees are on a farm and if u saw the amount of spray they use. its unreal I don't think me killing wasps is going to make one jot of a difference to how much spray they use.

I applaud your efforts in keeping your bees alive in the face of all the insecticide this farm sprays, then.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Well that's alright then. Your conscience is clear.

 

[madasafish]

Hi all
Beautiful few days here in Lancashire. All my hives have had bees flying and bringing in pollen. Signs are looking good but not being complacent. Checked the fondant containers on the hives today and they have gone mad.
I was surprised to see that over half of the 500 grams had been consumed since last Friday.
However I did notice a very large queen wasp emerging from the side of my compost bin yesterday. Looks like she had overwintered in the warmth of the decaying matter. Squished her so one less colony.
So if the bees are flying then the wasp queens are flying and on the lookout for a home. Keep an eye out for them.

You do realise that will become illegal - some day?

Under the plans to be debated by members, Article Five of the UN Declaration of Human Rights – stating “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” – would be extended to “all sentient life forms”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ven-human-rights-under-Green-Party-plans.html

 

[TOBY-3652]

You do realise that will become illegal - some day?

Under the plans to be debated by members, Article Five of the UN Declaration of Human Rights – stating “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” – would be extended to “all sentient life forms”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ven-human-rights-under-Green-Party-plans.html