Wasp traps and their siting

[redpola]

I sense this may be one of those six-people-say-yes-and-half-a-dozen-people-say-no discussions, but for the first time today I saw wasps trying to get in my hive. This led me to think about wasp traps. I did a little reading and it seems the consensus is something like

• A few wasps are probably not a problem
• Wasp traps will attract many more wasps
• Closing the entrance somewhat will be helpful

Is this a reasonable summary?

My question is largely about traps, however. I'd like to make sure that if it did become a problem I'd feel confident in that I could take actions to deal with it. So of course I've been thinking about how I'd deploy traps.

If traps do in fact encourage more wasps, then surely there must be a strategy for siting the traps: near enough to the hive such that the wasps sense the bait and find it preferable to my girls' honey; but far enough from the hive that I'm not actually increasing wasp traffic near the hive substantially.

Is there a magic distance, or am I being a little idealistic and it's a "try and try again" technique?

Should I be even thinking about traps at all? Are they ever a sensible option?

Cheers,

Neil.

 

[onriver]

Hi Neil
there has just been a v useful thread about wasp traps, which might be worth reading before you take the plunge?
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5818

 

[redpola]

Duh- I had searched but somehow failed to spot it. Apologies!

 

[Winker]

• A few wasps are probably not a problem Agreed
• Wasp traps will attract many more wasps Disagree
• Closing the entrance somewhat will be helpful Agreed

 

[region2]

Disagree - why?

 

[johnc]

Hello,

This is my second year of bee keeping, last year I used jam jars and bought wasp traps.
I caurght hundreds of wasps, but it occured to me that I was attracting them to the apiary.
in fact I found it much easyer to spot wasps during inspections than the queen!!
This year I am using a imitation wasp nest hung from a tree above the bee hives (4)
so far, I am very pleased with the device. not 100% but 95% effective.
details may be found in an article by Helen Yemm, in the gardening section of the Daily Telegragh-23rd July.

 

[Winker]

Disagree - why?

Look at my wasp traps i took out yesterday.... The were only there for 4 days to catch all that.

there must be over 100 wasps between the 2 botles. I have not seen so many wasps since i started traping them. So it looks like they are working, If they all come from one nest that must be 10% of the wasps in one nest.