Wasp traps

[Karol]

Scouting is the desired effect?

Sorry PBee. I must be having a dense moment because I can't quite figure out your post, i.e. whether you are asking the question or making a statement?

 

[PBee]

More of an observation ..... the repeated keywords lead to the business end.

I agree with AdrianSmith on the general point.

 

[Karol]

More of an observation ..... the repeated keywords lead to the business end.

Come on PBee, you can be more direct than that.

I agree with AdrianSmith on the general point.

That's fine. Let wasps have their way and allow hives to succumb. I've already posted to that effect, i.e. I believe wasps improve bee fitness by weeding out weaker colonies. But what do you say to the beek who's desparate to save their hive?

Tough?

 

[PBee]

.........

That's fine. Let wasps have their way and allow hives to succumb. I've already posted to that effect, i.e. I believe wasps improve bee fitness by weeding out weaker colonies. But what do you say to the beek who's desparate to save their hive?

Tough?

I would say reach for your wallet ...... and quickly shove it deeper into the back pocket ...... it's called IWM - integrated wallet management.

Control of robbing by bees or wasps is mostly about hygiene of apiary and environs, and preventative management. At this time of year minimal opening (or leaving open) of hives, feeding only when necessary and at night, and reduced entrances on weaker colonies is good practice.

If the robbing is in progress, reduce the entrance to one beeway and if they are still not able to defend then shut up completely and remove to a cool place for a day. Replace just before nightfall and monitor the following day etc.

I have to say that I put up with a lot of flack on this forum despite taking great care to act within its rules. I sacrifice hours of my time for your collective benefit and trust me, the two or three dozen traps that I might sell each year to bee keepers isn't worth this kind of indignation.

"Wasps: Just live with them?"

Breath taking ignorance!

..............

King Julian-esque! ........ 'Hurry up ... before we all come to our senses'

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQYzQVOEXHs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQYzQVOEXHs[/ame]

 

[Karol]

I would say reach for your wallet ...... and quickly shove it deeper into the back pocket ...... it's called IWM - integrated wallet management.

Control of robbing by bees or wasps is mostly about hygiene of apiary and environs, and preventative management. At this time of year minimal opening (or leaving open) of hives, feeding only when necessary and at night, and reduced entrances on weaker colonies is good practice.

If the robbing is in progress, reduce the entrance to one beeway and if they are still not able to defend then shut up completely and remove to a cool place for a day. Replace just before nightfall and monitor the following day etc.

Don't disagree with anything that you've said. Still results in losses and that's fine where bee keepers are willing to live with them (the losses). But what do you advise beeks to do when they've tried all the things you describe and they still don't work?

Use pesticides 'indiscriminantly' on nests around about............ Hmmmm! Can't see that fits in with your outlook.

I know, fish out the wallet and pay bucket loads more to replace the hive! That's fine if the loss was predicated on a weak/sick hive, but what if it was a healthy hive and its only weakness was that it was small?

King Julian-esque! ........ 'Hurry up ... before we all come to our senses'

I know, it made me cringe reading it cold the next day. Still didn't change the sense of indignation I felt at being told I should be ignored as though I were only on forum to 'profiteer' from my contributions. Not just that but the post was unidimensional (it is afterall a bee keeping forum) without regard to the wider health impact that wasps have.

Anyway, may your bees remain safe and the moths dessicate in your wallet!

 

[AdrianSmith]

Still didn't change the sense of indignation I felt at being told I should be ignored as though I were only on forum to 'profiteer' from my contributions. Not just that but the post was unidimensional (it is afterall a bee keeping forum) without regard to the wider health impact that wasps have.

Hi Karol, you were quite right to feel indignant and I do appologise for that unnecessary dig.

As you say, this is a beekeeping forum, and I'm quite happy to display a "breathtaking ignorance" of age-old human-health aspects of wasps. We're all ignorant of something

One of the reasons I like this forum is that "angst" is shared and an experienced beek can come along and put the angst it to bed.
I made the observation that my hives get inspected by wasps daily; wasp traps of any efficiency aren't going to change that; and it really doesn't matter until they find something to exploit. That helps my stop worrying about solving something that doesn't need solving. If someone else says "Oh yes, I agree", than that's the forum being useful.
Obviously, if you do have a problem then you're in a different situattion and need to do something.

Is discussion of high/low efiiciency wasp traps helpful, or is it feeding peoples angst?

 

[Karol]

Hi Karol, you were quite right to feel indignant and I do appologise for that unnecessary dig.

Thank you Adrian. Much appreciated.

As you say, this is a beekeeping forum, and I'm quite happy to display a "breathtaking ignorance" of age-old human-health aspects of wasps. We're all ignorant of something

I find this a terribly difficult subject to navigate in so far as striking the right balance seems almost impossible. It's essential not to hype up fear so as not to panic people unnecessarily (and not be accused of trying to sell on people's fears) whilst at the same time convey enough so that people don't take a cavalier approach and take unnecessary risks.

One of the reasons I like this forum is that "angst" is shared and an experienced beek can come along and put the angst it to bed.
I made the observation that my hives get inspected by wasps daily; wasp traps of any efficiency aren't going to change that; and it really doesn't matter until they find something to exploit. That helps my stop worrying about solving something that doesn't need solving. If someone else says "Oh yes, I agree", than that's the forum being useful.

I absolutely agree. There's no need to use any traps if you don't have a problem and in the vast majority of cases there will be no problem. The prophylactic use of traps is unnecessary with the caveat that bee husbandry is good enough to keep a regular eye on things to spot any problems developing. That's not to say that if beeks choose to use traps prophylactically then that's fine so long as they choose one that doesn't actually precipitate a problem where there wasn't a problem in the first place.

Obviously, if you do have a problem then you're in a different situattion and need to do something.

Understanding what is the critical bit. It's so easy to get it wrong simply because managing wasps is full of unexpected contradictions.

Is discussion of high/low efiiciency wasp traps helpful, or is it feeding peoples angst?

I can only answer that by saying that those bee keepers whose hives have been saved through the use of high efficiency traps (where low efficiency traps have failed) have gone out of their way to show their appreciation. I haven't yet (without wishing to tempt fate) encountered the reverse situation. This could not have happened without first embarking on such a conversation. I would like to think that angst isn't always a bad thing because it demonstrates a degree of caring. Unnecessary angst can only be a bad thing. What I can't answer is whether discussing high/low efficiency traps feeds unnecessary angst because I guess that comes back to your point of whether there's a problem in the first place.

Chicken and egg I guess!

Kind regards,

Karol

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

My boy was in Casualty at the age of 5 after sitting down at a picnic table with a wasps' nest in one of the tubes. And where I am now, the hornets patrol the spiders' webs and pluck them out of there. Hymenoptera; nothing if not varied.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

So, roughly speaking, how long before the wasp problem recedes?

Dusty.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

So, roughly speaking, how long before the wasp problem recedes?

Dusty.

Plums are ripening now plus pears will be along any time soon so a different target for wasps. I still have my can of red diesel to share out among any wasp nests I find and my simple jam jar with hole in the lid traps are thick with drowned wasps.

 

[Erichalfbee]

So, roughly speaking, how long before the wasp problem recedes?

Dusty.

When it gets cold?

 

[Karol]

So, roughly speaking, how long before the wasp problem recedes?

Dusty.

Sometime after the last of the ivy stops flowering. If they have a good food source they can survive right through to January. The cold doesn't bother them per se.