Wasp traps

[Millet]

Yep, same as, emptied ours out today and brought it home for refilling - leftover jam and cheapo lager at 60p a can

+2

 

[Beefriendly]

Thumbs up for Waspbane here. A bit pricey, but it does ensure the scout wasps don’t escape and return with all their mates. For best effect site downwind of apiary.

There are no scout wasps, no communication.
But believe what you will. It's your money to waste on expensive traps that are sold to you with erroneous science and work no better (or even worse if you check out the Amazon reviews) than bottle traps with lager and jam...
Hers a link to a review, the relevant bit is quoted below.
"Some species of social wasps achieve colony sizes of 10inches or more (Jeanne, 1991),
comparable to those of ants, bees and termites that recruit to food. Many also
forage on rich, ephemeral food resources such as carrion (O'Donnell, 1995). Yet
the social wasps (Vespidae) remain the only group of eusocial insects for which
nest-based recruitment to a food source has not been clearly documented. There
is evidence for weak recruitment to concentrated food sources in some vespines.

 

[Ian123]

I put some plastic bottles out the other day round some commercial bins coke and jam not a single wasp I put another with some old salmon in a couple of inches of water now 3” or wasps and flys 6 more went up today

 

[Erichalfbee]

This is the best wasp trap

 

[Millet]

I put some plastic bottles out the other day round some commercial bins coke and jam not a single wasp I put another with some old salmon in a couple of inches of water now 3” or wasps and flys 6 more went up today

Good for you..

 

[Millet]

this is the best wasp trap

100% ..

 

[Millet]

There are no scout wasps, no communication.
But believe what you will. It's your money to waste on expensive traps that are sold to you with erroneous science and work no better (or even worse if you check out the Amazon reviews) than bottle traps with lager and jam...
Hers a link to a review, the relevant bit is quoted below.
"Some species of social wasps achieve colony sizes of 10inches or more (Jeanne, 1991),
comparable to those of ants, bees and termites that recruit to food. Many also
forage on rich, ephemeral food resources such as carrion (O'Donnell, 1995). Yet
the social wasps (Vespidae) remain the only group of eusocial insects for which
nest-based recruitment to a food source has not been clearly documented. There
is evidence for weak recruitment to concentrated food sources in some vespines.

I am in no way disagreeing or agreeing .. each to there own and so on..
I simply use a Trap of any kind that is effective regardless of any patent... if it catches and makes me dosh i am happy..them waspbanes sure do what it say's on the tin for sure.

 

[Fritillary]

I put some plastic bottles out the other day round some commercial bins coke and jam not a single wasp I put another with some old salmon in a couple of inches of water now 3” or wasps and flys 6 more went up today

What does that tell us? That the wasps where you are are still protein feeding and are not looking for sugar (yet)?

 

[TooBee...]

This is the best wasp trap

Which makes one think, that if the Bee Hive IS the best 'Wasp Lure' then why not turn it into a proper Wasp Trap,

here is a link to ApiShield
https://www.vita-europe.com/beehealth/products/apishield-hornet-trap/

here's an article on 'ApiBurg' - very similar product, giving more detail,
http://www.apimondia.com/congresses...s and other intruders - IFANTIDIS Michael.pdf

my only concern with what looks like a truly brilliant product, is that surely you would also trap your own bees? Or would one only trap quite low numbers??? I wish there were reviews of beekeepers or research done to see how many bees are trapped in it. I don't fancy paying for a Bee Trap, nor spending all that time (and money) building several only to find the cure is worse than the disease!

 

[Codford]

There are no scout wasps, no communication.
But believe what you will. It's your money to waste on expensive traps that are sold to you with erroneous science and work no better (or even worse if you check out the Amazon reviews) than bottle traps with lager and jam...
Hers a link to a review, the relevant bit is quoted below.
"Some species of social wasps achieve colony sizes of 10inches or more (Jeanne, 1991),
comparable to those of ants, bees and termites that recruit to food. Many also
forage on rich, ephemeral food resources such as carrion (O'Donnell, 1995). Yet
the social wasps (Vespidae) remain the only group of eusocial insects for which
nest-based recruitment to a food source has not been clearly documented. There
is evidence for weak recruitment to concentrated food sources in some vespines.

For the benefit of other new beekeepers reading this discussion and the avoidance of deja vue, I suggest you read the following informative thread: https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=40327 Particularly the exchanges between Beefriendly and Karol - and then make your own mind up!

 

[Karol]

There are no scout wasps, no communication.
But believe what you will. It's your money to waste on expensive traps that are sold to you with erroneous science and work no better (or even worse if you check out the Amazon reviews) than bottle traps with lager and jam...
Hers a link to a review, the relevant bit is quoted below.
"Some species of social wasps achieve colony sizes of 10inches or more (Jeanne, 1991),
comparable to those of ants, bees and termites that recruit to food. Many also
forage on rich, ephemeral food resources such as carrion (O'Donnell, 1995). Yet
the social wasps (Vespidae) remain the only group of eusocial insects for which
nest-based recruitment to a food source has not been clearly documented. There
is evidence for weak recruitment to concentrated food sources in some vespines.

Does it not concern you Beefriendly that your expressed 'opinion' on this subject may actually be harming bees by misguiding beekeepers into undertaking actions that expose their hives to greater risk?

The science is not erroneous. We have simply decided not to publish our research leaving it rather to academia to catch up, viz:

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-wasps-food-nearby.html or https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29564637

and

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26990864

and

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20963577

Wasps use a multitude of communication channels that include chemical, visual and tactile communication/recruitment to food sources. So whilst they don't have a waggle dance like honeybees, they do use (in addition to the communication methods cited in the above papers) wing vibration and limb semaphore to reinforce conspecific recruitment. The upshot of all of this is that wasp traps that attract wasps, allow them to feed and escape vastly increase risk. Using cheap low efficiency traps is a false economy if such traps result in hives being overwhelmed as is sadly still too frequently the case because of a continued lack of appreciation of wasp behaviour. And it isn't simply about traps. Protecting hives from wasps is a matter of integrated wasp management employing a range of strategies including for example selection and management of hive entrances.

 

[Beefriendly]

The science is not erroneous. We have simply decided not to publish our research leaving it rather to academia to catch up, viz:.

Why does that not surprise me.

 

[Karol]

Which assumes that you understand the reason behind the decision which I strongly doubt.

And you're not off the hook. This is a question of your conscience Beefriendly. Are you not concerned for the harm that you may be doing by misguiding beekeepers by your unfounded opinion?

Proof is in the eating as they say. The number of beekeepers employing integrated wasp management is growing precisely because the science works and the results are reproducible in the field. My conscience is clear!

 

[Beefriendly]

This is a question of your conscience Beefriendly. Are you not concerned for the harm that you may be doing by misguiding beekeepers by your unfounded opinion?

My opinion is backed up by an awful lot of published science.
What sticks in my throat is snake oil merchants peddling cheap plastic products at inflated prices under false premises. Now that IS misguiding beekeepers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Is that the same as misguiding people that a colony of wasps eat a tonne of prey insects a year whilst experts internationally after researching all sources agree it is between one and seventeen Kilograms?
And by experts I mean entomologists of PHD and Professor status, internationally recognised as specialists on Vespa species.

 

[Karol]

By all means Beefriendly, do share the published science which proves that home made pop bottle traps are effective at protecting bee hives!

This graph trashes your assertion that wasps do not scout or communicate food sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4798183/figure/pone.0152080.g001/

No treat and treat 1 reflect scouting behaviour. Treat 2 is where all scouting behaviour is inhibited.

My conscience is clear. Integrated wasp management supported with the use of high efficiency wasp traps works. Low efficiency wasp traps such as you espouse allow wasps to escape after feeding thereby increasing risk by raising the population of wasps in their vicinity and do nothing to prevent scouting wasps reaching the hive. Please provide the published scientific papers that you claim to have to the contrary.

 

[Ian123]

Seriously I don’t think we need published papers on wasp traps. The original poster just wanted some ideas for traps. Plastic bottle traps work well, are they as good as commercial versions I’ve no idea and don’t really care there’s enough dead wasps in them to prove to me they doing the job and I am happy enough. I suggest the op tries a few and if they don’t work or he wants to try the commercial variety he’s free to do so. So it’s easy place some traps around close up entrances don’t splash feed or honey around it’s just good practice and practical beekeeping JOB DONE

 

[Beefriendly]

Is that the same as misguiding people that a colony of wasps eat a tonne of prey insects a year whilst experts internationally after researching all sources agree it is between one and seventeen Kilograms?
And by experts I mean entomologists of PHD and Professor status, internationally recognised as specialists on Vespa species.

although the same self proclaimed "expurt" claimed it was 3 tons of prey insects or an elephants worth.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Asian, African or the now extinct Saharan Elephant?

 

[Beefriendly]

African forest...around 3 tons. T'others are bigger.