Wasps!

[Tremyfro]

We did inspections on all our colonies yesterday. We were constantly harangued by wasps. We only saw a few last year. I must have dispatched at least 10 when they managed to get onto a frame..whilst they had their heads in the honey! I have one quite small weak Nuc....I already have the entrance reduced....but I am expecting by the time I get back next weekend...that they will be overcome!
We saw a number being dragged out by bees in other hives. It seems early this year as August is usually the time the wasps are about.
As soon as I get back...wasp defence measures will be high on the to do list!

 

[Millet]

I had similar problem's last week but not as bad as you.. if i could find the nest i would fill it full of Ficam - W but it's easier said than done when the hive is surrounded by deciduous farm land..

 

[kazmcc]

We did inspections on all our colonies yesterday. We were constantly harangued by wasps. We only saw a few last year. I must have dispatched at least 10 when they managed to get onto a frame..whilst they had their heads in the honey! I have one quite small weak Nuc....I already have the entrance reduced....but I am expecting by the time I get back next weekend...that they will be overcome!
We saw a number being dragged out by bees in other hives. It seems early this year as August is usually the time the wasps are about.
As soon as I get back...wasp defence measures will be high on the to do list!

Perhaps someone has treated a nest nearby, thereby forcing them to sweet feed. This is the problem with treating nests. They are becoming noticable around now, so lots of people are having them destroyed, or doing it themselves.

 

[Tremyfro]

I think they were just opportunistic....not many people around us....I haven't treated any wasps nests...no chance of finding them anyway as we are also surrounded by farmland and forest. I do have a waspbane...I will try it out when I get back. I expect it has something to do with the lack of forage...and easy pickings in the beehives.

 

[kazmcc]

I'm no wasp expert, but I do know nests have built up recently so as people are noticing them. I've had 3 messages this week from friends who have only just noticed they have wasps nests, and there are a few in the group.

I hope they don't over run your nuc. I can't watch when wasps home in on a hive, it's awful.

Where's Karol when you need him? lol

 

[madasafish]

Just removed a wasp's nest from a shed as a Swarmcatcher. All of three minutes work...

 

[Millet]

They are easy enough to get rid of.. it's finding the nest's that can be the problem..

 

[Hawklord]

...i would fill it full of Ficam - W but it's easier said than done when the hive is surrounded by deciduous farm land..

Do you mean Fucam? Would catching wasps in jars and then releasing them next day give you direction to the nest?

 

[Karol]

We did inspections on all our colonies yesterday. We were constantly harangued by wasps. We only saw a few last year. I must have dispatched at least 10 when they managed to get onto a frame..whilst they had their heads in the honey! I have one quite small weak Nuc....I already have the entrance reduced....but I am expecting by the time I get back next weekend...that they will be overcome!
We saw a number being dragged out by bees in other hives. It seems early this year as August is usually the time the wasps are about.
As soon as I get back...wasp defence measures will be high on the to do list!

With nucs it's wise to implement protection measures early and not wait. The strategy is to keep wasps in the 'individuals scouting' zone and not let them progress to swarm or frenzied feeding. That way even nucs should be able to deal with them. What you don't want to do is squash wasps in or around the hive because the alarm pheromone that they produce as they die quickly elevates the wasp attack to the frenzied state and that's not good.

 

[Karol]

I think they were just opportunistic....not many people around us....I haven't treated any wasps nests...no chance of finding them anyway as we are also surrounded by farmland and forest. I do have a waspbane...I will try it out when I get back. I expect it has something to do with the lack of forage...and easy pickings in the beehives.

Doesn't have to be humans. Badgers are partial to a little wasp grub protein.

 

[For want of a better word]

Weak honeybee colonies will probably be overcome with wasps quite easily.

Time to cull weak queens and merge ready for overwintering?

Setting wasp traps baited with the things wasps like to eat ( Rotting KittyKat, rancid cheese, fermenting fruit, gone off cider and beer) will only result in bringing wasps into the apiary and neighbourhood.

Yeghes da

 

[Millet]

Do you mean Fucam? Would catching wasps in jars and then releasing them next day give you direction to the nest?

No Col .. it's Ficam W ..it's a industrial insecticide the stuff i have is to be mixed with water .. i use it in the chicken shed every year too wipe red mite population's out.. it stay's active for around 10 day's even when dry so anything that walk's across the surface or land's on it is quickly killed..

Ficam D is better for wasp's but W still work's..

http://www.pestfix.co.uk/bayer-ficam-w-bendiocarb-wettable-powder-insecticide.asp

 

[Erichalfbee]

Time to get out the waspbane traps.

 

[user 6228]

if your nucs have a circular entrance extend it with a piece of plastic tube. This gives the guards a more defendable entrance and will potentially increase the number of bees they have to pass before getting to the brood chamber.

 

[Tremyfro]

if your nucs have a circular entrance extend it with a piece of plastic tube. This gives the guards a more defendable entrance and will potentially increase the number of bees they have to pass before getting to the brood chamber.

Now that is good advice...will do that as soon as I get home. Thx

 

[kazmcc]

if your nucs have a circular entrance extend it with a piece of plastic tube. This gives the guards a more defendable entrance and will potentially increase the number of bees they have to pass before getting to the brood chamber.

I think this is one of the recommended courses of action on the waspbane site. There are some other great suggestions there too. I am not advertising lol, it's just there is a lot of good info on there about dealing with wasps, and isn't just suggestions to use the product.

 

[madasafish]

They are easy enough to get rid of.. it's finding the nest's that can be the problem..

Having walked round the garden this pm, badgers have found one nest, and have dug it up and eaten all the brood..I sprayed the rest with water and washing up liquid..

 

[Tremyfro]

I away ATM so can't do anything but I do have a waspbane so will put that out next weekend. I hope they can hold out until then.

 

[YorkshireBees]

I know it's no help to you but this is the resaon I haven't removed my entrance blocks for 3-4 years. They don't have a problem bringing in the honey and it's a lot easier for them to defend!

Plus ofc keeping strong colonies.

I also saw wasps buzzing round the hives during my inspections today for the first time.

 

[Karol]

Setting wasp traps baited with the things wasps like to eat ( Rotting KittyKat, rancid cheese, fermenting fruit, gone off cider and beer) will only result in bringing wasps into the apiary and neighbourhood.

Yeghes da

That's probably too simplistic a view. Wasps will naturally be attracted to hives. I whole heartedly agree that every effort should be made to reduce the number of attractants around hives but when it comes to wasp traps then it's a little more complex. Wasp traps essentially have two modalities of attraction. The first is the attraction of the trap limited by its physical performance and the size of the scent plume it produces. This feature is essential for good performance. The second modality is communicable attraction. This is where the trouble starts. Traps with high communicable attraction are a liability to hives as they attract more wasps than would otherwise be attracted by the physical limitations of the trap and they put hives at risk. When using high efficiency wasp traps (that have no communicable attraction) the trick is to place the trap so that it's scent plume is confined within the natural scent plume of the hives and that way it won't increase risk but will actively help defend the hives. Hope this makes sense.