Wasps!

[Elaine]

We've just got back indoors after destroying a wasps nest :-(. Unfortunately they had set up home less than half a metre from one hive, and about 1.5m from another. Never one to pussyfoot about derek used a 2ft flamethrower!!!! Actually it was a large nozzle on the propane torch, but has made sure that the nest is completely destroyed. I don't think they were managing to get into the hives yet, but I still have a couple of smaller colonies in the apiary. We were really reluctant to do it, but so close to the hives, we felt we had no alternative.

 

[Millet]

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.

It nearly made sense.. lol ..

 

[dpearce4]

I noticed a few around some of my hives today. very early this year. will have to keep an eye on them and also reduce down the entrances when I get back from holiday.

 

[kazmcc]

We've just got back indoors after destroying a wasps nest :-(. Unfortunately they had set up home less than half a metre from one hive, and about 1.5m from another. Never one to pussyfoot about derek used a 2ft flamethrower!!!! Actually it was a large nozzle on the propane torch, but has made sure that the nest is completely destroyed. I don't think they were managing to get into the hives yet, but I still have a couple of smaller colonies in the apiary. We were really reluctant to do it, but so close to the hives, we felt we had no alternative.

You may have just destroyed your best defense for keeping wasps away from your hives I think. I think I recall a post stating that wasps will not allow another wasp anywhere near their nest, although I can't remember if I read they rarely feed near home. Karol will be able to tell you better than I can. The post more or less stated that having a nest nearby was actually a very good form of defense.

 

[Millet]

The best defense is to destroy the wasp nest with chemical's in the dark.. all occupant's will be dead instant or by first light. that is the easy bit finding the nest is a whole different ball game like i have mentioned..

 

[Elaine]

You may have just destroyed your best defense for keeping wasps away from your hives I think. I think I recall a post stating that wasps will not allow another wasp anywhere near their nest, although I can't remember if I read they rarely feed near home. Karol will be able to tell you better than I can. The post more or less stated that having a nest nearby was actually a very good form of defense.

I'm afraid it would still have had to go, as it was where I need to stand to do inspections, but I'm sure there are other wasps nests in the garden, which I won't do anything about them unless I absolutely have to.

 

[kazmcc]

I'm afraid it would still have had to go, as it was where I need to stand to do inspections, but I'm sure there are other wasps nests in the garden, which I won't do anything about them unless I absolutely have to.

Check with Karol first though, I may have remembered it wrong. He will be able to explain it much better than I lol

 

[Karol]

If a wasp nest has to be destroyed and there will be occasions where this is necessary then it's essential that this is done correctly. Do it the wrong way and you risk greater attacks on your hives. There are a number of simple rules to follow.

1. Is the nest still in the hunting phase? If so the adult wasps will be getting their sugars from their own grubs. Destroy the nest without destroying the adults and you create a premature swarm of as many as 5000 hungry wasps that will have to find their sugar from elsewhere and that will probably mean from your hives.

2. If the nest is hunting and you have to destroy it for HUMAN safety reasons do so when the wasps are in the nest so as to kill all the adults. Best time is the crack of dawn before they start flying or at night. When wasp nests are in their hunting phase they pose little if any risk to hives. At this stage they are highly territorial and will chase other foreign wasps away so if they are in close proximity to your hives they will actually help protect them.

3. Wasp nests turn to sweet feeding after they have released their sexuality progeny. This is when nests in close proximity to hives may turn from game keeper to poacher. This requires monitoring. If wasps are seen attacking the hive then treat the nest as stated above when the adults are nest bound. The nests will still be territorial but not as much. I know of quite a few bee keepers who leave such nests in place without any bother to their hives.

 

[Karol]

I'm afraid it would still have had to go, as it was where I need to stand to do inspections, but I'm sure there are other wasps nests in the garden, which I won't do anything about them unless I absolutely have to.

If these nests are more than 10 metres from the hives then these will be the ones to monitor closely. Once they have turned to sweet feeding they will represent the greatest immediate challenge to your hives but again there's no need to automatically destroy them until there's evidence that they are a problem. Certainly don't destroy the nests whilst they are still in their hunting phase (quite easy to tell because you'll see high activity around the nest with a constant stream of foragers returning with insect prey). Once they are in the sweet feeding stage the activity at the nest drops of quite markedly and this is when you need to observe your hives more closely for wasp attack. If your hives are being bothered by lots of wasps then eradicate those sweet feeding nests that you are aware of. This won't incidentally affect the eco-balance because next year's progeny will have left and it will only be the 'old' colony that you'll destroy which is by definition on it's way out anyway.

 

[YorkshireBees]

If these nests are more than 10 metres from the hives then these will be the ones to monitor closely. Once they have turned to sweet feeding they will represent the greatest immediate challenge to your hives but again there's no need to automatically destroy them until there's evidence that they are a problem. Certainly don't destroy the nests whilst they are still in their hunting phase (quite easy to tell because you'll see high activity around the nest with a constant stream of foragers returning with insect prey). Once they are in the sweet feeding stage the activity at the nest drops of quite markedly and this is when you need to observe your hives more closely for wasp attack. If your hives are being bothered by lots of wasps then eradicate those sweet feeding nests that you are aware of. This won't incidentally affect the eco-balance because next year's progeny will have left and it will only be the 'old' colony that you'll destroy which is by definition on it's way out anyway.

Great advice on Wasps (as usual from Karol).

 

[Elaine]

Thank you for your advice, Karol. The nest we destroyed I think was still in the hunting phase, but we were careful to wait until it was dark and there were no more returning to the nest, but its position and the number of wasps coming and going during the day meant it had to be dealt with before I could inspect one of the hives. I hope that as the small colonies increase in size, combined with the design of our hive entrances which help the bees defend against any in-comers, will mean that I don't have to do anything about the other nest/s.

 

[Karol]

You are most welcome. I'm delighted to be of some help. Wasps are a real health hazard so taking senseless risks is silly. Always better to err on the side of caution and be safe.

 

[For want of a better word]

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.

I place small wasp traps next to colonies when the wasps start to become a nuisance, and bait them with jam and cider vinegar, plus a drop of washing up liquid.

The 2 liter size traps with the rotting KittyKat / cider and drop of washing up liquid get put far away from the apiaries... with the intention of eliminating as many wasps as possible.

Am I doing this right??

A sheet of glass placed over the front of a colony of bees seems to help prevent wasp attack... are wasps less intelligent than bees?? as they appear to be unable to work out that it is possible to gain access to the colony by flying around the back of the glass!

What is Ficam B?

Yeghes da

 

[Karol]

I place small wasp traps next to colonies when the wasps start to become a nuisance, and bait them with jam and cider vinegar, plus a drop of washing up liquid.

The 2 liter size traps with the rotting KittyKat / cider and drop of washing up liquid get put far away from the apiaries... with the intention of eliminating as many wasps as possible.

Am I doing this right??

Sorry Icanhopit but forum rules make it difficult for me to answer this question because of my vested interests.

A sheet of glass placed over the front of a colony of bees seems to help prevent wasp attack... are wasps less intelligent than bees??

Wasps are highly intelligent just wired differently and therefore respond to different cues.

as they appear to be unable to work out that it is possible to gain access to the colony by flying around the back of the glass!

Using a glass pane is a neat little trick but as with everything there are lots of other factors that come into play not least the amount of time that wasps have before they learn to circumvent the glass. It really depends on how desperate the wasps are as to how long they will persist. When food is abundant they won't waste their energy too long before they go for the easier plunder. When food is scarce or when there's lots of competition from other wasp colonies then they may expend more effort/time and eventually work things out.

 

[theeggman]

Sorry Icanhopit but forum rules make it difficult for me to answer this question because of my vested interests..

Karol, within the limitations placed on you, you do a good job of educating us. again.

 

[biglongdarren]

i have a wasps nest the size of a football under a large deep roof within feet of my hives and it can stay there as long as it likes,

with my hives being so strong i can't see it becoming a problem.

Darren

 

[For want of a better word]

i have a wasps nest the size of a football under a large deep roof within feet of my hives and it can stay there as long as it likes,

with my hives being so strong i can't see it becoming a problem.

Darren

Keep your friends close to you and your enemies even closer!!!

Trelawny​

Yeghes da

 

[Tremyfro]

What great information from Karol....thank you .
No wasps to be seen today around the hives so hopefully....it is the scouts which are in my traps.

 

[Millet]

I place small wasp traps next to colonies when the wasps start to become a nuisance, and bait them with jam and cider vinegar, plus a drop of washing up liquid.

The 2 liter size traps with the rotting KittyKat / cider and drop of washing up liquid get put far away from the apiaries... with the intention of eliminating as many wasps as possible.

Am I doing this right??

A sheet of glass placed over the front of a colony of bees seems to help prevent wasp attack... are wasps less intelligent than bees?? as they appear to be unable to work out that it is possible to gain access to the colony by flying around the back of the glass!

What is Ficam B?

Yeghes da

Do you mean Ficam D which mean's ficam dry.. give google a quick search it will save me talking rubbish.. lol ..keep it well away from your bee's and hives though as they only need to stand in it for a second and they are history..

 

[megadyptes]

I noticed a wasp nosing round the hive this evening when pottering around the garden. What surprised me (what with only having had bees a couple on months) was just how little notice the bees took of it. I assumed that any wasp that came within two feet of a hive would instantly be marked for death and attacked with extreme prejudice, but not a bit of it.

It kept disappearing under the hive, so i thought it may be gaining access via the OMF somehow, but having laid down and had a look, it the wasp was jut walking over the underside of the OMF and the ~50 bees that were also under there paid no attention to it, even to the extent that the wasp was walking over them and they didn't react.

It also seemed to go off on a little patrol of the seam between the BB and Super and also had a sniff around the entrance. Again, the bees just ignored it despite several of them flying straight into it when leaving the hive.

The entrance is only ~3" wide (the smallest hole the entrance bock has), and is normally fairly busy with bees, so I guess if the wasp tried to enter they'd have a go at it, but as a newbie the paranoia has me imaging open the hive this weekend and finding i've become the proud owner of a family of feral wasp.

I guess there's not much i can do to discourage the wasp, short of taking up camp next to the hive and becoming a Raid sniper whenever I see it and hope the bees don't become collateral damage. All joking aside, is this anything to worry about?