Wasps

[Karol]

Which is why I try to catch queens this time of year, it’s part of my integrated management regime.

Eradication management regime.

Integrated wasp management utilizes wasps for their ecological benefits and manages them when they become a nuisance. Best of both worlds. If all the beekeepers in the UK followed your model it would have a significant impact. Queen wasps naturally have a high mortality rate circa 1499 dead for each one that survives so killing 'just a few' more does make a difference. Want healthy OSR without pesticides. Have a strong wasp population and it'll knock the flea beetle into a cocked hat so your bees can enjoy!

 

[Repwoc]

Queen wasps naturally have a high mortality rate circa 1499 dead for each one that survives

How many queens does a wasp colony issue on average?

 

[BugsInABox]

How many queens does a wasp colony issue on average?

‘Circa’ 1499 + 1. .

 

[Karol]

How many queens does a wasp colony issue on average?

As in all things natural it varies but circa 1500

 

[Repwoc]

‘Circa’ 1499 + 1. .

Yeah - I thought that as I was clicking 'post reply'

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Eradication management regime.

Integrated wasp management utilizes wasps for their ecological benefits and manages them when they become a nuisance. Best of both worlds. If all the beekeepers in the UK followed your model it would have a significant impact. Queen wasps naturally have a high mortality rate circa 1499 dead for each one that survives so killing 'just a few' more does make a difference. Want healthy OSR without pesticides. Have a strong wasp population and it'll knock the flea beetle into a cocked hat so your bees can enjoy!

If in New Zealand this stuff is effective but needs proper application - vespex Vespex| Merchento

 

[Karol]

If in New Zealand this stuff is effective but needs proper application - vespex Vespex| Merchento

Its use in the UK would be totally irresponsible. Vespula species in New Zealand are non native and are wreaking havoc to indigenous species so eradication is an appropriate objective. That is not the case in the UK. Our ecological system has evolved with vespula species and requires their contribution to stay in balance. OSR and flea beetle is a prime example. There was such doom mongering that without neonics OSR would fail. Has it? No! Why? Because in the absence of neonics wasp populations are recovering and taking care of flea beetle and other pests naturally without the need for pesticides. As for Vespex I would not like to promote further decline of British birds which is one of the risks with mass scale poison and release. The risk balance ratio in New Zealand is that wasps represent a bigger threat to bird species than the toxin. That's not the case in the UK.

 

[Erichalfbee]

As in all things natural it varies but circa 1500

Crikey.......just shows many perish in winter

 

[philipm]

My hives were wiped out by wasps last year but I woudn't dream of going on a campaign to wipe them out in the spring. This year I will rethink my plan to keep the wasps out ,after all they are only doing what wasps do in the autumn.

 

[The Poot]

Crikey.......just shows many perish in winter

I can’t believe 1499 die in the Winter, leaving 1 to start a colony. Shiny found 17 in his gazebo. I find several in my log store every Spring. Folk immediately jump to the conclusion I want to eradicate them, I don’t. I am trying to manage them in my small area by removing some of the 1499 that didn’t snuff it in the Winter. Also, any European hornets I catch, I release. I am trapping for Asian hornet as my main priority and the queen wasps are really a bit of a by product.

 

[Karol]

My hives were wiped out by wasps last year but I woudn't dream of going on a campaign to wipe them out in the spring. This year I will rethink my plan to keep the wasps out ,after all they are only doing what wasps do in the autumn.

I'm sorry to hear you lost your hives to wasps. More than happy to provide advice on integrated wasp management if you think you'd find it helpful.

 

[Karol]

I can’t believe 1499 die in the Winter, leaving 1 to start a colony. Shiny found 17 in his gazebo. I find several in my log store every Spring. Folk immediately jump to the conclusion I want to eradicate them, I don’t. I am trying to manage them in my small area by removing some of the 1499 that didn’t snuff it in the Winter. Also, any European hornets I catch, I release. I am trapping for Asian hornet as my main priority and the queen wasps are really a bit of a by product.

Queen wasps have to survive from when they mate (which can be as early as the last week in July and as late as the end of October / beginning of November) until they become nest bound which is usually around the end of April. They are nomadic and solitary and highly vulnerable for much of this time. Most perish in the autumn and spring rather than the depths of winter when everything slows down.

When it comes to hibernation then there are only so many suitable hibernation sites. Given that you can have as many as 1000 wasp nests per square mile depending on topography, conurbations and available food sources it's easy to see how 17 queens might find the same space to hibernate in given that that square mile might produce one and a half million queens.

 

[user 819]

My colonies that were being pounded by the blighters last year all have come thru and today inspections of those three show none worse for the wear.
I was concerned about one as the wasps were walking about on the the underside of the polycarb last Autumn.
One was a nuc with reduced entrance they appeared to deal with them ok, the other two had the UFE set back entrance which didn't deter them.
Over winter I have modified spare UFE floors to incorporate a sliding poly closer albeit with a pair of 8 mm holes drilled for defending instead of the 8 - 9mm full width. Currently with no wasps sliders are open so back to full width UFE entrance.
Nice to see them busily foraging in the nice warmish sun today.