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silentscyther

New Bee
Joined
Jun 10, 2021
Messages
27
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Number of Hives
Two
Hello
I am a complete newbie but now have a National with a small nucleus colony happily laying eggs and foraging. I also have a Warre with a swarm. The Warre is under the overhang of a stable that’s just used for storage. On the inside of the adjacent stable door is a wasp’s nest. Should I be worried or will a wasp excluder to reduce the entrance on both hives be enough to prevent entry? I really hate to think of killing creatures. I wondered about possibly giving the wasps there own sugar/fruit fix to divert them away from the bees later in the summer? Does anyone have any advice please?
 

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Personally, I wouldn't do anything at this point, as we are still weeks away from the time when wasps will become an issue. When we do get into robbing season you can assess the situation and potentially destroy the wasp colony then (use reducers, as you say, to help the colony defend itself).

I CERTAINLY wouldn't feed anything to the wasps - all you will do is attract every wasp (and robbing bee) for miles around to your location.
 
Last year my colonies were being attacked by wasps and it wasn’t pretty. I fitted tunnels as entrances which helped prevent wasps gaining entry to the hives, but bees were being killed in large numbers outside the hive.
I hunted down and destroyed four nests and solved the problem.
I also dislike killing creatures but sometimes it becomes necessary.
You need to assess the pros and cons and make your own decision.
I‘ve attached a photo of the tunnel entrance I made which was very effective in preventing wasps entering / bees defending.
It created a tunnel which extended to under the brood nest made from electrical conduit.
 

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I only mention it now as if I really have to remove the wasp nest I’d so prefer to do it before it gets any bigger. The old and really rather big one is next to the little one in construction.[/QUOTE]
 
If your concerned about killing the wasps you could probably capture that small nest in an empty jar.
Put the lid on with a few air holes in it and then relocate it somewhere else.
Somewhere miles from your hive, but not near mine 😂
 
As above: a large wasps nest in Autumn /late summer is not to be trifled with.
Remove it in evening when not many flying, place in bucket , cover with lid or tea towel and relocate as far as possible. (A water sprayer is useful).
 
Thanks guys! Relocating is making sense..I couldn't imagine doing it with the big one..but that little one looks do-able. Think I may well suit up!
 
Looks to me like you're going to have an on going problem with Wasps noting this years nest being built next door to last years.

You need to assess whether or not your hives will be strong enough to defend a sustained wasp attack when the time comes and if not, you will be indirectly contributing to their demise if you decide on no action thereby pricking your conscience re killing things.

FWIW I would remove the small wasp nest thus bringing an untimely demise to just a couple of inhabitants therefore easier on your mind and removal of the old nest. The alternative is a large nest with heavy predation on your hives with a bigger problem to solve.

Pays yer money takes yer chance....
 
Last year my colonies were being attacked by wasps and it wasn’t pretty. I fitted tunnels as entrances which helped prevent wasps gaining entry to the hives, but bees were being killed in large numbers outside the hive.
I hunted down and destroyed four nests and solved the problem.
I also dislike killing creatures but sometimes it becomes necessary.
You need to assess the pros and cons and make your own decision.
I‘ve attached a photo of the tunnel entrance I made which was very effective in preventing wasps entering / bees defending.
It created a tunnel which extended to under the brood nest made from electrical conduit.
Just thinking. Could it be the entrance feeder contributes to the problem? All that extra sweetness close to the entrance and I bet you spill a bit topping up?;)
 
Do they use it?
In the Winter they did, but the damp around it didn’t do the hive much good. Consigned to the bin in March.
I had a complaint from my neighbour that my bees were draining her pond, so I tried to prevent them flying there. Since then the free of charge local honey has made the bees welcome at the pond.....🐝
 
Hello
I am a complete newbie but now have a National with a small nucleus colony happily laying eggs and foraging. I also have a Warre with a swarm. The Warre is under the overhang of a stable that’s just used for storage. On the inside of the adjacent stable door is a wasp’s nest. Should I be worried or will a wasp excluder to reduce the entrance on both hives be enough to prevent entry? I really hate to think of killing creatures. I wondered about possibly giving the wasps there own sugar/fruit fix to divert them away from the bees later in the summer? Does anyone have any advice please?
Recognising that wasps have benefits I don't advise killing the nest for the sake of it but if there's a potential for harm to my colonies or family I take steps to eradicate the threat. If the nest is as obviously accessible as yours a trigger spray set to jet and containing a cupful of common or garden (cheap) red diesel to soak the paper will kill the inhabitants. A couple of days later scrape it off, take it to a bonfire or incinerator and burn it.
OR use a proprietory wasp killer but bear in mind the professional grade stuff needs careful handling. Ficam W (wettable to use in water) was my go to treatment but I believe its been withdrawn from sale. Digrain is a replacement product but I've not had occasion to use it.
OR Google waspex in New Zealand but use of the recipe requires early use while wasps are protein feeding and raises green/environmental objections so it's not sold in the UK
It's worth saying most wasps can pass through any hole a bee can. Restricting the entrance size or creating a defensible path (tunnel, underfloor entrance or other similar) gives guard bees a better chance of repelling the invading hordes.
 

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