Wasps

[Karol]

Seen one or two lurking but no intrusions that I've seen yet.

Usually really starts third week July but will maybe set some traps this weekend.

It's difficult to advise what to expect this year because we have dismantled our observation stations that used to track wasp population development. We found that one of the best advance indicators useful for anticipating potential 'wasp pressure' was wood pulp harvesting. Wasps will visit exposed untreated wood for nest building material. We would find a site such as a fence panel used by wasps for harvesting and observe wasp density at the panel. When the density suddenly declined that was the starting gun for the sweet feeding season.

 

[Monbees]

It's difficult to advise what to expect this year because we have dismantled our observation stations that used to track wasp population development. We found that one of the best advance indicators useful for anticipating potential 'wasp pressure' was wood pulp harvesting. Wasps will visit exposed untreated wood for nest building material. We would find a site such as a fence panel used by wasps for harvesting and observe wasp density at the panel. When the density suddenly declined that was the starting gun for the sweet feeding season.

In spring my untreated shed door is used extensively by queen wasps starting their nests - many seen last year, this year not one to be seen. I am assuming the winter/spring weather killed many hibernating queens?

 

[North End Bees]

Seen the odd one , but then my neighbours all got together and went on the war path exterminating nests last year thus so far ,its been quiet.

Having destroyed all the wasp colonies en masse, any gardeners among your neighbours may find their crops inundated by pests this year.
Wasps are better pest control than they are pests.

 

[user 819]

Wasps are strange where I am - we don't get nests of any size like in the UK. Here, a nest is big if it has 20 to 30 wasps in it! I'm a first year bee keeper so time will tell, however, I'm hoping with that difference that wasps won't be such a problem as presumably in the UK hives can suffer from en masse wasp attacks?

We do however get Asian hornets although I've only seen 3 this year so far - each time taking a bee mind you. One this morning would have gone in the hive had the entrance reducer not been in place. Upon being 'questioned' by a resident bee, it took the bee and flew off!

Are the lack of sizeable wasp nests down to the Asian hornet, either predation or the act of the wasps buildings small colonies to be less detectable ?

 

[Karol]

In spring my untreated shed door is used extensively by queen wasps starting their nests - many seen last year, this year not one to be seen. I am assuming the winter/spring weather killed many hibernating queens?

Not so much the winter but the inclement spring. Queen wasps don't have much in the way of reserves. Just as bees found it hard to forage earlier in the year needing extra feeding to stave off starvation, so wasps have also struggled but without the benefit of supporting husbandry. It remains to be seen if wasp nests have simply been delayed or whether populations have indeed been knocked back. There is a natural cycling of wasp populations anyway which appears to track other insect populations.

 

[pargyle]

All it may mean is that wasps are not yet ‘sugar feeding’.

I neither keep bees by the calendar, nor expect wasps to be any different.

I've not seen many wasps so far this year .. the ones I have seen have been dissecting dead bees on the floor outside the hive - at this time of the year (as you know - but clearly some don't) wasps are not looking for honey - they are still protein seeking, They won't be entering hives until the sweet feeding starts and we are some way off that stage this year.

It's too early to be worrying about mass wasp attacks on colonies and sticking traps out (particularly the home made ones) is only going to attract unwarranted attention.

In any case, the best defence against wasps are small entrances and good strong colonies - late season small nucs are a prime target once wasp robbing starts and those thinking of splitting colonies down to ever smaller units to make increase should be aware of the risk from wasps.

 

[Moobee]

Having destroyed all the wasp colonies en masse, any gardeners among your neighbours may find their crops inundated by pests this year.
Wasps are better pest control than they are pests.

Yes!! Inundated with black fly early summer, which I never suffer from. Have not seen a single wasp yet.

 

[RichardK]

Are the lack of sizeable wasp nests down to the Asian hornet, either predation or the act of the wasps buildings small colonies to be less detectable ?

No I don't think so. We're quite far south (by the Spanish border on the med side) so it's quite dry and warm. Maybe the climate doesn't suit all wasp varieties. Looking up what we have they are from the genus Polistes, and are the most common type of paper wasp in North America. Their nest are from between 15 to 200 individuals although the biggest, biggest I've seen in 20 years is maybe 50 / 60 if we include those that weren't at home when I destroyed the nest. Here's what they & their nest look like.



Thinking back, a few years ago I had to destroy and in-ground wasp nest which was sizeable. That's the only one I've ever come across here. So, I think it's safe to say that the Common Wasp is extremely rare here, whereas the Polistes wasp / paper wasp is prevalent.

 

[spiderplantman]

After last year, which was a wasp plague here in Suffolk, that is great. Anyone else noticed this or otherwise?

Suffolk here also, and have had to deal with 2 wasp nests already. Seen a couple of wasps outside the hives, but since dealing with the nests haven’t seen much else so far. Touch wood it won’t be like last year, which was waspmungous.

 

[CaptainCymru]

Having destroyed all the wasp colonies en masse, any gardeners among your neighbours may find their crops inundated by pests this year.
Wasps are better pest control than they are pests.

But they sting children and bug you at barbacues , I guess not everyone thinks like a beekeeper

 

[North End Bees]

Or an environmentally conscious person

 

[CaptainCymru]

Or an environmentally conscious person

or that , trouble free medium rare steak wins hands down though

 

[North End Bees]

Luckily I'm vegetarian. They're not interested in my salad

 

[CaptainCymru]

Luckily I'm vegetarian. They're not interested in my salad

They get turned on by the sight of a cold cider mind

 

[madasafish]

Luckily I'm vegetarian. They're not interested in my salad

They like mayonaise.

 

[Erichalfbee]

They like mayonaise.

Do they like tofu?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Do they like tofu?

does anyone?

 

[Ian123]

Small bbq anyone

 

[Karol]

Luckily I'm vegetarian. They're not interested in my salad

That's what you think!

Wasps detect grazing insect pests by the smell of the leaf damage they cause so the smell of salad on your breath will have them thinking you're a big juicy caterpillar.

 

[Markthebuilder]

As I read this. I am being buzzed by one persistent wasp that I can only think likes the smell of my Chanel which I cede fly I think my bees don’t.