What do you do about hornets?

[rogerlouis]

I saw a hornet flying around one of my hives, landing on it and creeping up to the entrance. Although I chased it away, it kept returning and landing around the hive. What do you experts do to deter them ?

 

[ratcatcher]

have to admit, I love my hornet

before

after

was it deffo a hornet, or a hover fly?

 

[rogerlouis]

'Deffo' a hornet, not sure about the species. It did jump onto bees, but I saw some get away.

 

[dclewis]

As with wasps, reduce entrance size, trap, or seek and destroy nests are all the practical options that are open to you. Other than sit outside your hive and swat with fly swat, but that's not a good use of your time!

The hornets here (still only seen European to date) are taking the returning bees as they approach the hive mid air and just fly off to a bush or tree to dismember. Worse this year than last as there's no fruit for the hornets to eat following lousy spring.

 

[Chris Luck]

I don't do anything about them and never have what could even begin to be called a problem with them even if they do take a few bees - they have to feed their brood as well. Less this year but I still have one nest within 30 metres of hives.

Quite a few "Asians" around now as well but not enough to worry about.

Chris

 

[Luminos]

An Asian hornet took a wasp near my hives last week
Earning their keep...

 

[cjhart2]

Had problems early this year , now very quiet with just the odd Asian coming back for seconds . It is one of those occasions where you worry about what you see ( the hornets at the hive ) , but you do not see the numbers taken on the way back to the hive which may be a lot higher . I think you will have to put it down to the joys of bee keeping .
Hornets and Wasps actual do a lot of good , normally they do not trouble us , but as bee keepers we come in direct conflict with them .

 

[Cedar]

We put wasp traps out, made of plastic bottles, they also catch the hornets who go in after the wasps, bait is cheap jam, orange juice a little hot water to dissolve the jam and the magic ingredient a splash of vinegar. We have two hornets nests near us and one wasps. The hornets come in the house at night if window left ajar with light on,
Cedar

 

[drstitson]

air rifle.