Wasps already

Spotted a few wasps round hives today.
Time for traps, then.

Same.....Put mine up this week, got the refills for the 'high efficiency' traps that I used last year. Seemed to do the trick. Will also have to unte some small nucs which otherwise will be easy pickings I fear.

Where, in relation to the hives, have you put your traps?

.....and what are your 'high efficiency' traps?

I've seen one or two scavenging around under the hives (all on stands) from the early spring. I haven't set too much store by it though. I'd have thought they'd still be in carnivorous mode for a while yet.

enigmatica said:

I've seen one or two scavenging around under the hives (all on stands) from the early spring. I haven't set too much store by it though. I'd have thought they'd still be in carnivorous mode for a while yet.

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They are on my Czar plums here so it's time to be very careful with inspections and super removal.
Cazza

I there coming treated 7 nests this week 3 last

Erichalfbee said:

Where, in relation to the hives, have you put your traps?

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I've put the 'high efficiency' ones in sun, about 2ft up on a stand, quite close to the hives. My rationale being that the scout wasps generally don't make it back out of these traps to send the message back home to their buddies about the honey fest!

My 3 cheap and cheerful homemade juice/jam filled ones are dotted around about 50-100m away from the hives.

Hopefully somebody will confirm (or not) that this approach is ok ..... Karol?????

I hived a really strong 6 frame nuc, bursting with bees and brood today. There was a single small wasp buzzing around between the frames. If a strong nuc can still let one in then there'll be more.

Traps going out next Monday.

Torq said:

I hived a really strong 6 frame nuc, bursting with bees and brood today. There was a single small wasp buzzing around between the frames. If a strong nuc can still let one in then there'll be more.

Traps going out next Monday.

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Doesn't the wasp trap attract the bees ?

Rarely. They want nectar and pollen, not beer etc.

Jimmys Mum said:

I've put the 'high efficiency' ones in sun, about 2ft up on a stand, quite close to the hives. My rationale being that the scout wasps generally don't make it back out of these traps to send the message back home to their buddies about the honey fest!

My 3 cheap and cheerful homemade juice/jam filled ones are dotted around about 50-100m away from the hives.

Hopefully somebody will confirm (or not) that this approach is ok ..... Karol?????

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NO
I spoke to Karol at great length last night. He took time out to give me lots of advice.
Traps should go downwind of hives AT the entrance. Jam filled traps will let scouts go who bring their mates. When these traps run dry you have a huge army ready to descend on your hives. PM me if you want any more info

Erichalfbee said:

NO
I spoke to Karol at great length last night. He took time out to give me lots of advice.
Traps should go downwind of hives AT the entrance. Jam filled traps will let scouts go who bring their mates. When these traps run dry you have a huge army ready to descend on your hives. PM me if you want any more info

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Thanks E, I will move them straight away!

I have my high efficiency trap at the ready.... Wasp B**e. Learned a salutary lesson last year with home made/little jam traps. It only takes one scout to get out of these low efficiency traps and you spread the word of your hives and along they come, in their 100(0)s.

The low efficiency traps were catching loads, but they also allowed some to escape and bring their mates. The high efficiency traps catch comparatively few, but I've never seen a wasp escape. This means that they can't get back to bring their mates, so numbers are far fewer and the trap therefore doesn't have many to trap...

I hope this makes sense, but in short, don't mess with low efficiency traps. You may think they're brilliant in catching loads. They're not. For every one they catch, there are some they don't.

I saw lots of wasps april/May, in the 'safe' period, but I've not seen any more since June. Am on the lookout and have the wasp b**e at the ready.
T

I've played around with a floor today adding a short tunnel to a closed down entrance so that hopefully the bees can fill it with guard bees. Will see how it goes.

Mickyboy said:

Doesn't the wasp trap attract the bees ?

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No, the smell of honey and the chance of a free meal attracts the wasps. If they can't get into the hive then they will go for the easy and hopefully one way option of the traps.

When my bees were attacked by wasps, they were fighting all over the floor in front of the hive. Sometimes a wasp bit my bee in half and flew off with her! I know wasps are carnivorous but I thought that was earlier in the year. Have they just fallen from the landing board and started fighting, and why are they flying away with my girls?

They are swarm feeding. They have organised their nest mates and they are attacking in large numbers after the scouts have reported the location of the hive. They are amputating the abdomen for the nectar inside, and flying off to have a meal somewhere in peace and quiet.

Yuck I knew there was a reason I hated wasps! lol

Under floor entrance. Wasps don't like them, easier for the girls to defend.