Wasps, wasps, wasps - what to do

[Beezer]

I have

Reduced the entrances

Put out traps that are catching

Blocked entrances

Leaned a piece of cloche glass over entrance

Reduced to one bee space

Killed a hundred wasps by hand in two hours or so

Moved the hives miles

They're still under attack - even the double brood.

My 'orangey' bees are worse affected.

My black bees are all kamakaze and kill, kill, kill those dreadful wasps.

When will the wasps leave my bees alone?

I don't know what to do next.

Any ideas anyone please??

 

[chycarne]

i think try the entrance cover- see my previous posts on this, it does work, also what we have done this summer is put in narrow entrance 2 bees wide but hand made out of 2.5" inch wide wood and as deep as the entrance (floor to hive) needs to be (some sanding down of wood may be needed from 1" or 3/4" ... the deep tunnel helps a lot and has made the difference for us.

 

[madasafish]

Put some wasp traps about 50 metres away to distract them.

 

[Beezer]

Thanks for the reply.

A photograph would be greatly appreciated if you have one.

If not, I'll do my best

 

[Beezer]

Put some wasp traps about 50 metres away to distract them.

Tried this and they ignored them!

 

[darren64]

Tried this and they ignored them!

put some lager in them

 

[richardbees]

I read the desperation in your post!

If you are on OMF how about totally blocking the entrance for a few days?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have never known so many wasps in the house and garden.
I'm in my second year only and there were nowhere near as many wasps at the hives last year. The boxes with Apilife on have loads of bees at the reduced entrances and that seems to be keeping the wasps away though they try and try again and again.
If I were really in trouble I might try closing the hives for a couple of days.

 

[Tom Bick]

You can try something like this Norton on this forum mentioned it last year but the product he referred to was Rat Glue or similar.

Basically you smear it onto a board and then a dollop of jam in the centre of the board and the wasps go mad for it and all stick to the board.

I tried a similar thing with the sticky cardboard for mice and within oneday 70+ wasps stuck to the 8”x 4” card.

You will need to cover it from the weather and also be prepared for the odd disaster with birds and pets as it is very sticky so be careful, So perhaps best deployed under supervision or covered with mesh to keep the birds off.



[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tack-Tick-Strong-Hold-Glue-135g/dp/B000PKINXG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1314389901&sr=8-3[/ame]

 

[Erichalfbee]

Tom, I used this last year but abandoned it as I caught a blue tit. Your idea of covering with a mesh sounds good. Must give it a try.
under the hive sounds right for me as I see lots of wasps buzzing around under the OMF after failing to get in through the hive entrance.

 

[richardbees]

Erich ditto, I tried it out to trap mice and caught a Wren!!!

Didn't sleep easy for many nights!

 

[oliver90owner]

Depends on what you mean by 'under attack'.

Wasps are opportunists and will go wherever they can get an easy meal. They are persistent and will over-power weak colonies. Once they gain access to and are able to leave from a colony after a meal, they will be back in increased numbers.

The secret is to keep strong colonies which either repel or kill any insurgents. Simple as that. All other strategies are a patch.

Tube entrances and disguised entry systems seem good ideas as people have reported success with them.

But the way to avoid problems is only to have strong colonies in the first place and pre-empting the wasps is far better than trying to patch a problem after they have gained access. Too late for this season, but something to remember for next year.

When will the wasps leave my bees alone?

They won't until the first frosts and the wasps become weak due to the colder weather (their nests will, by then, be abandoned, or close to), they have over-run your colonies and destroyed them or the bees have resisted so well that entry has resulted in the death of all wasps entering for more than a very short time.

Like I say under attack is one thing, gaining free entry is entirely another. There are wasps around but the closed down entrances, to about 40-50mm wide on the Nationals, has been enough to prevent any problem - and I am not anticipating any serious trouble. The Dartingtons are still on full width entrances - I will close them down to half width, or less, when I remove the crop. I have not put out a single wasp trap this year.

My simple method, if all the above were not effective, would be to unite colonies, or at least strengthen those which are weak. One strong colony is better than two dead ones.

RAB

 

[Tom Bick]

Tom, I used this last year but abandoned it as I caught a blue tit. Your idea of covering with a mesh sounds good. Must give it a try.
under the hive sounds right for me as I see lots of wasps buzzing around under the OMF after failing to get in through the hive entrance.

Yes I remember your post so that was why I mentioned the wire.

We all have wasps at the hives now and I often watch the hives and in my opinion the bees are well up for the fight and more than capable to look after themselves providing precautions are taken and its often a new beekeeper that sees their first couple of wasps at the entrance and thinks they are doomed. I was also that new beekeeper but a bit of time and I know it is just part of the cycle.

But it can get out of hand and the balance needs to be addressed.

As I understand it and I may be wrong wasps work on scent lines so if you can hit them hard over a short period it will give the bees a good few days rest bite

I hope you are looking after Cumbria hope to get my fix in a week or so.

 

[Black Comb]

Are orchard apiaries at more risk from wasps?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Perhaps that rat glue would be a good thing to catch hive thieves as well,extra strong rat glue,and the thieving b**tards are stuck permanently to the hives.

 

[Russel]

Are orchard apiaries at more risk from wasps?

Can't speak for others but, so far, minimal wasp problem at both orchards my bees are in.

 

[justme]

We've not got an orchard as such but there are pear and a plum tree in/very close to home apiary, the bees in there do not seem to be bothered by wasps even though most are only nucs.
however a swarm that moved in a few (10) yards away and are still there are having great issues with wasps. I've closed the entrance to 1 bee space, turned the hive 90 degees and moved it 3', put glass across the front and even shut them in for 36 hours. This has helped a little but still some isssues.
Where can I get rat glue from please? Figure using it ia a mesh box would be ok wildlife etc wise.

 

[SixFooter]

Watch which direction they go, then stand a bit further on then watch again etc until you find the nest. Then kill them with ant powder. The wasp spray is more expensive and not as good.
This technique is more difficult if the wasps fly over buildings, fences etc, but the nest is not usually very far away.

 

[justme]

Thanks sixfooter. About rat glue, it seems its only available as made up boards, is that correct? Thanks.

 

[Nose Ma]

Tubes of rat glue

Rat glue - see here

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6165&highlight=rat+glue&page=2

Admin's post down the page has a supplier link.

Mind the birds.