Author Topic: Wasps  (Read 1802 times)

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Offline Wandering Man

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Wasps
« on: February 14, 2017, 11:58:00 pm »
Efmesch said:

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W.M.--  When the going gets that good, the bees aren't interested in robbing.  Believe it or not, they really prefer to collect from the flowers.  You can feel safe in opening up the entrance nice and wide.  It is also necessary for them to have open space to efficiently evaporate the water in the nectar.

His comment reminded me of why I had put a robber screen on my hives earlier this year.  I was watching the bees fly in and out, when I spotted a wasp leaving the hive.  Then a second wasp flew in.  I got worried, and put the robber screens up.

This happened a few weeks ago, when we had warm temperatures, and there wasn't much for the girls to bring home.  They were working the bird feeders for whatever nutrients they could find.

So I'm wondering if bees are a primary target for wasps, or if they only dive into the hives when there is little else to be had.  We had a bumper crop of various wasps last year, and I suspect there will be just as many, or more this year.  I wasn't very successful in tracking down all of the wasp nests.  I suspect they are setting up camp on my neighbors' property.  Should I keep the robber screen on all year?  Or only when I see the wasps hanging around the hives?
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Offline Barbarian

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Re: Wasps
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2017, 12:59:11 am »
In NZ wasps are an invasive species and can be a big problem.
In recent years, there has been some success with a product called VESPEX. The active ingredient is non-selective. It has to be used with care.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Wasps
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2017, 11:01:14 am »
wasps will take adult bees, honey is just dessert.
i wouldn't leave the robber screen on all season. if it is just one or two wasps, or an occasional wasp.  a strong colony will take care of them.
reduce the entrance to give the guard bees better defense.  keep an eye on the activity.

if you see more wasps flying around the hive, or attempting to gain access, then i would put the screen back on.

i would also put some wasp traps out, various types of traps are available.
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Offline efmesch

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Re: Wasps
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2017, 04:56:50 pm »
WanMan, I confess, I hadn't even thought about the threat posed by wasps.  I was thinking of bees robbing bees.
As far as wasps go, their populations are generally very low in the early spring and summer.  Their numbers build up  as the seasons progress and generally become problematic toward the end of the summer and into the fall.
But  I can't say that I know about all the areas where there are exceptions, so take my quoted rermarks with some reservation.

This afternoon I had to take my weather station down from its pole because it had become plugged up and wasn't measuring rain.  When I had it on the ground and looked it over to clean it up a bit, I found a wasp's nest in the area below the rain bucket.  Cleaning it out I must have destroyed about eight wasps.  Fortunately, the weather was too cool for them  and they couldn't fly.  I did them all in without a single sting.  Had I not found them, they probably would have been the starting queens of new nests when the warm weather arrives.

Offline Wandering Man

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Re: Wasps
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2017, 05:23:09 pm »
It is interesting how when you get bees, you see more insects and begin to re-categorize them, some going into the helpful list and some going into the not helpful list.  But all of them going into the be aware of list.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Wasps
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2017, 06:08:53 pm »
very true wandering man.  keeping bees does make you aware and also i have learned a great deal about other pollinators, and what to plant for them, and my bees.

my biggest pest is black bears........they are on the not so helpful list and will get zinged (and have) by a 13,000 volt fence....... :D
i keep wild things in a box..........™
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