Wasps

[Jon]

A small nuc on 4 frames which had a new laying queen and about 3000 - 4000 bees at a rough estimate had been completely wiped out by wasps today. It was beeless and had hundreds of wasps inside robbing out the stores. It was ok two days earlier although I noted that the wasps were starting to pay it attention. It was closed down to a beespace as well 2 days ago so the wasps had no easy access.
I have never seen a wasp problem as bad at my main site.
I had to stop queen rearing a month earlier than planned as the apideas were just cannon fodder for the wasps. I moved about a dozen apideas to my garden a few weeks ago which is about 3 miles away and they are fine, the wasp problem seems to be very local to the other site.

I took the precaution of closing down all entrances to as small as possible as the wasps seem able to suss out the weakest and then pick them off one by one.

[Mellifera Crofter]

That sounds terribly nasty, Jon. So sorry. Are the others ok?

[Jon]

The others are fine as they are mostly full colonies. Anything weak is likely to get picked off under these conditions.
I should have moved the one I lost when I noticed the wasps were starting to trouble it.
I still don't know if wasp traps do any good as I always imagine they attract more to the general area.

[The Drone Ranger]

traps help a lot to kill them off
Once attacks begin though moving the hive is about the best option I think.
It's the same gang of wasps usually visiting time and time again.

[gavin]

I had a colony under serious attack last year and stopped it by using efficient wasp traps. Hoovered up hundreds and hundreds of them. The colony struggled on and eventually died out in late spring this year.

[Hoomin_erra]

Weirdly enough, haven't seen 1 wasp this year up here.

Touch wood. Tap! Tap!

[The Drone Ranger]

Weirdly enough, haven't seen 1 wasp this year up here.

Touch wood. Tap! Tap!

We were much the same till recently
The wasps we had were small, but recently great big brutes appeared in large numbers.

[Calum]

They are a really pest here this year all over this area. Everyone is complaining.
Haven't seen one in my bee house. But I think the neighbours might be putting them of a friendly visit...
http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=823
http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=824
Pong terribly but a big plastic bin under them with plenty of sand in it keeps things bearable..

[Adam]

Jon, Sorry to learn of the problem.

Numbers of wasps are definitely reducing here so hopefully the threat is over.

I wonder if you could remove a nuc that's been destroyed but still being robbed of stores and place one in the same location that's got ant killer powder in it. The wasps then take it back to their nest?