I was reading the link that was in a post to France (and other European countries) having an enormous problem with the Asian Killer Hornets and their destruction of so many honeybee colonies. A person documented 85 football sized nests in a 40 mile radius, or something very close to along that line. An entire hive of 30,000 bees can be destroyed in a couple of hours. That is a lot of bees and it horrifies me.
I had mentioned in a post (or two) quite some time ago about my vengence toward the yellowjackets and bald-faced hornets around my apiary. These two insects certainly can do good around the gardens with regard to removal of many insects that are detrimental to our growing food, but the devastation that they can inflict upon the honeybee colonies is far worse than any benefit that I can see.
Nearing the latter part of the summer when the brood rearing of the yellowjackets must have been in full force, I watched these pests around my colonies, they were up to no good. They were on the lookout for protein, and we know what the honeybee larvae would probably taste like to them. I saw the yellowjackets come down and land on the bottomboard. When guards came out the yellowjackets would quickly grab one and fly off. I even saw them fly in and grab a guard without even stopping to land, just fly in, grab and carry right on. One time I even tried to chase one to save my little bee, but we all know that that was a waste of time. My wrath was brought upon the yellowjacket. I also saw yellowjackets enter hives, rushing past the guards and fly out the top entrance, most likely with larvae in their mandibles. I took action.
I bought wasp traps, situated them around the apiary, hanging on the fences, put beer into the trap belly and cleaned out the traps every other day. I probably ended the life of thousands of yellowjackets and bald-faced hornets. I felt no remorse when I saw them drowning, and I still feel no remorse looking back on last summer -- and I will have these in place early in the season.
I am grateful that the Asian Hornet is not indigenous to our area and I wish that it was not to any one else in this world. I see no point in the life of this predator. It must have its usefulness, but I do not, nor do I want to understand what it could possibly be.
I watched a documentary on the Asian Killer Hornet. It was horrible how it decimated the honeybee colony hives. BUT....the bees that were shown on this documentary had adapted and figured out a way to combat this nasty.
The scout hornet that entered their hive was surrounded by the bees and the cluster heated up the centre so hot that it basically burned the scout to death. The bees can withstand a higher temperature (by only 1 or 2 degrees, if I remember correctly) and the hornet perished at this temperature. No scout to return to the nest to advise of the honeybee hive location. Pretty wise bees I would say.
Maybe these colonies that have adapted should give seminars to bees around the world!!!
I have no empathy for the live of these bee predators. Best of the great day. Beware the yellowjacket and bald-faced hornet. Cindi
Topic: Yellowjackets and Asian Killer Hornets (Read 3416 times)