Author Topic: honey bees and yellow jackets (Read 4995 times)

danno · « **on:** July 08, 2008, 09:39:59 am »

I have a 3 year old two story tan home with 3 decks that faces the the west in full sun. Up until this year we have had a almost daily fight keeping the yellow jackets at bay. Now with the honey bees here we are seeing very few and hardy any nest. Is there a reason for this?

randydrivesabus · « **Reply #1 on:** July 08, 2008, 10:19:10 am »

i've seen a big reduction in wasp and hornets nests around here too. I don't think it has anything to do with honey bees.

Vetch · « **Reply #2 on:** July 08, 2008, 11:21:58 am »

Not sure, but would hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets maybe feel less welcome in close proximity to active honeybee hives? Maybe they moved a few houses down?

danno · « **Reply #3 on:** July 08, 2008, 11:35:29 am »

a few houses down is aways away where I live but if thats the case thats a good place for them. It kinda funny though, we have friends that are afraid to come over now because of the hives so close to the house. I cant reason with them that without the yellowjackets it far safer

poka-bee · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2008, 11:56:38 am »

People are strange for sure! So far we have less too. I think it's cause I went on a rampage last fall before the workers died off & queens went into hiding. The first couple of cold mornings you can go right up & smush the whole hive, (a long 2x4 gets the ones in the overhangs of the roof..)they aren't warmed up enough to fly! Also, since getting bees, specially if we saw the clips of what the hornets can do to a hive...**shiver** we are more diligent in getting rid of them. My Daughter had a "pet" yellow jacket nest..they were in/around a small birdhouse that was hanging in the garden. She & her partner in crime would run out, throw watermelon rinds, & rocks @ the hive, then run into the house giggling hysterically & watch through the window. I kept waiting for one to trip & fall but nope. Never did get stung! They would almost destroy it & wait for them to rebuild. Did it all summer long! Country entertainment & sharpening of reflexes, dexterity & great aerobic workouts! :roll: Jody

Shawn · « **Reply #5 on:** July 08, 2008, 01:18:34 pm »

Funny, we use to always have wasp making their nest all over the sofet of our house and in the trees. Since I have put in the hive I have not seen any nest. I still see the wasp flying around the bee garden but I try to discourage them from coming back, thats what the garden hose does to them. It doesnt appear the wasp can swim!

poka-bee · « **Reply #6 on:** July 08, 2008, 01:37:49 pm »

It doesnt appear the wasp can swim!
[/quote]
Yes, that is fun isn't it?? Heh heh :evil: Jody

bassman1977 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 08, 2008, 01:55:58 pm »

Quote

Not sure, but would hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets maybe feel less welcome in close proximity to active honeybee hives?

I think that is exactly it.

As time goes by and the more hives you have, I think you will find that the honey bees in fact do push the wasps, yellow jackets, etc., out of the area. Prior to having hives, I used to have to go around the house once a week knocking paper wasp nests off the eves of the house. Last year, when I had 4 hives, we had an occasional nest to knock down. This year with 12 hives...nothing that I've found.

Dane Bramage · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2008, 04:07:11 pm »

I've a lot fewer yellowjackets around here, for now. They were a real problem last year and this year, in early spring, I destroyed every nest of theirs I could find/reach - using the pressure washer for along the roof-line, etc.,. I also removed an above ground pool where they had multiple nests in every support post. So they are mostly gone ~whew~.

I have seen some great black wasps and also blue/black spider wasps. I like those ones though (all the beneficial insect predation w/o attacking the honeybees). Do yellowjackets have any natural predators? I've seen more dragonflies this year as well it seems.

Cheers,
Dane

annette · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2008, 04:24:57 pm »

Funny, I was under the impression that the yellowjackets, hornets etc. and other predators of the honey bees would be moving closer as time went on. Last year the hornets totally harassed my bees and from what I read somewhere, I thought they would be placing their nests even closer this year because they have a source of food.

I hope what you are all observing is true in fact.

Annette

Keith13 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 08, 2008, 06:06:47 pm »

I hate to even mention this but. Do you think maybe the same problems affecting the honeybees (mites, CCD, and other no seeems) might also affect the wasp and yellow jackets. I mean nobody really looks after the wasp to see if there are truly any fewer then before, they are sorta outta sight outta mind ya know nobody misses them

again just thinking

Keith

MrILoveTheAnts · « **Reply #11 on:** July 08, 2008, 07:00:53 pm »

CCD yes probably does effect wasps. Wasps on a smaller scale do visit flowers and drink nectar for food, they're also going after the bees in the fall and likely picking up whatever disease/insecticide and so on that causes CCD. However, in the fall time the wasps are already starving for food as it is, new queens and males are already leaving the nest to start there own the next year.

Mites and other pests: No they really aren't effected at all. They do hinder the hive in some capacity but almost never enough to kill the hive. Varroa, and Pollen mites are found in nests of bumblebees right along side wax moths, assorted beetles, bee flies, and loads of other pests. Most of them are keeping the hive clean while the mites get lost in the insulated fabrics and grass bumblebees make there nests in. Not sure if Varroa mites effect wasps at all though.

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #12 on:** July 08, 2008, 11:36:20 pm »

When I first moved into my parents place after my Dad died we had wasp and hornet nests everywhere. Now after having my bee hives here for the 3rd year I see so few wasps or hornets that it's almost an event in itself. Those I do see are around the hives, trying to rob the hives. The bees keep then killed down and I don't thing wasps and hornets like to have their nests in close proximity to bee hives.

Amanda · « **Reply #13 on:** July 08, 2008, 11:44:46 pm »

It's funny, I've noticed the opposite. Almost everytime I go out to my hives, I see about five yellow jackets in a cluster on the ground. It seems like they are eating a dead honey bee. I always drop a big rock on them :evil: I never noticed them before I got bees, but that could just be because I never spent much time in that part of the yard before.
~Amanda

poka-bee · « **Reply #14 on:** July 08, 2008, 11:55:58 pm »

[quote
I always drop a big rock on them :evil: ~Amanda

[/quote]

YOU GO GIRL!! :-D Jody

steveb · « **Reply #15 on:** July 29, 2008, 12:11:26 pm »

I was going to ask the same question but noticed this thread already established.

This weekend a friend and a new beekeeper that I had been mentoring asked me if bee chased away wasps. Last year he had a very bad wasp problem around his home. This year with the addition of his bees there are no wasps to be found.

I knew that bees and wasps were enemies but I had not thought about bees driving out wasps until he asked. I got thinking and I had experienced the same thing. Before I got bees we were always fighting wasps. Since adding bees I don't see any wasps. I was wondering if there was any research on this to confirm our case examples. This could be a great selling point for beekeeping. There are a lot of people that would do about anything to get rid of wasps.

Any thoughts?

Steve

danno · « **Reply #16 on:** July 29, 2008, 12:53:06 pm »

My wife and I entertain alot in the summer on our decks. She has a cousin and his son that found out the hard way that they were both allergic this summer. They refuse to come to our place now that we have bee's 50 ft from the deck. I have tried to tell them that they are far safer now with no yellow jackets but they wont listen.

Irwin · « **Reply #17 on:** July 29, 2008, 02:51:00 pm »

Hey danno did you like those people?

HAB · « **Reply #18 on:** July 29, 2008, 03:19:20 pm »

I'm with Amanda, every day Yellow Jackets and Deer Flies (I think) about a half-dozen of each. Put out a fly swatter. Luv to seem them go squish! An occasional Hornet, but most of them are faster than I am. But not all!!! :)

lovelyembalmer · « **Reply #19 on:** July 29, 2008, 03:32:02 pm »

We have killed three yellow jacket hive within a hundred feet of our hives and we have five at our house. Wasp are not as noticable this year, but yellow jackets ran me in the house just yesterday.