Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: Jerrymac on April 20, 2005, 09:23:19 pm
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Yesterday I was out looking at the bees. Just watching them and looking at the big wads of pollen they were bringing in, wondering where it was coming from. Then this bee came tumbling out of the hive entrance tangled up with a wasp. They fell into the aquarium I have sitting under that hive. I watched as the battle continued. Finally the wasp got the bee pushed off and she fell to the bottom. I suppose the wasp won that fight. I don't know if she was also injured or just exhausted from the fight. She just hung on this weed branch, (A weed blew into the aquarium some time back) and rubbed her legs together. Then tried to fly off. As she cleared the top the wind caught her and she landed on the ground in front of me. Didn't seem in a rush to leave. I grabbed a stick and squished her.
Went back to watching the bees and this other wasp landed close to the entrance. Before I could do anything the wasp went into the hive. I waited around to see what was going to happen, but then one of the girls decided she was tired of me standing around and started head butting me. Didn't want her to tangle in the hair so I walked off. She followed me for about fifty feet.
The very first hive I caught and brought back had a wasp between the frames and hive wall when I peeked in there. Squished her.
How do you keep those suckers out? Or will they have more of a problem after the population increases?
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Wasp populations build up like bee populations so they will probably get worse. I'd probably reduce the entrance to make it more defensible. The wasps are probably killing bees for the protien to feed their young.
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Unless you live in Japan with the Japanees Giant Hornet, just keep the bees healthy and the wasps shouldn't become a problem. Oh and avaid enterence feeders because I've noticed them (at least on my hive) to attract wasps and ants.
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See I just asked about that not long ago about wasp cause we do have wasp problems here at the house and it is a constant battle for me but I dont want them in my hives what is the best defense to this incase I have it I rather be prepared before the problem then have it happen first you know? I like the idea of the aquarium thing does that help more with flys as well?
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The aquarium was for watering the bees. Just happened to be under the one hive. I placed some old comb on its side in the aquarium and fill the cells with water.
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Well I could tell a tall Texas tale but I guess a picture speaks louder.
Yes this was in my hive today.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/Jerry-mac/wasp001.jpg)
This is two frames with starter strips on them. The one hanging down was caused by the little nailed on board, (wedge is it called?), pulled trough the little nail heads. The wasp nest was attached to both of these strips and I pulled it apart when I pulled the frames. I was going to get another angle shot of it, but one of the pieces broke off.
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OH! And yes there are bees in this hive.
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So I went out this morning and squished 17 wasp. They are feeding on sugar that was spilt on a board. I use a thin piece of wood, they don't seem to mind a piece of wood hoovering over their heads, and gently squish and smear. Well they really don't smear very well. Those critters are hard shelled. Then I wait for more to arrive, and make sure the dead are going to stay dead.
I discovered another wasp nest being built on the bottom of the screen of the Rocking Chair ranch bees. The one I didn't go into the other day. I will catch that nest sometime when the lady ain't home and knock it down. Or next time I'm suited up I'll get her along with the nest. I'll squish'em, stomp'em, and swat'em out of the air, but I will not mess with a nest when someone is home.
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I use a thin piece of wood, they don't seem to mind a piece of wood hoovering over their heads, and gently squish and smear. Well they really don't smear very well. Those critters are hard shelled. Then I wait for more to arrive, and make sure the dead are going to stay dead. I'll squish'em, stomp'em, and swat'em out of the air, but I will not mess with a nest when someone is home.
Jerry so how is that anger management class working for you? :lol:
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No no. You got it all wrong. There is some little critter around here that thrives on the dead wasp. I killed a few the other day and they were gone. I got a couple yesterday and they were gone. Something likes them. Probably the field mice. So I am helping to fatten up the mice so the stray cat will eat better. The more mice the cat eats the less little bunnies she will kill. And the rabbits eat the weeds and fertilize the soil. The wild flowers and the garden grow better and the bees have more to forage and make more honey. So you see, it isn't merciless killing out of anger.
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LOLL the biology theory sounds like me....I dont have anger issuse I just help the evolvement of the preditor.
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Probablly ants, not mice. :D
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The ants aren't messing with them. They will be there all day and disappear at night.
Total today; 27 so far.
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Some ants, like the little black ones, do most of their foraging at night so that they arn't dried out by the sun. I know that most termites do this but they're herbavors. And, if you just leave the wasps on the landing board then maybe its the bees that are carrying off the wasp corpses. Maybe not, you did say that the wasps are there all day. Maybe its skunks eating the wasp corpses like they eat live bees. I realy don't know, I'm just shooting off guesses.
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All but a couple of the dead wasp disappeared over night. They are not on the landing board, as I don't have landing boards, there is some old OSB wood under the hives for weed control and the suger water was spilled on that.
Today I noticed a big black beetle scurrying around amongst the flies carpeting the area. After a few attempts the beetle would finally grab a fly and take off to shelter. Then it would appear again and chase after flies until it caught another one. I didn't know there were fly eating beetles. Didn't think they could catch them.