Wasps are one of the top enemies of the honeybee hives. They like to get an easy sweet meal and the best place to get it is hive. To prevent this from happening i suggest following tips that i was able to find as the best solutions
Here are the tips on how to fight wasps:
1.Narrow the Entrance
2.Placing Traps
3.Finding and Destroying Wasps and Yellow Jacket Nests
4.Maintain a Tidy Apiary
5.Install Waspinator
All these steps are explained in this article and you are welcome to read it if you are interested…
Why do Wasps Attack Hives?
I have realized that the best way to protect my hive from wasps was to learn all about this enemy. I have learned that they feed on spiders, caterpillars, ants, bees, and flies. They chew it and prepare the protein-rich food for larvae to grow strong.
At the end of summer, adult wasps are craving for sugar. And that is the best time to pay close attention to your hive for a potential wasps attack.
Same applies for Yellow Jackets so you can fight 2 enemies with the same methods.
Here are the tips on how to fight wasps:
1.Narrow the Entrance
Every entrance to the hive is protected by guard bees. In the case of wasps or yellow jackets attack, guard bees will start defending the hive and if the entrance is too wide it will be more difficult for them to protect. The best way to help is to narrow the entrance of the hive but to still leave enough room for bees to enter and exit easily and also to be able to remove dead bees.
You are able to buy entrance reducer and you should use it if the hive is in danger / attacked by wasps or due to the bad weather that can endanger the colony. It will provide honey bees a better chance to protect their honey and also will help the colony to keep good thermoregulation of the hive.
2.Placing Traps
A great way to prevent the attack on your hive by luring them to a tasty treat that will get them trapped. If the trap is set in the early spring you will increase the chance to catch the queen that will significantly affect the number of the wasps in the area. After spring it will help you catch worker wasps and also reduce the number of potential enemies.
There are a variety of traps you can by in a local store and you just have to put the protein baits that will attract wasps and not honeybees, but to be effective you have to check and clean them regularly
You are also able to make DIY traps that are easy to make and very effective against wasps
Most popular is soda bottle here you can really good example i have found on youtube on how to make it yourself (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHNJZIAkQgU)
Take an empty two-liter soda bottle or any plastic bottle that has a similar shape
Cut off the top of the bottle approximate 1/3 in length (or the place where bottle sides are even width) You can use a sharp knife or scissor whatever is easier for you to do it.
Fill the bottom with bait 2 1/2 inch deep
For the best bait pour 6 ounces of beer 8 ounces of water 4 tablespoons of jam and mix it up. You can use any type of jam: grape, plum, strawberry jam and it will do the trick to attract the wasps.
Alternative baits:
- Apple juice (it has to be 100 % apple)
- Beer
- Sweet Soda Pop
- Wine
- Maple syrup diluted with water
- Molasses diluted with water
Take the to of the bottle that was cut off, remove the cap and put it upside down into the bottom part to fit. Use the stapler or duck tape to join the edges together to ensure the pieces of the trap stay together.
In case you want to hang it you can make 2 holes on the opposite sides, close to the top and put some wire or string through it. This way you can hang it where ever you need it.
This trap will attract wasps to get inside but they will have difficulty to get back outside and eventually drown. That why it is important not to put to much bait because they will be able to crawl back up through the entrance and escape
You can set up the traps where ever you spot them, put it in the flower garden or place it around water sources small fountains, bird baths, etc.
3.Finding and Destroying Wasps and Yellow Jacket Nests
One of the ways to keep your bees protected is to be proactive in finding wasps nests and destroy them.I suggest calling a professional to do it for you because the wasps are more aggressive than bees and they can sting multiple times. In case you are willing to DIY here is the suggestion.
- Usual wasp nest location is around trees, sheds, under the patios, behind shutters, inside unused grills, Garden Sheds, some type of wasps are making nests in the ground(German wasps) in other words any place out of sight.
- If you are not able to find the nest but you see wasps presence you can set the bait and track them to the nest
Place some cat food or canned fish, wait for wasp to collect it and watch the direction of the flight after 10 minutes you will get the idea in which direction to look for the nest.
Buy an insecticide for wasps wait for the night put protective clothing (here you can click to read an article that i have explained about protective clothing) and spray insecticide onto the nest and step away in the morning your problem should be solved. Dispose of the nest in the garbage bin in a double bag.
Before you do anything check if you are allergic to a wasp sting, you can schedule with your doctor an allergy test and in case you are allergic contact the professional to do it for you
Using pesticide make sure that children or pets do not get in contact with it at least for 24 hours.
4.Maintain a Tidy Apiary
You should keep the apiary clean of wax scraping or any residues after cleaning the frame and feeders. It has to be removed and disposed far of the hive. Especially when removing dead bees make sure you dispose it of properly because it will attract wasps and yellow jackets.
When you feed the bees with syrup make sure you do not spill. If you do spill some clean it immediately because the sweet scent attracts wasps and other enemies quickly
Check the surrounding of the hive and remove all Rotting fruit from trees or bushes because it also attracts unwanted guests in the area of your hive
5.Install Waspinator
Even dough it sounds like a weapon from Star Wars this is a product that will help you with your wasp’s problem. A product that is advertised as ‘’chemical-free pest control method’’ that help you protect the area from wasps.
Its design mimics the real wasp’s nest and in theory should keep away wasps, because they will think that this area is taken,
They should keep the distance because the wasps are known to be very territorial and aggressively protects their nests and they avoid each other’s nests. You can order it and get delivered at home and according to some of the users, it was effective.
An important note is that if there is an existing wasps nest you have to remove it before you set your Waspinator because it can make waps to attack it.