Thursday, May 23, 2013

Wasp Queens moving into empty bait hives

I'm not sure if other beekeepers have the same experience as I do but I just keep kicking Wasp Queens out of my empty bait hives EVERY two to three days!!! I mean one of them even managed to lay the first eggs and I do make sure to open the hives every so often! I did kill a few and have destroyed the started nests. They don't manage to build much but still they seem to LOVE my hives :(
I posted this image a while ago, showing a Yellow Jacket Queen which started building a nest in one of my empty Top Bar Hives. We sure had thousands of them last year under the roof of our cottage and the garage, they even seem to have nests in the ground :(

I can't expect to see a bee swarm move into a hive occupied with angry Wasps! So I wonder what do other beekeepers do to avoid this and what do they do with bait hives which get Wasps in?

I even had a Hornet Queen move into a nearby hollow tree just 10 meters away from my Apiary which is placed behind our cottage and those huge monsters have absolutely nothing to do so close to our bed room window! So I took my bee suit on and thick gloves and rubber shoes and an extra hat under the veil ... AND a badminton racket >:( I have lit the smoker and went into WAR!

She flew out as soon as I started smoking the entrance and escaped the racket by an inch. So I thought that she was probably just scanning this tree and didn't just yet begun to build her nest.

So I went to make some coffee and relax a bit but then I saw the very same Hornet flying into it again! So this time, instead of the smoker I used the BBQ starter tube (made of metal and used in Scandinavia) and filled it with egg crates. The huge thing started smoking a lot :) so I placed it under the tree hole making sure the smoke gets in. It was a huge hole near the ground so this was easy to erange. The Queen flew out once again but this time the badminton racket hit the target.
She fell on the ground still very much alive, so I hit her again and again but she just kept walking and buzzing with wings.
While I was attacking the Hornet Queen (I swear I never saw such huge Hornet before in my life) the BBQ starter tube went on fire !!! No more smoke only huge flame !!! AND the tree started burning from the inside since all is dry in there!!!

Me still stamping on the Queen which refuses to die (who would blame her) and with one hand trying to extinguish the flaming BBQ tube !!! (this was a funny scene I bet, but I wasn't laughing trust me).
Once she stopped moving I ran to get the water house and made sure to stick it deep into the hollow to extinguish the fire. I checked on the tree after half an hour and it didnt smoke anymore.

I then sat down and enjoyed a cup of coffee. Sorry for no pics I was just waaaayyyy too excited about all the drama that I forgot. She was THE Queen and I'm sure she would made a HUGE family near our bedroom window.

2 comments:

  1. I have some top bar hives and it's a constant battle to kick wasps out of the lid. I wish I knew of something that wasps hated but didn't bother bees.

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    Replies
    1. Fill up the space under the roof with a burlap bag filled with saw dust, or any thing really.

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