Robbing bar stewards

[fatshark]

Just over a month ago we had the BBC telling us that the cold, late spring had devastated the wasp population and now I'm inundated with the little blighters. I caught a couple of hundred in a wasp trap on Sunday afternoon. They're like a plague around my mini-nucs. I don't remember it being this bad for at least 5 years. To add insult to injury there's obviously some robbing going on in one if my apiaries (by bees). Huge excitement outside the hive - but little fighting - and I can't really tell whether these strong colonies are being robbed or doing the robbing. The nucs next to them are - so far at least - untouched.

I have late grafts due to emerge next week and daren't put them into mini-nucs so will split colonies into 3 frame nucs for mating.

Are others seeing more that normal robbing and jaspers?

[The Drone Ranger]

Lots of wasps this year I had one weak apidea overpowered

[Bumble]

Inspected today and found a lot of wasps inside the hives, the bees were ignoring them. I hope it doesn't turn nasty.

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Bumble
Apparently if they acquire the hive scent they can walk around after sneaking past the guard bees
It will turn nasty, narrow entrances are some protection
Wasp traps are also needed at this time of year
cut a cross in a honey jar lid, push the centre in a little , half fill with raspberry jam and water
They go in can't fly out and drown

[Adam]

Bumble. Hoping is not an option. D.R. is right, it will turn nasty.

Reduced entrances definitely. (Pencil size). Consider closing the hives up for a couple of days to give the bees time to recover and for the wasps to look elsewhere - maybe they will find traps if the hives are closed?? (ensure they have room and ventillation if shut up). Then very small entrances.

[Bridget]

Found my little nuc being ferociously robbed by other bees this morning. Entrance was already closed down to one bee but the noise from the inside of the hive tells me that its full of bees whereas on Monday it just had a small cluster. I was going to unite this nuc with another colony today. Should I close it right up with the robbers inside and maybe wait a few days before trying to unite? I was feeding it syrup.

[fatshark]

I'd close it then move it away. Uniting now will ensure the robbing will continue. Once they've reorientated you should be able to move them back and unite.

Robbing is worse this year than the last 5 ... both wasps and bees.

Probably neonics.

[Mellifera Crofter]

I'd close it then move it away. ...

But close it in the evening when the robbers have left, or close it now in the daytime and move the hive away with robbers and all?
Kitta

[Bridget]

Well they have been robbing the larvae as well, as if I didn't have few enough of them. I smoked and watered the entrance to the nuc and all the other hives to boot. Stood there for about 30 mins smoking the entrance so the robbers came out and then smoked any that came near. This cut the numbers down a bit. Found the new queen in there so after a strong coffee I'm going out to catch her, cage her with some attendants and put her in the hive she was intended for. (That will be a first if I am successful). Then I shall try and save what little there is left of the unhatched bood and move the nuc away away. Cant wait till tonight as there wont be anything left.
No neonics here Fat Shark - if there were if would give me a reason for the poor performance of my queens this summer.

[Jon]

I was feeding it syrup.

That is the cause of the problem. feeding syrup at this time of year is almost certain to induce robbing from both bees and wasps.
The only thing you can do is move it 3 miles or more away or it is a goner.
Unless a colony is on the point of starving, feeding syrup does far more harm than good at this time of year.
A frame of stores from another colony or a block of fondant would be a much better option. The syrup puts the wasps into a complete frenzy.

Bumble. If you have wasps walking around unchallenged inside a hive you can measure its life expectancy in days. Again, you need to move it away somewhere.