Killer Wasps

[tedstruk]

how do you stop them? :eek:

[BEES4U]

Heat up a 1/4" bolt and melt 4-6 holes about 2" above the bottom of a plastic liter soda container. (Do not breath the fumes.)
You can bait it with coke syrup, or meat.
The, in my case, yellow jackets crawl through the hole down to the syrup level, drink and drown by the hundreds. They can't fly out the small entrance hole.
In some cases I leave some hive scrapings or pieces of pollen patties on a flat board and smash them with another flat board.
BTY the yellow jackets are quick to sting!
You could cut a piece of 1/8" hardware cloth/sreen and staple it to the entrance with a 1-2" wide entrance.
A piece 2" X 6-8" should work. it also prevents robbing. The 1/8" hardware cloth allows the bees to ventilate through the screen

Good Luck.

[Southern Bee]

Tedstruck what are your killer wasps like? I have some also,and I dont know what they ARE but they ARE NOT yellow jackets, although they do have bright yellow bands on their abdomen. These are huge 2" or more in length and as big around as a AA battery. They hang around the hives but are not interested in robbing honey. They keep lunging until they manage to grab a bee. Then they crash to the ground and fight it until they kill or subdue it then fly off with their prize. I'm sure the unlucky bees are carried off to become supper for the wasps younguns. My Wasp traps havn't snagged any of these monsters. In the long run the wasps arn't doing much damage to the colony with the relatively few they carry off but these muthers are SCARY:eek: I suppose they could be yellow jacket queens but they really dont look like it. I havn't been able to catch a good picture of one yet but they are there each time I check out my hives. Any body know what they could be? I saw one carry off a 3" cicada the other day too so they dont eat just honey bees. Sure wish they would leave my hives alone though.

[mike haney]

cicadia killers. strictly meat eaters. they make solitary nests in the ground. while wicked scary, they are unlikely to make much of a dent in your hive. they may buzz you but are mostly non-agressive. good luck,mike

[Barry]

but they ARE NOT yellow jackets, although they do have bright yellow bands on their abdomen. These are huge 2" or more in length and as big around as a AA battery.

A Queen Yellow Jacket?
http://dereila.ca/dereilaimages/QueenYellowjacket2.jpg

Asian Giant Hornet?
http://neuromolecular.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/agh1.jpg

Cicada Killer Wasp?
http://bugguide.net/images/cache/JLELRZ6L7ZDZPRJZERJZSROZMR2LMRELKRNLIZQH4RAL7ZRH8R OZFLWLIRWLSRTZXR2LYLPLMRNLLZULSRUL3LPL.jpg

[Southern Bee]

Thanks for the pictures Barry. Wow! Some of my "killers" are definitely the Cicada Killer Wasps! Looks just like what I have been seeing. Pictures are definitely worth a thousand words. Some of them look more like the Asian Giant Hornet though, with precise yellow pin stripes on the abdomine, lighter wings, and yellow head. I guess I've got both visiting. And Thank you to Mike also, good to know I wont stumble upon a giant nest of these monsters somewhere.