invaders

[greeneyes]

I am fairly new to beekeeping. last year I noticed that their were a lot of, what looked like, roaches and wasps hanging out in and around the hive. Are the bees capable of defending the hives or is there soemthing I need to do to get rid of the invaders?

[StevenG]

Get rid of them. Not sure about the roachs, I just don't care for them. Wasps can eat the bees... Depending on the strength of the hive, and the number of wasps, it can be detrimental to the hive.

[greeneyes]

How do you get rid of wasps?

[StevenG]

There are ways to trap them. Do a search for wasps, traps, on this site, or google the same. I've not had any problem with wasps, so don't have any first-hand experience constructing the traps. But they somehow involve plastic soda bottles and raw meat.
Regards,
Steven

[AmericasBeekeeper]

If you have wasps and roaches in the hive, they cannot be a very strong hive to let these invaders in.

[mike haney]

if you are having trouble identifying weather they are in fact wasps/roaches as opposed to SHB/yellowjackets, i would suggest finding a mentor. your local club is a good place to start. good luck,mike

[Michael Palmer]

These so called invaders are only taking advantage of a space you created by placing a honeybee hive in their territory. They do ho harm. You've never seen a Polistes wasp that lives under the outer cover eat a bee. Wolf spiders don't. Roaches and earwigs don't. Bees let them in the hive because they aren't a threat. Even big hairy Wood spiders don't.

Sure, I've seen a Yellow Garden spider wrap up a bee or two. The hive can afford it. I look forward to seeing the different spiders and insects in my apiaries. How dull it would be without that little yellow Goldenrod spider that changes from yellow to cream and pink.

[beemandan]

It's not uncommon for me to see a hornet grab a bee on the landing board. They don't really have an impact on the overall colony. I freqently find small spiders and roaches on the inner cover.....even in the strongest hives. I've never seen any evidence that they do any harm. Bees will defend their nest proper from any 'real' pests. Just watch them go after a small hive beetle.

[greeneyes]

Hey, I want to thank all of you for your replies, as varied as they are. Of course there are no invaders right now. The situation occured when it was warmer. There wasn't a lot of them, but 10 or less of each of the wasps and what looked like roaches or water bugs(?). I have lost hives several years in a row, so now I am paranoid. So far this one seems to be doing ok, but since I am obviosuly an amateur, I needed to figure out whether to ignore the invaders or watch for problems that may arise because of them.

[Kieck]

Wood roaches can get pretty common in or around hives in your neck of the woods. Like others have already pointed out, they do no harm to the bees. They may be indicators of some deterioration of your hives, though. Wood roaches will hide in almost any dark location, but really like rotting wood.

Wasps may occasionally take a bee or some honey. I'll include yellowjackets with wasps since yellowjackets are a type of wasp. Again, like others have already pointed out, they tend to cause no real harm to the hive or bees, and may really be an indication of a weak hive if you find them inside the hive and not just under the outer cover or around the hive.

[Robert Brenchley]

Close the entrances up small to make it easier for the bees to defend their hives. I have mine on mesh floors and permanently reduced entrances, and have very few wasp problems.

[devdog108]

I had YJ's coming and going at their leisure last fall. Reduced the entrance and they tore them up...the bees winning in a lot of cases....