I started with a small nuc and chopped and cropped them into the tbh. Its a small (weak) hive and I have a terrible yellow jacket problem. I have three yellow jacket traps built that are pretty effective but I when I open the hive I get more yellow jackets flying out of the hive than bees. I'm afraid they are robbing the hive so bad they wont be ready for winter, if they last that long. I see bees trying to run the little buggers away, but they just turn and go into another cell. I have also plugged 2 of the 3 entrance holes. I have looked all over and cannot find the yellow jacket nest. I don't know what else can be done.
All I can think of is reducing the entrance as much as possible, which it sounds like you already did.
You might want to screen over the other ones so there is good ventilation.
A robbing screen might help, a screen in front of the entrance about 5" high. You're bees have to climb up that 5" to exit the hive. Robber bees try to enter at the old location where the scent is. It works for honey bee robber, maybe it will for yellow jackets.
Use a small piece of fish ,hang it near the hive watch the direction they (yellow Jackets) come from
move the fish in that direction 50 ft.at a time
you will find the nest Light it up
No more Yellow Jackets
Screen over the holes as KQ6AR said, then reduce your last entrance hole down so that just a couple of bees can make it through at a time. use a piece of a shingle or something and staple it on to cover most of that last hole.
If you've got that few bees, then the restriction of traffic is only going to help. Robber screen is a good idea if you can make one.
But the whole "chop and crop" thing really sets a hive back. I don't recommend it. Just put a swarm or a package in.
I really recommend buying packages if you want bees in some other equipment or cell size (small cell, mediums, tbh etc.). Otherwise you're just buying problems.
I paid for the queen, but the nuc was given to me. Unfortunately there weren't as many bees as I would have liked but oh well. If this colony doesn't make it, I will buy a package next spring. Are package bees available year round?
Anyway, its 11:30 PM, I went out and plugged the last entrance hole and gave them food and water. There is screening along the whole bottom of the tbh so ventilation shouldn't be a problem. In a couple days I will open it back up but reduce one of entrance holes to allow a couple bees at a time.
There were quite a few yellow jackets in the hive with the bees, just waiting. I managed to squish the ones I did see before sealing it up. Do you think the yellow jackets will just give up?
I don't see them giving up. The only way to stop them is to get the hive set up so that the bees can defend the entrance. Even if you find and destroy the wasp's nest - there will always be more. Yellow jackets are good at the things they do, and stealing honey is one of them. You've got to give the bees a chance by drastically reducing the entrance area they have to defend.
Well I opened the hive back up after 1 day. I reduced the entrance to half of a 1" hole. I squished probably 50 yellow jackets. Weird that they are not stinging me. Other than the colony being smaller, they look like they are all busy building comb and chasing yellow jackets so I guess I'll leave them to fight them off.
Fingers crossed...
Ok, I reduced it down to a 1/4" hole. I will check in the morning to make sure they are exiting ok. The yellow jacket numbers were smaller today. And tonight I only saw 8 or so. Thats a good thing!
Do you have a friend that you could move your hive to for a few months?(few miles away) Don't know if it would work but if you killed the current YJ's in the hive and moved it maybe they could build enough to move it back and defend themselves
I have been going out in the afternoon and killing yellow jacket. I removed the sugar water mix as I thought it might be contributing to the robbing. All I saw eating it was the YJ. I saw the queen a yesterday and the bees have capped honey, and brood (I think). The numbers are just low.
Yellow jacket activity has seemed to of stopped. I got 2 frames of brood and nurse bees and added it to my hive. Plenty of capped brood and larva. They are feeding again. It's raining today so they are inside working away and attaching the cut wedges of comb to the bars. My hive is much more productive now.
Thanks for the update -- I have been wondering how you and your bees were doing. It's really good to hear they are doing better!
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