Wasp invasion

[shennes]

Went down to feed the bees and saw that wasps have taken over 3 of my 4 hives. Wax and bee parts everywhere. So upset. I've set out wasp traps, but don't know how to actually get the wasps out of the hives or how to protect the last hive from the invasion. How does one smother a hive to rid it of the pests? Will the frames be okay to use next season?

Thank you,

Stacey

[mike haney]

"...how to actually get the wasps out ..."
they'll leave at night
"...how to protect the last hive .."
do a search here for "robber screen" but RIGHT NOW,TONIGHT close the entrance to one bee width
"...How does one smother a hive ..."
a plastic bag taped over it,but that wont make a dent in the robbers
"...Will the frames be okay ..."
yes,reuse everything
one last note, your robbers are most likely "yellow jackets" with a nearby nest. try to find and destroy that will help a lot.

[Foster]

I'm sorry about the three hives you lost. The only thing I have to add to what Mike said is next time you see a wasp on your hive grab a tennis racket or a hive tool and kill it so it doesn't tell the other wasps where your hive is. Also, be careful when you're doing this. I'm not sure that a bee suit is thick enough to keep the wasp's stinger from getting you if you don't manage to kill it on your first swing.

[shennes]

Thank you mike and foster. I closed the entrances to the 3 hives and the invaders don't seem interested anymore. The ones that are left inside will hopefully die soon. On the 4th hive I reduced the entrance to let only one bee in at a time. I hope this makes it esier for them to fight the onslaught. Also we set up traps in the yard to catch as many wasps/yellowjackets as possible, as we haven't been able to find their nest