UPDATE: Users all agree... Varroa. Thanks for the feedback. This fall, I had three hives. Two of them seemed strong, but I was keeping a close eye on the 3rd as it was a caught swarm. I noticed that the 3rd hive was being robbed by yellow jackets. The wasps were trying with various...

Hope I am posting this in the best place. Been hearing/reading about these bushes and started looking for some. They are pretty much all gone for the year now. However, a fellow couple of hours away made me an offer I couldn't refuse. They are small young plants - look great. Couple at...

Has anyone found any great solutions for controlling Yellow Jacket wasp and hornet problems? I've found powdered sugar works very well as an attractant, and I took the zapper out of a bug zapper light, and made a wasp zapper. (Very dangerous I know...) I've been successful in making a dent in...

Tonight we release the fiftieth episode of our beekeeping podcast, this one is a review of the New Zealand 2013 Bee Season and a bit of reflection of what’s been happening with us at kiwimana . This will be the last one for this season; we will be back in August with the next edition after our...

Hello All, I'm new to beekeeping and could use some guidance. Yesterday I went to do an inspection on my hives and was stung while getting my equipment on. I was surprised considering my hives were 30ft away but didn't think anything about it. Thought I must have done something to upset the...

This isn't exactly about bees, but it does show a garden spider capturing a wasp near my log hive. I recently noticed the wasps are all over the bamboo which is directly behind the log hive. It turns out that wasps like the bamboo. They gather material (fibers?) for their paper nests. I'm...

Hi All, I could use some advice. I noticed today that even though it is late October (unusually warm fall) there were quite a few wasps agressivley trying to enter my hives. I had reduced the entrances a few days ago to about 4 inches but the top covers were left propped open slightly for...

I just noticed wasps building a nest in the doorway to my bee yard (which is an urban roof). It's small, but coming along nicely, if you're into that sort of thing. How do I get the wasps to move along without hurting my bees? I obviously don't want to spray insecticide 6 feet from my hive...

I was stung for the first time in the face yesterday. This hive has been very calm and pleasant and I regularly have been able to work it with no glove, veil, or even smoke. Yesterday was a very different story. This morning I think I have found the reason. I found 4 dead wasps and about 2...

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...

Indian Summer in Montana with mornings at 30 and afternoon at 75. Great time if you are a yellow jacket. I am new to bees this year and all has gone well so far. Feeding for fall now and the yellow robbers have come out of the woodwork. Using entrance feeders on 3 hives and have closed the...

Do you have increased number of wasps? They are all over where I live. They are such a pest!