[pjs1inc]

Yesterday watching the bees for a while I noticed a bumblebee come down and grab a bee and hit the ground then took off with the bee

A while later I noticed a black hornet do the same but I was able to kill him before he took off with the bee

Now this seem to be an hourly occurrence with the bumble bees and hornets.

Any way to stop them?

Also killed one of them giant 2” long red/yellow hornets, I red a few of them can wipe out the whole colony

Did a search didn’t find too much.

 

[John Davis]

Not knowing your location (since it is not showing by your join date) makes it harder to give you advice that is meaning full.
Bumblebees don't usually kill bees but do like to rob if they can.

Hornets (black "bald faced" ) European hornets the ones that look like yellow jackets on steroids kill and eat bees, as do yellow jackets. They are wasps and use other insects as protein sources
The true Japanese hornet has not made it to the US yet.

Hornet and wasp trap.
2 liter soda bottle, cut a 3/4 to -1 inch hole in the side just below the shoulder. 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, and a banana peel in the bottle for bait. Sit or hang near the hives.

 

[pjs1inc]

Good morning John and thanks for the reply!

I'm in the charlotte / lake norman area in North Carolina.

Yea I didn't think bumble bees messed with honey bees but I have seen it with my own eyes on multiple occasions.

Yellow Jackets and Wasp hasn't been a problem yet, but they are around the house.

 

[Greeny]

Yesterday watching the bees for a while I noticed a bumblebee come down and grab a bee and hit the ground then took off with the bee

A while later I noticed a black hornet do the same but I was able to kill him before he took off with the bee

Now this seem to be an hourly occurrence with the bumble bees and hornets.

Any way to stop them?

Also killed one of them giant 2” long red/yellow hornets, I red a few of them can wipe out the whole colony

Did a search didn’t find too much.

I see Bumble bees trying to rob, but haven't seen them haul off bees yet. We do, however have the black and white monsters like the one in your picture, plus black and yellow/orange ones. We call them all hornets, but I guess they're technically large wasps. They both catch bees in flight and take them away.
My son enjoys playing guard bee with a tennis racquet, knocking the hornets out of the air and stomping on them. They only start showing up in numbers in the third half of summer. (Car Talk joke).
He has killed a dozen or so in a half hour, but those kind of numbers are rare. Usually just gets a few each time, maybe twice a week. If he does it fairly regularly, we see very few hornets. If he neglects it for a while, we can see three or four at a time.

 

[Nicksotherhoney]

I saw a pretty cool video on YouTube about baiting yellow jackets and wasps using fipronil.. the flea ointment for dogs and cats. I don’t remember the title to the video but should be easy to find

 

[Diptera]

Yesterday watching the bees for a while I noticed a bumblebee come down and grab a bee and hit the ground then took off with the bee

A while later I noticed a black hornet do the same but I was able to kill him before he took off with the bee

Now this seem to be an hourly occurrence with the bumble bees and hornets.

Any way to stop them?

Also killed one of them giant 2” long red/yellow hornets, I red a few of them can wipe out the whole colony

Did a search didn’t find too much.

The black and white wasps are called "bald faced hornets" - "bald" being the term for things with white-colored heads - Like "bald eagles." These are actually in the paper wasp family (Vespidae) and are related to yellowjackets. They are native to N. America.

The larger black and yellowish-brown ones are Eurasian hornets - again, not true hornets but paper wasps in the family Vespidae. They have been introduces from europe. They cannot wipe out a colony unless you have a very weak hive. You did not kill a beewolf. They are not yet in the U.S. Beewolves can wipe out a large nest, or at least do significant damage.

The "bumble bee" you saw grabbing a bee I will wager was actually a robber fly - a true fly, Family Asilidae - and not a Hymenoptera at all. There are many robber flies that mimic bees. For example:


https://bugguide.net/node/view/910290

 

[pjs1inc]

They were bumble bees for I have killed a few that were in action attacking the bees.

 

[JWPalmer]

I have seen a bumble bee in a beehive while doing an inspection. I pity the bumble because the bees were balling it and I don't think it survived. The bumble was like hey, I just stopped in for a honey snack, the door was open.

 

[AR Beekeeper]

Me too JW, I have never seen a bumble bee enter a hive and come out alive.

 

[Andhors]

Diptera’s name is DIPTERA (for a good reason I’ll wager). My money is on his robber fly. That pic looked like a bumble to me.

 

[GregB]

Yesterday watching the bees for a while I noticed a bumblebee come down and grab a bee and hit the ground then took off with the bee
.

Bumble bees are really vegetarians (unlike wasps/hornets/yellow jackets).
They have no use for "meat".
I will only believe it when see a picture of it (don't believe it until then - a bumble bee carrying honey bees away; to do what with them?).

 

[pjs1inc]

Sorry, it is carpenter bees and those black/white hornets that attack my bees. Now I have Dragon Flies that go and grab one and fly off with it.

After soo many years I just recently learned how to identify a bubble bee and a carpenter bee.

Also saw 2 dead ones in front of the bee hive, he wasn't so lucky!

From time to time I see bee parts, mainly heads on top of a couple hives. Something get a late night snack!

Thanks!
Pete