Effective Apiary Control Methods

Own apiary is a profitable business and hobby. Beekeepers have a lot of trouble taking care of bees. To get tasty and healthy honey, you have to work from early spring to late autumn. Keeping bees requires special knowledge. It is necessary to add frameworks in time, monitor swarming, and prepare families for wintering. The apiary attracts many enemies seeking to feast on hardworking insects and honey. We have to fight with mice, lizards, birds. There are also smaller pests - wax moth, ants, wasps and hornets. The fight against wasps in the apiary should begin with the advent of spring. After destroying a large number of insects during this period, in the summer you will not encounter an attack by a large swarm.

Wasps and hornets - exploring the enemy

The insects from the detachment of stalked bellies in a huge variety of species settled around the world. All wasp families can be divided into two large categories - single and public. Regardless of status, they have a similar body structure. Insects have a small head, a convex chest and an elongated abdomen. The junction of the upper and lower body resembles a thin stalk. Such a structure is not accidental; it gives the predator ample opportunities during a sting attack. Insects have two pairs of membranous wings.

Attention. In addition to the poisonous sting, predators have powerful jaws. They are able to tear prey and crack another's chitinous cover.

Most wasps have a warning black and yellow color. It signals the danger of insects. Hornets - representatives of highly organized public wasps. Their sizes inspire people with a feeling of fear, some types of uterus reach 50-70 mm. All wasps are predators by nature. They use their prey for feeding larvae and uterus. Any small insects become food: flies, bugs, caterpillars, bugs. If a family of striped hunters settles near bee hives, then conflict is inevitable. Predators are very fond of honey, so they steal it at any opportunity. Bees selflessly protect their home and food. Losses in two directions are inevitable in battles. Beekeepers have to think about how to protect bees from wasps.

Attention. A group of 20-30 large hornets can destroy a weak family of 30 thousand individuals in a few hours. During the attack they do not use the sting. With strong jaws, the giants bite the bees articulation of the head and chest.

Filant - a wolf in the apiary

One of the varieties of solitary wasps specializes in capturing and eating honey-bearing insects. This is a philanthropist or a bee wolf. Females hunt. They smell the victim and attack it in flight. Paralyzed production cannot resist. To feed one larva, the philanthropus kills 4-6 bees. Before being transferred to the nest, the female squeezes nectar from the prey. For her offspring, this is poison. Insects settle in the ground, so you need to look for their home underfoot.

Tip. Beehives are best set away from the sandy areas where female philanthropists make their burrows. If the apiary has sandy soil, it should be dug up for the winter.Insects hiding for the winter will die from the cold.

Ways to deal with bee killers

If you can come to terms with the presence of an aspen family in the garden, remembering their benefits, then next to the apiary a peaceful neighborhood will not work. There are too many troubles from stinging predators:

1. Hunters catch bees as food for offspring.
2. Wasps penetrate the hive and eat honey, leaving the family without proper nutrition.
3. Insects spread dangerous diseases.

Even novice beekeepers know that if you do not destroy the enemies in a timely manner, you can lose honey, and in some cases the bee family. The confrontation between related families of stinging insects has been going on for centuries. Beekeepers have invented various ways to get rid of wasps in an apiary.

Search and destroy a nest

Social wasps always build nests. These are complex architectural structures with hexagonal honeycombs, having several tiers and a protective shell. The material for them is chewed wood. When hardened, it resembles poor quality paper. In the nest, the uterus lays eggs and grows larvae. Adults come to feed offspring, gather for spending the night and waiting for the weather. Finding and destroying a nest is a cardinal solution to the problem with bee exterminators.

The main difficulties arise at the search stage. Housing can be built in a hollow, on a branch, in a non-residential building or directly in the ground. Inspection of the nearby territory will take a lot of time and effort. The only way is to track one of the wasps. To facilitate the task, the insect will have to catch and tie an identification mark, for example a bright thread. The design may be in a neighboring area, so it is worth discussing the possibility of access with neighbors in advance. Usually there are no problems, the summer resident is only happy to get rid of the nest.
The methods of destruction of the structure depend on the place of its construction. If it is in the ground - then you can pour kerosene and burn. This is a simple, fast and effective method. The second option is to pour hot water. The work is also not difficult, but the effectiveness is much lower. All insects will not die, so it is worthwhile to provide protection from angry predators. Search and destroy the nest should be in the suit of the beekeeper.

Dwellings under the roof are disposed of with the help of chemicals. Insecticides, such as Karbofos, Delta Zone, Chlorofos, are poured into a tight package that wraps the nest. Honeycombs located in the hollow are also poured with a poisonous solution. The entrance is closed with a dense tissue impregnated with an insecticidal agent. It is safer to use products in the form of aerosols. In this case, you do not have to approach the nest. Among the popular drugs are Dichlorvos, Raid, Bros, Raptor, Moskitoll.

The aerosol jet acts at a distance of 3-6 m. Under the action of the active substances permethrin and tetramethrin, insects die within a few minutes. After the destruction of adults, the paper structure is knocked down and burned.

Trap making

Finding a hornet’s nest is not always possible; predators are able to fly a long distance in search of food. To destroy uninvited guests, beekeepers use traps. Among the options for how to deal with wasps in an apiary, this method is the most effective. In hardware stores, you can purchase various formulas. The principle of operation is the same for everyone:

• Fermented sweet syrup is poured into the container;
• through holes in the walls, wasps fly inward, but cannot get out.

In some traps, dry bait is poured, before use it is necessary to add water to them. The cost of containers varies depending on the complexity of their design, the simplest products from 100 rubles.

Attention. The effectiveness of the trap depends on the bait placed in it. Beer or fermented jam attract striped insects more than sweet syrup.

Spending money on wasp traps in an apiary is not necessary. The idea is so simple that it is easy to implement on your own.You will need plastic bottles of 1.5-2 liters. Manufacturing technology:

• Take a clean, transparent plastic container. Cut off the upper third with a clerical knife.
• The cut off part is turned upside down and inserted into the bottle like a funnel.
• Inside, the bait is poured - jam-diluted with water, compote, fruit juice. To exclude the attraction of bees, you can use meat broth. 200-300 ml of liquid is required.
• The trap is set near the hive. Bees circling nearby will fly into the tank and drown. In a sealed container in the heat, they quickly die.
• The structure will have to be cleaned once every 2-3 days or as it is filled. Replacing the bait, it is put in place.
• Such traps will require a few pieces.

Some beekeepers put a bucket full of water with honey syrup on a third. He is covered with a lid, leaving a gap. Wasps get into it and drown. The bodies of insects are pulled out by a slotted spoon.

Tip. When pumping honey, the bottles should be removed so that disturbed bees do not fall into the trap.

You can start catching predators from the beginning of summer and continue until late autumn. They get a large number of insects that fly to the smell of honey. In autumn, at a temperature of + 7º, the bees no longer fly, and the wasps remain active. The family itself will not protect itself, all responsibility lies with the beekeeper. During this period, it is recommended to reduce the width of the notch. The invaders will enter the small gap one by one, it will be easier to cope with them.

Chemical means for extermination of predatory insects

Do not spray or sprinkle pesticides in the apiary. Together with the wasps, the bees will die. But chemicals can be used as additives in the bait. The diet of insects varies, so do not worry about bees flocking to it. Poisoned meat bait is an effective method of getting rid of the entire aspen family. To prepare, you will need:

• minced meat - 50-100 g;
• insecticide (Actara, Gett), Raptor gel or boric acid.

Predators need meat to feed the larvae and uterus. They would prefer hunting the opportunity to easily take food from the bait. It is necessary to mix any stuffing with one of the listed drugs. All of them are poison for wasps. Modern insecticidal drugs affect the nerve centers of insects. They cause paralysis and quick death. The advantage of funds is the contact-intestinal effect. Adult individuals themselves will not eat meat bait, but direct contact during food transfer and feeding offspring is sufficient for their poisoning. As a result, the whole family dies, led by the uterus.

Attention. Bees will not eat meat, but it can attract pets. If a cat or dog walks around the apiary, then the baits should not be placed on the ground.

Preventative measures

Experienced beekeepers know that the best way to protect yourself from the hive from any misfortune is with a strong bee family. She needs to provide a full fodder base and good conditions. The family should have a young highly productive uterus. She gives more offspring. The hives must be insulated, then the bees do not have to spend energy on heating the brood.

A strong family is able to independently cope with the invaders. She can even beat off a hornet attack. The size of the European hornet is 22-25 mm; they are not much larger than the honey insects. In countries where aggressors reach 50-70 mm, local bees have developed special battle tactics. They hornet the hornet with a dense ball of several hundred individuals. Due to the movement of bodies and vibration of the wings, the temperature inside the swarm rises to 47⁰. Heat quickly kills a predator. After two or three minutes, the bees fly apart, and the hornet falls dead.