# Paper Wasps and Swarm Traps



## Hops Brewster (Jun 17, 2014)

Put up yellowjacket/wasp traps near your swarm traps. Bees generally won't go to the wasp traps.


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## Geno (Apr 23, 2015)

Waspinator, you can purchase or DIY. Paint a paper bag gray, hang it near your swarm traps.


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## LeifLiberty (Sep 23, 2014)

Geno said:


> Waspinator, you can purchase or DIY. Paint a paper bag gray, hang it near your swarm traps.


Have you tried this? Do wasps see the paper bag and think there is a yellow jacket or hornet nest there? Do the bees stay away also?


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## Geno (Apr 23, 2015)

LeifLiberty said:


> Have you tried this? Do wasps see the paper bag and think there is a yellow jacket or hornet nest there? Do the bees stay away also?


I have, keeps wasps away. I did have one instance where dirt robbers used the bag for nesting. Bees don't seem to pay any attention.


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## Nordak (Jun 17, 2016)

Thanks for the suggestions. I have tried vinegar style traps in the past with little success. Maybe the faux wasp nest trick will work.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

I have never had a problem with the wasps being in the swarm boxes. Virtually every one of them will have one to three wasp nests in them, but, an arriving swarm will run the wasp off. I don't do anything to keep the wasp out. Does not seem to matter.

cchoganjr


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## Nordak (Jun 17, 2016)

Apparently the bees around here are weenies compared to your bees, or my wasps are meaner. The wasps will harass the scouts, kill them if they get the chance. Seems to shut down scouting activity. I've seen heavy scouting before and have seen it stop completely after discovering wasps have moved in. Of course, I've never just left the wasps in there once discovered, so I guess it's possible they might try to move in, but I don't think it helps my chances.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

I put mouse guards on all my swarm boxes today. Virtually all of them had from one to three wasp nests in them. In the Steward field, with no managed hives of bees within 4 miles, I have 7 swarm boxes, each year I get 3 to 5 swarms in the 7 boxes. 

I never watch the boxes so I don't know how the wasp affect the scouts, but, I do know swarms move in, and the remains of the wasp nests are still in there. Perhaps I would do better if the wasps were not there, I just don't really know.

cchoganjr


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## Nordak (Jun 17, 2016)

That's pretty interesting. I'm thinking a swarm of bees would obliterate a couple of wasps no problem, so if they wanted to move in badly enough, they could. You've been at this a lot longer than I have. Maybe I'll leave one alone this year and see what happens. Would be great not to have to break it down and remove them. Do you just keep yours up year round or take them down?


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

I leave them up all year. I have out about 25 scattered around the County.

Most are sitting on Plastic tubs about 3 1/2 feet tall, and the sides of the tubs are too slick for mice to crawl up. For those on metal barrels, or where mice can get into them, I put a piece of a queen excluder over the entrance to keep mice out during the Winter months, then remove the excluder about the 1st of April.

cchoganjr


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## Nordak (Jun 17, 2016)

Thanks for the info. Setting them up 3.5 ft off the ground would be a heckuva lot easier than tree mounting. Seems like you've had great success with it. I might just try simplifying things next year based on your experience.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

I use the blue plastic tubs that farmers get their cattle mineral in, so there are lots of them available for free. I use them for stands for starting my Spring Nucs and for swarm boxes. 

They are not strong enough to support complete hives with 4 or more boxes, but will support up to 2 deep boxes and one shallow with no problem. Beyond that, it gets doubtful they would hold the weight. 

I know a lot of people like to put their swarm boxes 10+ feet off the ground, but I never did. Perhaps I would have done better if I had, but, this way is so much easier.

Here is a photo of the blue tubs I use. These have nucs sitting on them.










cchoganjr


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## Nordak (Jun 17, 2016)

That looks like a good system. Thanks for the picture. Sounds like you've got some good locations for catching bees.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

The Steward farm boundaries the old Rube Dickenson farm, and he had 75 to 100 hives for many years so the woods around there have bees in them. Varorra did not wipe out all the wild bees as it did most of the managed hives in the period 1998-2005.

cchoganjr


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## Nordak (Jun 17, 2016)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> The Steward farm boundaries the old Rube Dickenson farm, and he had 75 to 100 hives for many years so the woods around there have bees in them. Varorra did not wipe out all the wild bees as it did most of the managed hives in the period 1998-2005.
> 
> cchoganjr


By all appearances, I'm keeping a bunch of those "wild" bees in my apiary. Haven't treated them in all 3 years I've been doing this, and they keep on growing and looking better every year. I hope nothing comes along to change that. They may not make mountains of surplus honey, but I like not having to treat them. That's an incredible resource you have there. Thanks for sharing.


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## Kenww (Apr 14, 2013)

When you leave the traps out all year, do you have problems with ants, roaches, or other unwanted insects? I've had some huge investations of ants and quite a few roaches. Will a swarm still move in?


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

I leave mine out all year,.. Have never had a problem with ants or roaches. Occasionally wasps will build on migratory lid, but bees will still move in and run wasps out.

cchoganjr


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