Robbing ?

[Mikey N.C.]

Rednecks robbing screen.
 

[Jen]

Great Idea!

[Some Day]

Must not have any squirrels there.

[neillsayers]

Whatever it takes.

[riverbee]

"Rednecks robbing screen.
 "

that is funny stuff mikey........might even have to try myself...........

[neillsayers]

Had to put screens on today. Yellow Jackets and Bald Faced hornets in a war with my bees. About a hundred dead bees on the ground in front of each hive. Only good news is about twice as many yellow jackets dead. :\'(

[Mikey N.C.]

Fingers crossed for you 
I'm finding it's a situation I've got to deal with every year.

[neillsayers]

This is my third season and the first time I've had this trouble. It turned out very bad. One hive was an immediate dead-out. I even found the dead queen on the bottom board. Today I went down to feed the other two. Well, one was completely dead, just a few bees left. The last one seems to be plugging along, but it doesn't look good. :\'(
I've already made plans for more bees in the spring, looks like I'll increase the order.

Gonna spent this winter making plans on proactive steps against these yellow jackets!

[Mikey N.C.]

Boy Howdy, hate to hear that. Haven't had YJ's that bad(yet)
Getting in the 29,30°f range at nights here,  have noticed an increase in YJ's but not that bad. I have a beek friend 15 miles away that has to make traps, inverted soda bottle tops with sweet tea ,BBQ vienyas , lemon juice, coffee with alot of different creamers.  Tried lots of concoction,  it seemed to me that once x-amount of dead wasp,bees and euro- hornets its seemed to attract more.

[neillsayers]

I dumped a trap out for my chickens today and I estimate I've trapped about 7-8000 of the little suckers.

[Riverrat]

Yule Brenner reported one of his pine cones missing last week 

[efmesch]

I recently read an article suggesting that the increases in damage from yellow jackets over the past years  is due to the elimination of skunks.  Skunks apparently keep the yellow jacket populations down by feeding on them--digging up their nests in the ground for food.  The suggestion, of course, was to stop trapping/killing skunks and let them play their positive role in the pest management ecology.

[neillsayers]

I recently read an article suggesting that the increases in damage from yellow jackets over the past years  is due to the elimination of skunks.  Skunks apparently keep the yellow jacket populations down by feeding on them--digging up their nests in the ground for food.  The suggestion, of course, was to stop trapping/killing skunks and let them play their positive role in the pest management ecology.

This is likely correct. I've always thought skunks were kind of cool. Every creature plays an important role. Even yellow jackets, though it's hard to remember when they kill your beehives. We had a nice day today so I went into my last hive hoping to find enough bees and a queen to hopefully nurse through winter. No luck! No queen, no bees. Well about a half dozen. Lots of stores and a lot of dead bees on the bottom board. They must have absconded due to all the robbing pressure.

Next year I will be mindful of this disaster and do all I can to prevent it.

[Lburou]

I recently read an article suggesting that the increases in damage from yellow jackets over the past years  is due to the elimination of skunks.  Skunks apparently keep the yellow jacket populations down by feeding on them--digging up their nests in the ground for food.  The suggestion, of course, was to stop trapping/killing skunks and let them play their positive role in the pest management ecology.

Is it permitted to receive skunks in Israel?  I could send you a few.   

[efmesch]

Lee, I wish I could say we don't need them because we don't have any yellow jackets here---but, alas, we do have Y.J.s and no skunks.
However, I have never come across the Yellow jackets robbing bees here---there are bigger trouble makers called the oriental wasp, to whose predation I have lost many hives.  I fear that skunks would keep their distance from them (even though they do nest in the ground), so I will forego the pleasure of trying to import them into the country.

[apisbees]

Skunks are very sneaky. With approaching at night, scratching to get the bees to come out to investigate then eating them as they appear. Doing this over many nights till the colony is decimated. then in the case of wasps they will dig up the unprotected brood nest.