That was an excellent article on managing and dealing with Yellowjacket pressure. Thanks for the repost. I had no idea they could be such a threat. I’m definitely planning to implement some of these suggestions.
I heard a sad tale today. One of our beekeepers sent me this email;
"I've been noticing yellow jackets around my hive in the last few weeks, going in and out. Not a lot, one or two at a time, but I wasn't seeing any honeybees at the entrance. I was getting concerned that the yellow jackets were robbing the hive of honey and took a chance yesterday during a break in the rain to open up the hive. Much to my surprise....there were no honeybees. Yes, some dead ones, maybe 30-50, but everyone else was gone. They last time I got in the hive was mid/end of Sept and the hive was teeming with bees."
The short answer is that her hive was the victim of a yellow jacket attack which killed her hive. Perhaps once they killed the queen, the rest just absconded, but nevertheless, the hive was destroyed by yellow jackets.
In our Apiary Management section (see Education / Apiary Management) under the September month to month to do list, is listed the following guidance;
"Robbing
Even though the knotweed is in bloom, September is the month when serious robbing begins. It’s not just other honey bees. Yellow jackets and bald face hornets can be a serious problem especially to colonies that are not very strong. Reduce the entrances to be open no more than three inches. If that doesn’t work, go to a one-inch opening. Robbing screens are also an option."
Maybe, this advice is not strong enough. Yellow jackets are a very serious problem and can not just rob a little honey, but can totally destroy a whole colony of honey bees.
I am attaching an article by Carolyn Breece of OSU Bee Labs that spells it all out.
Please pay attention to the yellow jacket threat. Yellow Jackets can be controlled and if we are diligent, we can defend the hives from these nasty bugs.