Robert Brenchley wrote:
> Since I started using permanently reduced entrances, my wasp problems have
> effectively ceased,

I have also found these helpful and now have around half my colonies on OMFs
with a 7mm full width entrance.  However, in 2004 I lost around 20 colonies
to wasps and many of these had the narrow entrances.  I even reduced these
with foam, but it made little difference - in some cases the outside of the
hives were covered with wasps.  I have never seen anything like it before -
despite trapping thousands, more and more seemed to arrive.  Although I
would expect to lose the odd weak colony to wasps each year, 2004 was
exceptional.  In contrast, this year there has been no problem and I have
not lost a single colony.

Of course, the weather for 2004 was completely different from 2005 and last
year the wasp colonies were very strong at the beginning of August, whereas
the bee colonies were not.  This year saw a complete reversal, wasps weak
but bees very strong.

Peter Edwards
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