A swarm of wasps spotted on the side of netting at a plot sent shivers down many spines. However here at Weaste we have Community Hives of honey bees tended by volunteer bee keepers. So who Weaste going to call? Our Community bee keeper. There was a chance the wasps would move on, but they did not. It was therefore time to don a bee keeper’s protective suit and seek to entice them away from the plot holder’s fence.
At this time of year Weaste’s hives are beginning to slow down for Winter. They are tidied up and the honeycomb harvested. Then having taken the bee’s carefully collected and created food, our beekeeper will make sure they have enough food to get through a quiet Winter when they do not like being disturbed.
Community Bee Hives
There are a lot of bees on the allotment. The Community hives as well as several plot holders who manage their own. This is not for anyone who is allergic as you will be in closer proximity to the bees than most, and more often near them, so likely to get stung at some point. Good handling reduces the temptation for an odd feisty bee. It also increases immunity over time. If you want to be part of the team looking after the Community hives then have a look at the British Bee Keeping Association information first and you’ll need to be a plot holder.
Wasps are allotmenteer’s friends
OK so that may be a little hard to agree to, but it is about their natural prey. They will hunt weevils, caterpillars, and aphids which will enjoy feeding on a grower’s crops. So if they are not swarming but just passing through they may be doing the grower a favour.
Wasps have been spotted in and under sheds and in grassy compost heaps at the allotment over the years. They love anywhere that has been left long enough undisturbed so they can start to build a nest. Definitely not to be done by anyone without experience as they get angry very quickly and can sting many times. They don’t need much provocation at all. Bees can only sting once as they leave you with the sting and are only prone to doing so when surprised (e.g. sat on) or trapped by you.
Recording sightings
There is a society which would love to hear from you if you do spot swarms of bees, wasps or ants which are all aculeates. Insects which modify their egg-laying ovipositor to form a sting. The bit that gets many people worked up about them. Thank you to the “Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society” for that knowledge. BWARS are looking for information on your sightings in the UK. There is also information about each of these species on their website to enjoy if you want to know more. Great pictures too.