Apis m. Esoteria 27

Wasps vs, Honey bees

Did you know yellow jackets are “naked”? Now there is a statement that will attract attention at a cocktail party.

When the conversation is a drag – just blurt it out loudly!

All bees are hairy. This is what makes them better pollinators. Bees are also vegetarian. They eat honey and pollen. Honey bees are the best pollinators because they do not wander between types of flowers. If a particular honey bee is working apple blossoms, she will stay with apple blossoms for one or more trips that day. Most types of bees wander from flower to flower with no regard to what type. You can’t pollinate an apple with rose pollen.

Hornets and wasps are smooth bodied. They are also mostly carnivorous. They eat other insects. Yes, they do eat a little nectar or soda pop to provide carbohydrate to their nests, but that is very little. Hornets and Wasps also eat honey bees.

Home-made yellow jacket traps work but there are so many yellow jackets you never thin the population. European & Aisian hornets are dangerous predators to honey bees. A large hornet colony can eradicate a bee hive. A good way to fight them is with a “bug zapper”. The hornets range out earlier and later in the day than honey bees. They will be attracted to the bug zapper during daylight. You don’t want to draw honey bees to the zapper so only turn it on for early morning and early evening when the honey bees are not flying. You will need to break a few of the protective cage bars to make holes large enough for the European Hornet to enter the zapper.