How to Deal with Wasps: Protecting Your Hives During Wasp Season

As temperatures continue to rise through summer, wasps become an increasing threat to honeybee colonies with the risk reaching its peak in late summer. Taking preventative action early can help avoid serious problems later in the season. 
Wasps typically target weaker, queenless, or smaller colonies, overwhelming the hive entrance and killing guard bees in large numbers. Once they breach the hive, wasps take honey, pollen and brood to feed their own developing larvae. This weakens the colony and can leave the surviving bees without sufficient food stores, even if the colony survives the initial attack. In severe cases, colonies can collapse.
Although strong colonies are better able to defend themselves, persistent wasp pressure can take its toll; leading to stressed bees, reduced foraging activity, and, ultimately, weaker colonies. 
Understanding how to manage wasp pressure is an important part of the beekeeping year. Early preparation is essential to safeguard your bees and ensure colonies remain strong and healthy as wasp pressure intensifies later in the summer. Fortunately, there are several strategies that can help protect your colonies while minimising harm to beneficial insects. 

Why do wasps target honeybee colonies?
Wasps are opportunistic predators and scavengers. During late summer and autumn, natural food sources become scarcer and wasp colonies reach their largest size. At this point, worker wasps actively search for sugars and proteins to sustain their colony.

Honeybee colonies are an attractive target because they contain:
•    Honey and nectar stores
•    Brood and larvae
•    Dead bees and other sources of protein

Wasps can repeatedly raid colonies, especially those that are already weakened by disease, pests, or poor nutrition.

Recognising the signs of wasp pressure
Early detection and preparation can prevent a minor problem from becoming a major one. Things to watch out for include:
•    Wasps hovering around hive entrances
•    Individual wasps attempting to enter the hive
•    Seeing wasps inside the hive during inspections
•    Bees fighting with wasps near the entrance
•    Increased defensive behaviour from the colony
•    Reduced foraging activity due to stress
•    Signs of robbing, such as torn wax cappings and depleted stores

If wasp activity becomes frequent, intervention may be necessary.

The Best Defence: Strengthen Your Colonies
A strong, healthy colony is the best defence against wasps. 

Strong colonies have enough guard bees to repel intruders and protect resources. Beekeepers can help maintain strong colonies by:
•    Monitoring and managing pests and diseases
•    Ensuring adequate nutrition
•    Requeening failing colonies. when necessary

Weaker, smaller or queenless colonies are more vulnerable to wasp attacks than strong colonies. 

Reducing Entrance Sizes
One of the simplest and most effective methods is to reduce entrance sizes and/or install entrance reducers.
By narrowing the hive entrance, bees have a smaller area to defend, which makes it more difficult for wasps to gain access. During periods of intense wasp activity, many beekeepers reduce entrances to only a few cm, and in extreme cases the hive entrance can be reduced to a single bee space (about 8mm to 9mm) which assists the bees in guarding the entrance. 
The goal is to allow bees to move freely while creating an entrance that can be easily defended. 
There are well-tested products, such as Wasp Out, which is a simple entrance block designed to help prevent robbing and protect the colony. It can be fitted at any time, thanks to its convenient front-mounted sliding panel, which can be easily inserted or removed as needed. 
The ‘Wasp Out’ is designed around a simple principle: wasps are naturally discouraged by tunnel-style hive entrances. Unlike bees, wasps prefer short, open access points and are reluctant to enter through a long, dark tunnel. 
Some beekeepers use robbing screens or entrance guards during periods of heavy wasp activity. A robbing screen can be as simple as leaning a sheet of polycarbonate/plastic against the entrance. 
These devices make hive access more difficult for intruders while allowing resident bees to learn alternative entry routes. They can be particularly helpful for smaller colonies that struggle to defend themselves.

Avoid Creating Attractive Food Sources
Beekeeping activities can unintentionally attract wasps.

To reduce attraction:
•    Clean up spilled syrup immediately
•    Avoid leaving exposed honey frames near the apiary
•    Store extracted supers securely
•    Remove dead colonies promptly
•    Keep feeding equipment clean

Even small amounts of exposed sugar can attract large numbers of wasps!

Use Wasp Traps Strategically
Commercial and homemade wasp traps can help reduce local populations.

However, traps should be placed carefully:
•    Position them away from hive entrances
•    Deploy them before wasp numbers peak
•    Monitor and empty them regularly
•    Monitor and replace lure as required
•    Avoid placing traps so close that they draw wasps directly towards the apiary

Trapping is generally most effective as part of a broader management strategy rather than as a standalone solution.

Maintaining Good Apiary Hygiene
A tidy apiary is less attractive to scavenging insects.

Regularly remove:
•    Burr comb
•    Wax scraps
•    Dead bees
•    Broken frames
•    Honey residues

Good sanitation reduces food opportunities for wasps and other pests.

Monitoring Seasonal Trends
Wasp pressure often follows predictable seasonal patterns. Late summer and early autumn are typically the highest-risk periods.
By increasing inspections and implementing preventive measures before wasp populations peak, beekeepers can avoid many problems altogether.

Beneficial Insects: A Balanced Approach 
While wasps can be troublesome around apiaries, they also play important ecological roles as predators of agricultural pests and pollinators of some plants. Effective beekeeping focuses on protecting honeybee colonies without unnecessarily disrupting local ecosystems and biodiversity.
Many wasp traps have been designed to help improve selectivity and reduce the capture of non-target insects, like the new TRAP-X Wasp trap which features a bycatch friendly design and optional filter, making the trap both environmentally responsible and highly targeted. 

Final Thoughts
Wasps are an important part of biodiversity, but they don't have to become a major threat to your bees. Strong colonies, careful apiary management, and timely preventive measures can significantly reduce the risk of attacks. With the right strategies in place, your bees can continue to thrive even during periods of heavy wasp activity.