Mexican Honey Wasp Brachygastra mellifica - handling info anyone?

GDRankin · June 17, 2014, 06:11:06 PM

I received a call to remove a nest of Mexican Honey Wasp from a tree down here around San Antonio.
A search on this site came up with two posts about these guys, neither talked about handling them. One was an ID post, the other was simply someone wanting a nest gone.

A google search comes up with plenty of info about these guys, but nothing as far as handling them.
I'm hoping that someone with experience with these may see this post and offer some info in terms of how to approach the nest.

One of the articles said they communicate with scents (like bees) so, I'm guessing smoking them may help.
Other than that . . . I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks,
GD

GSF · June 17, 2014, 09:03:03 PM

Sound's interesting, keep us posted on the outcome.

RHBee · June 18, 2014, 12:22:37 AM

No experience but I found this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brachygastra_mellifica

Says the honey can be toxic?

GDRankin · June 18, 2014, 01:41:17 AM

QuoteSound's interesting, keep us posted on the outcome.

Okay will do. I plan to take my good camera with zoom. We'll see soon enough I suppose.

QuoteSays the honey can be toxic?

Yeah, I saw that also. Supposedly based on the flowers they visit. Also interesting is that in Mexico they use the honey, but only from trusted sources. How the heck do they know or test it? Neighbor kids? :evil: lol j/k'n.

NotactJack · June 18, 2014, 02:32:58 AM

They can be nasty. I wouldn't mess with them if I had to though I would exterminate the colony at night and hope your bee suit is tough enough.

GDRankin · June 19, 2014, 12:30:08 PM

QuoteI would exterminate the colony at night and hope your bee suit is tough enough.

Yikes ... well, I have one of the vented full suits. Hopefully that will do the trick.
I'm headed over there now, may change my mind and go back at night like you say NotactJack.

I'll get some pics and post later if this is a sucessful mission. Wish me luck! lol

sc-bee · June 19, 2014, 06:11:38 PM

There is a guy that lives in Tx. that post on Beesource FB page that fools with them I think quite frequently. Check there.

sc-bee · June 19, 2014, 06:55:24 PM

Did the leg work for you....... Michael R. Lopez. Here is his FB. Pretty sure a few month back he was collecting Mexican Honey Wasp nest.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000427475074&fref=nf

GDRankin · June 21, 2014, 03:56:37 AM

Thanks for the info guys.

These little buggas were naturally a bit upset with what I had in store for them, but they were not all that bad. I did accidentally let one sneak a stinger in my hand while changing gloves, but that was my fault. The sting did linger a good deal longer than a bee or one of our regular paper wasps (the small ones we call yellow jackets) . . . but not all that bad.

As shown in the pics, the nest was attached to a fork and had several small limbs that I figured removing would make my job easier. Just the movement of the sawing on the linbs seemed to get the bulk of the wasps out of the hive. About 90% went into a cloud about 3 foot over the nest and kinds of hovered there while I trimmed the tree around it to make lowering it a little easier.

I was surprised to see that the nest held a lot more wasps than it looked like it would!

Once I got the trimming done with a pole saw, I went up and cut the fork out with a hand saw and walked the whole thing down the ladder . . . then never really even offered to get after me. I loaded the nest with several lingering wasps into the back of my work truck and hauled it around to look at a couple more cut-outs. Even showed them to the customers and some kids at a gas station. They never offered to be aggressive once the nest was down.

I guess having that full vented suit makes a difference. I don't think I would have approached this nest without being suited up to the max.

Thanks again for the imput guys.

Spear · June 21, 2014, 04:27:18 AM

Wasps have a bad rep because they can sting more than once but they are not really as aggressive as everyone thinks they are. I personally have never had a problem with wasps even when I pored gas into a nest of ground wasps. They were only interested in saving the brood and didn't even look my way.

GSF · June 21, 2014, 05:34:15 AM

Their nest looks similar to a hornet's nest.

RHBee · June 21, 2014, 08:52:37 AM

Good job. One question, did the wasps return to the hive once you pulled it down?

GDRankin · June 21, 2014, 02:06:37 PM

I agree with you Spear and I never kill wasps unless I must for some odd reason. They play an important roll in the eco system as well as most others.

QuoteGood job. One question, did the wasps return to the hive once you pulled it down?

Thanks RHBee, no they basically formed a small cluster in the tree above where the nest was and a few that remained on the nest stayed there . . . even after driving on the highway for almost an hour back to my place.

I placed the nest upright in the fork of a tree out behind our place and several wasp were hanging around. There were still many on there this morning, so I'm guessing the ones that stayed inside will tend the brood and re-estiblish the colony here in their new location.

We'll see I suppose.

BeeTexas · August 01, 2014, 06:56:18 PM

Rankin,
Here at Bee Texas, we remove the MHW live and transplant them into similar trees in our bee yards. If you do any in the future, please take the following precautions which are not listed anywhere. 1. w
wear safety goggles (they emit a spray). 2. wear good bee jacket and gloves.
We cut all attached limbs and lower nest with a rope to keep from damaging paper nest. Wrap in burlap sack and transplant at location of choice.

GDRankin · August 01, 2014, 07:20:11 PM

Greetings BeeTexas and welcome to the boards,

Thanks for the info. That is basically what I've done with the two I've removed so far, with the exception of the goggles. I hadn't heard, (as you point out - it's not mentioned anywhere) about any sort of spray. However, I wear glasses, so if by chance they did emit a spray, maybe I just got lucky.

Either way, I've been relocating them to a safe place here next to my bee yard. I set the nest in the fork of a tree and they seem to be doing fine.

Thanks again for the info,
GD

BeeMaster2 · August 02, 2014, 07:47:35 AM

Quote from: Spear on June 21, 2014, 04:27:18 AM
Wasps have a bad rep because they can sting more than once but they are not really as aggressive as everyone thinks they are. I personally have never had a problem with wasps even when I pored gas into a nest of ground wasps. They were only interested in saving the brood and didn't even look my way.

Spear,
I take it that you have never stepped on a yellow jackets nest. They will tear you up and chases you long distances, well out of site of their nest.
Jim

GSF · August 03, 2014, 01:22:28 PM

ditto what Jim said.

I was sharpening a lawn mower blade in my shed by the entrance door. A hornet came flying by, made a sharp curve, stung me on the shin, and was back on it's way. All in a few seconds time.

...they're all gonna die..,

;)

GDRankin · August 04, 2014, 12:10:31 PM

An interesting sidebar to this post . . .

The day I took down this MHW nest, I also had a stop to make on the way home to look at a honey bee removal for a customer in the same part of town. (hive in an abandoned dog house in a bamboo forest)
I had the MHW nest just sitting exposed in the back of my truck, so when I pulled in I warned the couple to avoid the back of my vehicle and why.
As it turned out, the lady was a big nature buff and wanted to see the wasps, so she peered into the truck from a safe distance and got a big kick out of the paper nest. I explained what I knew about the wasps and how their honey can be toxic etc and then went into the bamboo to have a look at her honey bee situation.

That was about 6 weeks ago, so you can imagine my surprise when I got a call from this customer yesterday to tell me they have a small MHW nest building in the tree in their drive way directly over where my truck was parked that day. lol

Even though the nest had plenty of wasp in it when I got it home and placed it in the fork of a tree, (which is still doing fine and very populated by the way) evidently a small group stayed behind to form a nest at the stop I made along the way home.

Just thought I would share that bit of info so if anyone retrieves a nest like this, it may be a good idea to contain them in some way, maybe in a burlap sack like BeeTexas suggested or a plastic storage bin/tub or something so you don't leave any to build elsewhere at any stops on the way home.

Like they say, if you pay attention, you can learn something new every day ;)

BeeTexas · August 05, 2014, 11:42:29 AM

I am sure that during your research, that you have read that the MHW nest contain multiple queens. We use the burlap sacks mainly to contain them safely away from potentially harming anyone who may go near our truck and trailer.
We have been in contact with the research team members from Texas A&M and England that were here last year gathering info on this species. They had not documented the release of any spray either.
Once the colony is disrupted (agitated) they will release a fine mist - which is an irritant to the skin and eyes.
The MHW seem to only re-attach after relocation only during times of flow. There has been some discussions with my wife if the colony is parasitic, as in drawing moisture from the tree or bush it is attached to - I believe they are, but don't know for fact.

GDRankin · August 05, 2014, 11:55:01 AM

Good stuff BeeTexas,

No actually I had not found that fact (about multiple queens), or don't recall seeing it when I was searching for info on these girls. That's good to know and indeed another good reason to contain them. The second nest I removed did fit into a plastic storage bin I took for them, so I didn't have many escapees from that nest - once I got them in the bin that is.

I appreciate the info and I'm sure others here do as well. Thanks for chiming in on the subject.
Just curious . . . What part of Texas are you in?

Thanks again,
GD (near SA)