Bees and Wasps eating Muscadines

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Posted by BKG1 8a (My Page) on

Wed, Sep 3, 14 at 18:59

Anybody have a solution for keeping bees and wasps from devouring muscadines. They robbing me blind. Probably 50% of crop so far and are in full force. Got stung three times while picking yesterday. Ready to kill them all with Sevin but figured you guys might have a solution to save them and me. Any ideas appreciated.

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RE: Bees and Wasps eating Muscadines

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Posted by spartan-apple (My Page) on
Thu, Sep 4, 14 at 11:17

I do not grow muscadines as I live in SE WI. I do have the same issue each year on my early ripening grapes such as Reliance. With no control, I lost 80% of my crop.

I resort to using wasp traps that I purchased at our local
fleet farm store. I fill them with Mountain Dew soda and hang them around the ripening grapes. I have to empty and re-fill the traps every two days. I still get damage but I would guess my problem is 80% reduced as long as I keep the traps emptied out.

It seems once I get the first few wasps in the traps, they fill quickly after that. I often wonder if the buzzing attracts more wasps?

For a grape row with 5 vines, I hang out 5-6 traps.

RE: Bees and Wasps eating Muscadines

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Posted by greendumb 7a (My Page) on
Thu, Sep 4, 14 at 18:03

I put paper bags or netted bags around mine and it works very well. Had three bunches of Princess I would not have been able to harvest were it not for the bagging. They still gather on the bagging. I guess the aroma still attracts them.
They also go for the Goji berries, figs and blueberries
I have my blueberries in a greenhouse to solve the wasp issue because, it is impossible to protect them unless you cover the whole bush with insect netting.

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