Crush - Yellow Jacket and Hornet Control?

[VinesnBines]

All whole grape winemakers - how do you control yellow jackets, hornets and wasps during crush and press? We crushed about 500 lbs last week and keeping the bees out of the must was nearly impossible and avoiding stings was impossible.

 

[Rice_Guy]

One choice, ,,, not the only choice, yellow jackets are not capable of maintaining a position in a wind. You can aim a fan where you are standing.

 

[Hazelemere]

All whole grape winemakers - how do you control yellow jackets, hornets and wasps during crush and press? We crushed about 500 lbs last week and keeping the bees out of the must was nearly impossible and avoiding stings was impossible.

crush and press in the evening after they go back to their nests. I use pheromone traps plus jam jar traps to catch as many as I can

 

[VinesnBines]

Great ideas! Thanks! I may try to trap as many as possible before we crush.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

We have a yellowjacket problem this year and had to crush in the middle of the day. We put out traps and, as @Rice_Guy says had a couple of fans going. Didn't get bothered once...

(Plus added benefit of keeping cool while you bucket the grapes out of the bin and, in my case, crank the handle on the manual crusher/destemmer...)

 

[VinesnBines]

How big were your fans? I have one - maybe I can find a second.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

How big were your fans? I have one - maybe I can find a second.

Nothing special - small domestic fans, I guess one with ~8-10" blades and the other a bit bigger.

 

[VinesnBines]

Nothing special - small domestic fans, I guess one with ~8-10" blades and the other a bit bigger.

Thanks! That sounds like our best bet.