Paper wasps

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Brewdude

Brewdude

Broken Pipe
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Been doing a running battle with a paper wasp nest which located itself just above my front door!  I realized that there were wasps when I went outside Saturday morning and I looked up and sure enough, there was a nest about the size of a grapefruit under my roof overhang. Just a few ft above my door!

Heard some buzzing a day or two prior to this when I went in and out, but nothing sounded an alarm.

I've had this happen before when I lived in my former house, and the buggers made a nest in some wind chimes just outside my back door. One day I came home and was stung several times on my forehead before I knew what was happening. The stings burned like hell. And unlike a honeybee, wasps can sting as often as they want and keep living.

Went into town and got a can of wasp spray. This stuff can be sprayed from about 12 ft away and foams. Came back and doused the nest several times. Was careful to wear a hat and gloves, and didn't get stung.

Exhausted the can of spray, and there were still some swarming from the ones that were airborne. Had to go back into town and get another can. Sprayed that one too, but saved about 1/4 of it just in case.

Yes I know it says to wait until dusk when the swarm is mostly back to the nest. But based on the location I wanted to get on with the task.

Figured I got them all, but the instructions said to wait 24 hrs before removing the nest. Did that today.

There must have been some stragglers that didn't get sprayed, and have spent today spraying the odd ones that have come back to presumably rebuild the nest. Tomorrow when I go into work it'll be just dark, so any of the rest of the hive will get justice meted out to them then.

Even though I removed the nest, there's a mark where the nest was attached. They must still be attracted to it somehow through Pheromones, but hard to grasp how the spray could not have eliminated this .

Probably need to scrub that off somehow. But I'll need to do that when I'm sure none of the little bastards are around to sting me. Paper wasps are nasty, make no mistake. Very aggressive pests. No use for them at all.

I'll enquire tomorrow about putting something up in that area that would discourage them. Maybe a sack of ammonia pellets or something.

So how was your weekend?

:suspect: 


Cheers,

RR
 
as a species, you don't survive as long as wasps have without being awfully tenacious and resilient!

we get a few nests every year on our house. price of living in the country.

doody.
 
so wasps evolved about 300,000,000 years ago. by comparison to homo sapiens, they've been around more than 1,000 times longer than we have. wow!

doody.
 
LOL! no no - they can recognize the faces of OTHER WASPS, not a human :) .

but clearly they should fear you regardless!!!!

doody.
 
I got stung on the head last week, too.
Cleaning the carport, never saw it coming.
I'm always hunting for nests to kill.
Lately, I've been knockin' em out of the
air with The Executioner.  My new favorite toy.  :twisted: 

41GMFsNDXaL.jpg
 
Very brave of you to tackle the nest yourself, seems like a weekend from hell to me, very gratified to learn you didn't get stung. :)
 
http://now.msn.com/giant-wasp-nest-taken-down-by-jonathan-simkins-was-over-6-feet-tall
BF60CBAD135DD8D3414F8616A81472_h316_w628_m5_cvtkdginf.jpg

Giant yellow jacket nest will make you never want to go outside again
6/25/2013
Entomologist Jonathan Simkins deserves some kind of medal for not fleeing in terror of this giant yellow jacket nest. At nearly 6 feet 6 inches tall and 8 feet wide, he says this was the largest nest he's ever seen in his life. He had to destroy the nest because the yellow jackets are easily provoked and that many can be deadly, even for an experienced pro such as Simkins. He admits there were times where he had to get away or possibly lose his life. "I had hundreds of them on my veil. I had so many yellow jackets on me, they kept finding a way in." Now all that remains is an empty nest. Which is still terrifying. – By Nick Mangione
 
Wasps are only irritating at ice cream socials, talking about how wonderful their kids are, how loved they are at church, etc. The foaming wasp spray seems like a lovely idea. :heart:

In other realms, I deal with the insect variety with exceedingly slow movements, and a plugged-in and "on" vacuum cleaner with the hose taped to a long stick. The wasps, curious at the motion at the head of the hose, get safely transferred into the bagless chamber. Once everyone, nest and all, is safely inside, the vacuum gets left in the mid-day sun to slow-cook the bastards. I get called out every year to the in-laws to do this--they aren't big on chemical sprays and whatnot. I haven't gotten stung once.

8)
 
Wasps around here are pretty pacific insects. You don't bother them, and they don't bother you.

Hornets are the nasty buggers. They killed a neighbor who lived not far up the road a few years ago.

Here's how you fix their little buggy wagons (I am told -- never did it) :

Get a big, wide galvanised tub. The wider the better. Put a couple bricks in the middle & a pie pan on them full of old hamburger or something you're going to throw out. Fill the tub with water right up to the very lip of the pie pan & spray some WD40 on the water to cut the surface tension. Way early in the morning's a good time, 'cause once they find the hamburger, they'll run you off it. (Or save that part for last). Once the scout hornets find it, it'll be covered with them.

Hornets are greedy pigs. They'll eat until they're so full they can barely fly. (That's why you're setting the trap up the way you are). They'll walk to the edge of the pan when they're bloated and launch. But they'll dip a little at first. Once they do, they're in the drink. And with no surface tension, they'll sink like stones. And drown.

Might work with yellowjackets too.

:face:
 
Kyle Weiss":fabwmy8e said:
Wasps are only irritating at ice cream socials, talking about how wonderful their kids are, how loved they are at church, etc.
Click to expand...
ROTFLMFAO!!!!!

:lol!: :lol!: :lol!: :lol!: :lol!: :lol!: 
 
I used to have an Italian cigar smoking buddy from New Jersey. When I asked him why he moved from New Jersey to Tennessee, he said it was because New Jersey was full of White Anglo Saxon Protestants who were always swarming all the Catholics. I told him I felt his pain.....
 
Update-

While leaving for work early today there were no wasps around the nest area. Took that as a good sign.

Got home later and didn't see any activity. Yet not a couple hrs later saw a straggler flying around. Got out the spray and shot him (or her) but don't know if I nailed it. Soon as the spray came out it flew away.

A little while later there was another wasp (same one?) up on the nest area. Got the spray and this time I dialed in on it.

Time will tell if all of them are gone once and for all. Didn't have time to go and research if there was anything I could hang up there to discourage them. I'll do that tomorrow. Don't need the buggers coming back. Can't be but a few of the nest still around.

:evil: 


Cheers,

RR
 
Interesting solution, Yak. In my area, there are both wasps and hornets. Hornets chase entire gatherings from food during picnics here, they are not nice. Because of the lack of available resources (food, water) their numbers are in check, but their tenacity is amazing. They usually go after pets and children first, chasing them away from food and water sources (or attacking them). Very calculated little buggers. I respect them as an enemy, and am fascinated by them, but make no mistake, it's an ongoing war. :heart:

8)
 
Think I may have seen the last of this.

Scrubbed the area where the nest was attached (and where the mark was) with a hot bleach/water solution today using a stiff bristle brush. Came off pretty easily but felt exposed up there on a ladder!

No flyers then or now. Hopefully that's an end of it!

:monkey: 



Cheers,

RR
 
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