Well…I tried…

[BenBhoy]

Annoying as they can be, we'd be in a pickle without them.

What's really the point of wasps?

A new citizen science survey aims to shed light on that fixture of summertime in the outdoors: the wasp.

www.bbc.com

We had some nesting under gutter last year. I kept saying if they become a pest I'll do something. They were no bother and no sign of any this year.

 

[gixer1]

Unfortunately I ran out of patience….as said, if I wait the nest will just get bigger and bigger….have had to powder them…

 

[reiver]

The house next door to a customer used a gas weed wand in a wasp nest in the cavity wall !! It killed the wasps but also caught the roof felt as the cavity wasn’t closed . Took the whole roof off in the ensuing fire

 

[shakey jake]

if your going to kill wasps use a product designed and labelled to do it.
they are a really important insect in the uk.
ive done 6 nests this year only two with worker wasps.
i think there will be alot of nests this year

 

[potshotpat]

I hate wasps full stop. Many years ago as kids going fishing we were told wasp grubs that's what you want, best bait since sliced bread( see what I did there ) so one our gang found a nest. We came up with a plan of action, we'd go just before dark to dig the nest out.We decided to wear clothing that could be taped at cuffs, hoods,
tops of wellies etc, even wear swimming goggles. We armed ourselves with squeezing plastic bottles filled with turps. Plan was to start a small fire outside the nest, give the nest a thumping when the wasps came out they would circle around the small fire, give a squirt of the turps on the fire wasps dropped like flies( see what I did there too) the problem we had as kids was it took about ten minutes to get for us taped up to get full protection gear on but the wasps got inside protective gear first. Have you ever seen a bunch of kids trying to getting undressed while dancing to avoid a good stinging

 

[gixer1]

I don’t mind wasps at all..I just see them as protecting their nests….

A few years ago I was releasing poults in a wood, I unknowing kneeled over a walk near with a loose t-shirt on, they flew out into the t-shirt and began stinging me as I ran through the woods screaming like a banshee undressing as I went….I saw the funny side later.

The way I see it they were just protecting their own…

 

[JockStalk]

Bees? No problem.
Wasps? Evil little feckers. The mink of the stingy insect world. Insecticide powder too good for them. Beat the little b’stards to death with a good heavy Sunday paper. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. Bam, bam, babam. Is it dead yet? Bam!

<<<shudder>>>

 

[User00035]

Bees? No problem.
Wasps? Evil little feckers. The mink of the stingy insect world. Insecticide powder too good for them. Beat the little b’stards to death with a good heavy Sunday paper. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. Bam, bam, babam. Is it dead yet? Bam!

<<<shudder>>>

We used to shoot them with air rifles when I was a lad. It wasn't strictly sporting. The procedure was to smear jam or some such thing onto the muzzle, poke the barrel under a dustbin lid (remember those) and withdraw it crawling in wasps. When one was covering the bore or preferably looking down it, instant retribution was delivered.

 

[bullet chucker]

When I was a about 18 I worked in light engineering, the checked cleaning clothes used to wipe hands and oily tools were ideal size to use like a wet towel. The wasp nest was in the wall outside near the load lifting doors near my work bench. As the blighters used to wander in I swiped em with the cloth, oh' how good I was at it, end of work time must have had about 15 or so.
At home chatting up some admirer,on the land line that evening I had the most rude awakening as one of my supposedly slain' beasts was stinging its way out of my rolled up shirt sleeve. Wondered where that one went? Finished of that conversation
pretty quick!

BC.

 

[User00036]

Had 2 bee hives wiped out last year by wasps, they took the honey as well. Not so nice!

 

[User00035]

The only positive thing I can think of about wasps is that they're not as bad as hornets.

 

[Ruby Tuesday 2]

In my old pest control days I was called to a house where the occupant was seriously sting turned out the little sods had built a nest over the inside edge of his loft hatch when he opened it and looked up the whole contents of the nest fell down onto his face.

 

[shakey jake]

Had 2 bee hives wiped out last year by wasps, they took the honey as well. Not so nice!

get wasp bane traps, amazingly simple and effective

 

[old keeper]

As Dunwater said, by the end of the summer, especially if the sunny weather persists the nests could be huge and a real pain, literally.

 

[Cootmeurer]

I’m quite allergic to them, yet discriminate based on species and locations. Essentially I treat them as I do ven9,out snakes - as long as they are out in the proper places and not conflicting with me, I let them be.

For mud wasps - usually a hose will wash away the nest but low the adults to relocate elsewhere.
For open nesting paper wasps I will wait until dark to knock the nest down and let them relocate
For closed nesting paper wasps (we call these hornets) I just terminate them. If they are in a location that conflicts with people they will, sooner or later, conflict with people. For someone allergic that conflict can be life threatening.