Wasp woes

[user 26575]

I built this recycling shed thing last year, v happy til today when I tried to put stuff in the bags and noticed a couple of wasps getting arsey with me as i went to open the door. Then, after a nasty little stinging sensation in my hand having tried to bat one away, this:

It's about 2.5 - 3 inches diameter.
What do I do next? It's outside my lad's bedroom and I don't want it growing into a large problem.
Thanks for any advice,
C

ps is it small enough that i could shut doors and windows, swipe it with a long stick and run?

 

[Blackswanwood]

We had something similar in a log store last year Chris. I gave it a quick blast with a pressure washer which solved the problem.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I built this recycling shed thing last year, v happy til today when I tried to put stuff in the bags and noticed a couple of wasps getting peachie with me as i went to open the door. Then, after a nasty little stinging sensation in my hand having tried to bat one away, this:

It's about 2.5 - 3 inches diameter.
What do I do next? It's outside my lad's bedroom and I don't want it growing into a large problem.
Thanks for any advice,
C

ps is it small enough that i could shut doors and windows, swipe it with a long stick and run?

If you were Chris Packham (and perhaps even if you weren't!) you'd show your boy the nest and explain how they've been doing woodwork to build it!

I want to say "live and let live" - it's only going to be used for a few weeks - but perhaps it's in a bad place. Your hit and run idea would work if you did it late evening when they've all gone to bed.

Cheers, W2S

 

[user 26575]

Thanks fellas.

If you were Chris Packham (and perhaps even if you weren't!) you'd show your boy the nest and explain how they've been doing woodwork to build it!

I do plan to show the kids, it's quite a nice looking thing. And a shame really, but it's definitely in a bad place especially if it grows, so I'll follow your advice on doing it this evening once it starts to get dark. Which also means I can put off the recycling til tomorrow.

ps I did wonder if they'd abandon it now it's fully exposed - it was behind the closed doors til just now - or are they more stubborn than that?

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Thanks fellas.

If you were Chris Packham (and perhaps even if you weren't!) you'd show your boy the nest and explain how they've been doing woodwork to build it!

I do plan to show the kids, it's quite a nice looking thing. And a shame really, but it's definitely in a bad place especially if it grows, so I'll follow your advice on doing it this evening once it starts to get dark. Which also means I can put off the recycling til tomorrow.

ps I did wonder if they'd abandon it now it's fully exposed - it was behind the closed doors til just now - or are they more stubborn than that?

They're unlikely to abandon it, the queen uses pheromones to tell the others where she is - they're guided to the nest primarily by smell. It's possible that a bird may have a go at it - a magpie destroyed one under my eaves recently while it was still quite small.

There was an episode of springwatch less than a week ago when Chris decribed the way they make the nest - effectively papier mache. Just found it here: https://www.facebook.com/BBCSpringwatch ... 308286695/

 

[user 26575]

There was an episode of springwatch less than a week ago when Chris decribed the way they make the nest - effectively papier mache. Just found it here: https://www.facebook.com/BBCSpringwatch ... 308286695/

Thanks W2S, that's today's home schooling sorted...

 

[Lons]

It's a shame but I wouldn't have it there either and if you knock it off they are likely to just build it again. We get several every year and if out of the way I leave well alone but otherwise the easiest way is to buy a nest killer of which there are 2 types I've used personally.
A foam type which encases the nest and makes it safe though you can't just remove it and relocate as if you let them out you'll be target practice or a powder which you "spray" around the entrance to be carried in by the workers and kills them all.

Whatever you do make sure it's dark or expect multiple stings. :wink:

I had a huge nest a number of years ago in a hedge and only found it when using a hedgetrimmer, not a nice experience, I left it for a while but they started attacking anyone who came through the gate so one night I sprayed it with WD40 and set it alight with one of those weed burning gizmos which sorted it. The hedge grew back...eventually #-o

 

[CHJ]

That looks like the Queens brood nest, from this nest will come the workers to go on to produce the main colony nest which will be considerably bigger, usually close by.

The one last year in my wood store ended up about 120mm diam, the adjacent colony nest built 1.5mtrs away was about 6lts in volume by the time it was vacated.

 

[user 26575]

That looks like the Queens brood nest, from this nest will come the workers to go on to produce the main colony nest which will be considerably bigger, usually close by.

The one last year in my wood store ended up about 120mm diam, the adjacent colony nest built 1.5mtrs away was about 6lts in volume by the time it was vacated.

Queen's brood nest - I'd no idea. But yep, we definitely need rid of it!

 

[Richard_C]

2 ways. Wasp nest destroyer spray, lots of brands in gdn centre or online. Gives a long distance foamy jet, do it late evening when they are sleepy from a few feet away and retreat. Only about a fiver. Don't use ordinary fly spray, that just makes them cross.

Wasps normally pitch and walk into nest, unlike bees which fly straight in. If you have a nest under a window you can watch them. Again in the evening puff some insect powder, ant killer or whatever they all have c. 0.5% pyrethrins as the active in the landing zone. They walk it in and kill the nest over 3 or 4 days. May need to repeat if rain or wind removes the powder.

 

[Andy Kev.]

In purely practical terms you could wait for night time (they should all be in the nest), put a jar over it which touches the roof, slide in a thin sheet of metal to slice it from the roof and then dispose of the lot. (Fire? Water? Chemicals?)

 

[Garno]

Sad that you will kill it off but needs must and all that.

In a previous house we lived in we found a really big abandoned one in the attic. when we took it out we were amazed at just how intricate it all was, we kept it for a few years but once we had shown it to every single visitor we had, we stuck it onto our neighbours porch when they were away on holiday. Sadly they didn't fall for it but they are still showing it to all of their visitors to this day

 

[eezageeza]

They're beneficial insects - please try really hard to live with them for a few months!
They're important pollinators, and predators on lots of garden pests, so are an important part of the environment.
We get them most years in our roof space, but simply ignore them, and they return the favour by ignoring us. They abandon the nest later in the summer, then you can clear it away in absolute safety.
I can see it's in as awkward a place as it could be for you there, but please consider doing your bit for the environment, and work around them!

 

[Woody2Shoes]

They're beneficial insects - please try really hard to live with them for a few months!
They're important pollinators, and predators on lots of garden pests, so are an important part of the environment.
We get them most years in our roof space, but simply ignore them, and they return the favour by ignoring us. They abandon the nest later in the summer, then you can clear it away in absolute safety.
I can see it's in as awkward a place as it could be for you there, but please consider doing your bit for the environment, and work around them!

I ignored them in my roofspace and discovered they'd eaten a big chunk of celotex insulation between the rafters!

 

[Trainee neophyte]

If you can get up early enough, just before dawn is the best time to tackle the nest, as cold = less active. Ours work well into the night. I mostly just use a can of fly spray, but petrol or diesel both work (melts their wings - don't set fire to it unless you are feeling vindictive). Knock the nest off once the genocide is done, to make sure that the eggs don't hatch and carry on the good work. Or leave it to discourage other wasps, who allegedly won't nest near a competitor.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

These insects do a huge amount of good this time of year and they should only be destroyed if absolutely essential. I had to dispatch 8 this week however (all in empty in bee hives), as a beekeeper I get 'invited' to deal with these creatures (and bumblebees) on a daily basis by beekeepers / public. If I can avoid destroying them that is my preferred option always, however sometimes these need to be destroyed. The two inch balls are easily picked off in morning / evening in a sealed plastic bag with ease. However left they can grow very large by the end of the season (think 3 foot) and they pose a very different challenge in August / September. The school route is excellent.

 

[Vann]

They're beneficial insects - please try really hard to live with them for a few months!...

Over here (New Zealand) they're considered a pest and whenever I've encountered a nest I wipe the little ba$tards out. Usually a puff of poison powder into the opening of the nest after dark.

The first one I did was a big one in a bush about 3m from the front door. I must have done it while it was still light, because they flew out I big numbers and they knew where I was. Fortunately I'd taken the precaution of closing all the windows in the house beforehand. The next day the front and sides of the house were in siege with hundreds of them fly around trying to find a way in. Luckily I could get out the back door. The following day they were down to a few dozen, and the next day they were all dead. Phew.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[DBT85]

Wasps are considered a pest everywhere, mainly because nobody understands that they do a lot of good. Bees just get a free pass.

I do have a wasps nest in my loft and while I'd usually leave it there, this one is right up against the ceiling and all you can hear is them working away. Naturally of course its in a spot on the roof that's difficult to get to.