Wasp nest in planter

[Mike Barnes]

There's a wasp next in the garden, near a seating area so a bit of a
problem.

It's in a wooden planter and all I can see is a gap in the foliage with
wasps coming out - the nest itself is presumably buried under there
somewhere. You can see a wasp exiting in the centre of this photo:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8nyc5sdl1l6vhf0/IMG_4260.jpg

Yesterday I tried Rentokil Wasp Nest Destroyer Foam where the wasps are
appearing from, which effectively blocked that exit but dozens of wasps
appeared, presumably by other routes. Today the wasps are using the
original exit apparently unaffected.

I did hear that they don't like soapy water. I have a pressure washer
with a long wand that I could poke down the hole from about 8 feet away
and let them have it.

Any ideas?

--
Mike Barnes
Cheshire, England

[Nick Odell]

If you are planning to provoke them, get yourself inside one of those
cute Ebola all-in-one suits with facemask first. Is there anyone else
you ought to warn? Any pets or neighbours that might be affected by a
marauding swarm of very angry insects? Doesn't your council offer a
pest control service?

Nick

[John Williamson]

Get a professional in.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[thescullster]

On 08/08/2014 11:02, Mike Barnes wrote:

I've found repeated daily applications of the wasp nest destroyer foam
to work OK. Apply late on when activity level is low. I've not been
"swarmed" using this method, but make sure you have a clear run to safe
enclosed space. If you haven't got good access to nest it could take a
while - 2 weeks plus depending on nest size.
I've also heard that ant powder applied to the nest entrance will work,
but not tried this. Also I reckon you would need to be uncomfortably
close to the nest for this approach.



Phil

[GB]

On 08/08/2014 11:17, John Williamson wrote:

>> Any ideas?
>>
> Get a professional in.
>

I had a wasp nest on the roof, in a valley. The professionals dressed up
in protective clothing, then pumped powder around the nest. The
professionals said the wasps would carry it into the nest and they would
all die. They did.

Nobody was hurt. It was not even all that expensive, about £40 (for 5
minutes work).

[Davey]

Agreed.

--
Davey.

[Roger Mills]

On 08/08/2014 11:02, Mike Barnes wrote:

If the planter's not too heavy, wait till dead of night when the wasps
are all inside and then use a sack-truck to move the planter to an area
of the garden where the wasps will be less troublesome.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

[GB]

On 08/08/2014 11:44, Tim Streater wrote:
> In article <53e4a819$0$1143$5b6a...@news.zen.co.uk>, GB

> Well not really. They had to take time to go there, assess the
> situation, decide on what turned out to be the right course of action,
> and implement it safely. Applying the powder may take 5 mins but you're
> paying for a lot more than that, as TMH will agree.
>

Oh, I agree. That's why I said it was not expensive. :)

[Brian Gaff]

They will all die of in a month or so I'd imagine.
Wasps are difficult, if its in the house then you need to kill them, but
outside, despite folk hating them, they are part of the wildlife food chain
and also do pollinate plants.

I don't know if there is a safe way to get them all without either annoying
them enough to attack, or poison other creatures who eat them.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Mike Barnes" <mikeba...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:c4jljr...@mid.individual.net...

[stuart noble]

IME they go about their business and don't bother anyone. They won't
return to the same site next year either, so why make trouble?

[Brian Gaff]

Many councils won't do wasps, only vermin. I got referred to a commercial
company with large prices last time I rang them.

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active

"Nick Odell" <ni...@themusicworkshop.plus.com> wrote in message
news:3c89u9dav9649ossk...@4ax.com...

[Tricky Dicky]

We had a wasps nest in the corner of our eaves on advice from the council we chose to leave well alone since it was September. The last of them died off in late September early October, they did not return this year but we had an awkward few weeks with dying wasps invading the nearby conservatory. Had we moved in earlier in the Summer we would have definitely had the nest nuked ASAP. If doing the poisoning yourself wait till dusk on a cool day I believe wasps are inactive below 40F.

Richard

[Mike Barnes]

thescullster wrote:
> On 08/08/2014 11:02, Mike Barnes wrote:
>> There's a wasp next in the garden, near a seating area so a bit of a
>> problem.
>>
>> It's in a wooden planter and all I can see is a gap in the foliage with
>> wasps coming out - the nest itself is presumably buried under there
>> somewhere. You can see a wasp exiting in the centre of this photo:
>>
>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/8nyc5sdl1l6vhf0/IMG_4260.jpg
>>
>> Yesterday I tried Rentokil Wasp Nest Destroyer Foam where the wasps are
>> appearing from, which effectively blocked that exit but dozens of wasps
>> appeared, presumably by other routes. Today the wasps are using the
>> original exit apparently unaffected.
>>
>> I did hear that they don't like soapy water. I have a pressure washer
>> with a long wand that I could poke down the hole from about 8 feet away
>> and let them have it.
>>
>> Any ideas?
>>
> I've found repeated daily applications of the wasp nest destroyer foam
> to work OK. Apply late on when activity level is low. I've not been
> "swarmed" using this method, but make sure you have a clear run to safe
> enclosed space. If you haven't got good access to nest it could take a
> while - 2 weeks plus depending on nest size.

Yes, I squirted the foam in late in the evening evening when activity
was low. My skin was protected: I'd never have thought that skiwear
(balaclava, goggles, padded gloves, etc) would come in useful in August.

I'll repeat the process for a couple of evenings, and if there's no
progress, get the council in.

Thanks, everyone.

[www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

On 08/08/2014 11:37, Tim Streater wrote:

> Trouble is judging from the picture, to know where the entrance(s)
> is/are. Can the shrub be sacrificed - or slowly cut back to reveal
> what's going on? Once the entrance is obvious, then the foamy stuff can
> be applied from a distance without the sprayer being associated with
> what's happening.

In my experience any contactual activity around the flight path/entrance
will be seen as an attack and invoke an aggressive attack.

Saw this in "Splashdown" in Paignton a few years back when my son
happened to brush a very similar in-plant entrance with an inflatable
ring. Eyes were the the attack point for the wasps. He got stung a few
mm from the outside corner of his eye and the young girl that was by his
side got stung on the eye-lid (which had she had a huge reaction to)

If it were me I'd give the whole entrance/area a good puffing with wasp
killer dust stuff late at night when they were all inside.
Do it for several days and monitor flight activity.

Pete@
--
https://www.facebook.com/Gym.Equipment.uk
Yes that's me. Best Gym Equipment store in the world!
;¬)

[www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

On 08/08/2014 12:26, stuart noble wrote:

> IME they go about their business and don't bother anyone. They won't
> return to the same site next year either, so why make trouble?

Normally I'd agree but when it can be accidentally brushed passed by man
or beast it will lead to an instant attack from emerging/returning wasps..

[Tim Lamb]

In message <ls2c2b$q57$1...@dont-email.me>, Brian Gaff
<brian...@gmail.com> writes

>They will all die of in a month or so I'd imagine.
> Wasps are difficult, if its in the house then you need to kill them, but
>outside, despite folk hating them, they are part of the wildlife food chain
>and also do pollinate plants.
>
>I don't know if there is a safe way to get them all without either annoying
>them enough to attack, or poison other creatures who eat them.

I think the middle of a seating area counts as *in the house* or close
enough. The chemical in the foaming spray might be Permethrin which is a
plant derived product targeted at insects.

The nest will be made of chimbled up wood and look like grey cardboard.
Coating the nest itself with the foam should work but may need several
applications as the grubs go on hatching out.

Spraying their current route out of that Hebe? is a waste of time. They
will also nest underground if the Queen finds a suitable void.

You could poke around with a long stick and a pre-planned exit route:-)

--
Tim Lamb

[Another John]

In article <ls2es4$bvi$2...@dont-email.me>,

Ditto. And what is more: if you don't deal with it, it'll just get
bigger exponentially, and the wasps more numerous: it's only the start
of August, let's not forget!

I had to deal with one recently, built inside an old cupboard, in our
greenhouse. The entrance was a crack in the cupboard: I couldn't see the
nest at all.

I used "Kibosh" spray to defend myself whilst approaching ("knocks em
out of the air"), then repeatedly had to use a wasp nest spray (range 4
meters: god bless the inventor!), over a period of days.

When all seemed quiet, I had to demolish part of the cupboard to get at
the nest, which was football-sized ... and full of wriggling larvae
which may, or may not, have survived to build another nest.

I didn't like doing any of this: I normally leave wasps well alone, as
being just another of god's creatures -- even when they want to join us
on a picnic. However you can't allow them to build a nest in any "used"
area.

2p
J.

[Jabba]

Brian Gaff wrote

>
> They will all die of in a month or so I'd imagine.
> Wasps are difficult, if its in the house then you need to kill them, but
> outside, despite folk hating them, they are part of the wildlife food chain
> and also do pollinate plants.

I'd leave them alone. Just avoid wearing anything yellow. They don't
go out of their way to sting.

[Vir Campestris]

On 08/08/2014 11:27, thescullster wrote:
> I've also heard that ant powder applied to the nest entrance will work,
> but not tried this. Also I reckon you would need to be uncomfortably
> close to the nest for this approach.

Our thatchers did this. Finished them off nicely.

You really don't want angry wasps when you're up a ladder!

Andy

[stuart noble]

I spent a few days up a ladder working on brickwork next to a nest
entrance. The wasps were slightly agitated for a few minutes at the
beginning but then discovered that my hammer and bolster made good
landing strips. From then on we just ignored each other

[F Murtz]

I can not understand this preoccupation with wasps, just leave them
alone, In over 70 years I have not been stung, (only by bees on rare
occasion, usually where if I had been the bee I would have stung too)
I have been near loads of them, even hornets and I just ignore them.
There is one particular mud wasp which will hover 6" in front of your
face on its trips for mud and if you do nothing it will just proceed on
its business.
The only exception I would make is if you have someone allergic to them
in the family, then I might exterminate.

[Mike Barnes]

I'm the OP and this whole thing started when SWMBO was stung several
times. She's not allergic but she does have a strong reaction, and
didn't take kindly to the sleepless nights or big red bulge covering one
of her cheeks for three or four days.

I've had two unprovoked stings in the last few days, but for me it's
just a few hours of mild discomfort.

However I understand that things are likely to get worse as we head
towards autumn.

[Adrian C]

On 08/08/14 13:10, www.GymRatZ.co.uk wrote:

> Saw this in "Splashdown" in Paignton a few years back when my son
> happened to brush a very similar in-plant entrance with an inflatable
> ring. Eyes were the the attack point for the wasps. He got stung a few
> mm from the outside corner of his eye and the young girl that was by his
> side got stung on the eye-lid (which had she had a huge reaction to)

Yes, happened to me as a four year old. Was stung badly on the eyelid
which puffed up to extent I looked a right misfit and parents were
viewed upon with pity from passers by.

I don't have such a reaction nowadays, I happily will have them walking
on my skin for a close look. Did that trick at an outside wedding party
and had the other guests "walking away from that wasp attracting nutter".

>
> If it were me I'd give the whole entrance/area a good puffing with wasp
> killer dust stuff late at night when they were all inside.
> Do it for several days and monitor flight activity.

+1, Ant powder from the pound shop works for me if the location of the
nest is annoying. Otherwise, I leave them.

--
Adrian C

[Peter Crosland]

On 08/08/2014 11:02, Mike Barnes wrote:
> There's a wasp next in the garden, near a seating area so a bit of a
> problem.
>
> It's in a wooden planter and all I can see is a gap in the foliage with
> wasps coming out - the nest itself is presumably buried under there
> somewhere. You can see a wasp exiting in the centre of this photo:
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/8nyc5sdl1l6vhf0/IMG_4260.jpg
>
> Yesterday I tried Rentokil Wasp Nest Destroyer Foam where the wasps are
> appearing from, which effectively blocked that exit but dozens of wasps
> appeared, presumably by other routes. Today the wasps are using the
> original exit apparently unaffected.
>
> I did hear that they don't like soapy water. I have a pressure washer
> with a long wand that I could poke down the hole from about 8 feet away
> and let them have it.
>
> Any ideas?

Get the professionals in. What you are contemplating is likely to result
in you being serious hurt.


--
Peter Crosland

Reply address is valid

[The Natural Philosopher]

alternatively put a wine bottle half full of water with some sugar in it
near the nest.

Empty nest, full bottle of dead wasps.


--
Everything you read in newspapers is absolutely true, except for the
rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge. – Erwin Knoll

[tony sayer]

In article <ZMKdnc9uDLukDXvO...@brightview.co.uk>, Peter
Crosland <g6...@yahoo.co.uk> scribeth thus

Do they still sell and or make Murphy's wasp destroyer?. If they do then
sprinkle that over and around the entrance to the nest at night when
they have bedded down, and thats about the last you'll see of them.

Used it several times over the years and very effective indeed;)....


--
Tony Sayer

[polygonum]

On 09/08/2014 22:48, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>
> alternatively put a wine bottle half full of water with some sugar in it
> near the nest.
>
> Empty nest, full bottle of dead wasps.

Back in the 1960s, I remember seeing jam jars (literally - not cars),
with some jam/honey/other sweet substance at the bottom and a paper cap
with a slot cut into it held on with a rubber band or string. They were,
it seemed, everywhere. Wasps would fly to the cap, push their way
through the slot, hit the stickiness and be unable to get out. Result
could look like a somewhat amazing piece of amber being formed.

--
Rod

[Tim+]

Peter Crosland <g6...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> On 08/08/2014 11:02, Mike Barnes wrote:
>> There's a wasp next in the garden, near a seating area so a bit of a
>> problem.
>>
>> It's in a wooden planter and all I can see is a gap in the foliage with
>> wasps coming out - the nest itself is presumably buried under there
>> somewhere. You can see a wasp exiting in the centre of this photo:
>>
>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/8nyc5sdl1l6vhf0/IMG_4260.jpg
>>
>> Yesterday I tried Rentokil Wasp Nest Destroyer Foam where the wasps are
>> appearing from, which effectively blocked that exit but dozens of wasps
>> appeared, presumably by other routes. Today the wasps are using the
>> original exit apparently unaffected.
>>
>> I did hear that they don't like soapy water. I have a pressure washer
>> with a long wand that I could poke down the hole from about 8 feet away
>> and let them have it.
>>
>> Any ideas?
>
> Get the professionals in.

I heard this was a DIY group.

Is killing wasps rocket science?

Tim

[Bill]

In message <vlConTIX...@bancom.co.uk>, tony sayer
<to...@bancom.co.uk> writes

>>> Any ideas?
>>
>>Get the professionals in. What you are contemplating is likely to result
>>in you being serious hurt.
>>
>>
>
>Do they still sell and or make Murphy's wasp destroyer?. If they do then
>sprinkle that over and around the entrance to the nest at night when
>they have bedded down, and thats about the last you'll see of them.
>
>Used it several times over the years and very effective indeed;)....
>
>

I use ant killer that contains Permethrin, or similar, this seems quite
effective, its only downside is that it harms aquatic creatures. I've
removed one wasps nest already this year that was in the eves above a
lounge window, and a couple last year.

I once had a dozen, counted them, wasp stings on my back and although I
had some amazing psychedelic dreams that night I really do not want a
repeat experience. Wasps are the bully boys of nature and can sting for
no reason, even if not provoked. I've recently had a honey, hive, bees
nest removed and re-homed from a bedroom ceiling void and they didn't
worry me. Wasps are a totally different kettle of fish though.

--
Bill

[Davey]

Permethrin is also dangerous to cats, I believe.

--
Davey.

[The Other Mike]

On Fri, 08 Aug 2014 11:02:40 +0100, Mike Barnes
<mikeba...@gmail.com> wrote:

>There's a wasp next in the garden, near a seating area so a bit of a
>problem.

Leave alone

Fit temporary deflectors of thin ply or plastic so they don't fly
towards the occupied area

Wrap the planter in a large opaque plastic bag / sheet, seal with
gaffer tape, provide just one small exit close to their existing one,
maybe with plastic conduit, let them find the exit then use off the
shelf powder (not foam) around the exit until no more activity is
seen

[Andrew Mawson]

"The Other Mike" wrote in message
news:lqmju9p6vs4fcenae...@4ax.com...

Make friends with your wasps :)

We have quite a few and they make the most amazing paper like structures in
the projecting roof beams of our outbuildings. Admittedly once we did have a
swarm of them and a chap came round and puffed some substance at them that
gently put them to sleep for eternity

Andrew

[The Other Mike]

On Tue, 12 Aug 2014 10:22:49 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
<andrew@please_remove_me.mawson.org.uk> wrote:

>Make friends with your wasps :)

Had plenty around this year robbing out any remaining honey in some near empty
bee hive brood boxes. Wasps are suprisingly docile away from the nest, probably
less so than the bees and they clear off rapidly when the frames are moved even
slightly, bees tend to need a nudge on the bum to get them to back out of a cell
and fly off.

Had to kill a small nest of wasps in a shed that were exiting too close to a
path, got stung when picking raspberries a couple of feet away before I knew
they were there.

P.S. Wasps also pollinate soft fruits like raspberries, surprising for some to
see bumblebees honeybees and wasps on the same cluster of flowers with no
conflict.
--