# Flipping wasps and bees!



## barryd

What's going on with wasps and bees this summer huh?

On this trip I have been stung 3 times and mrs d once today. Two of my stings were on the bike as was mrs d's today. The first one got me on the neck in benagio in Italy after a lovely lunch, the second sod was more potentially disasterous as I was turning across a busy road in italy when it got me in the throat.

Another hung on to my arm in provence on a twisty mountain road at about 40 mph (us not the wasp) which swelled up until I jumped in a lake to cool of and then today just 2 days later one tried to do the same thing on another mountain road but I was ready for him and quickly knocked it off unfortunately straight onto mrs d's bare leg where it promptly stung her instead!

Thinking of getting bee keepers outfits for the bike.


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## CliffyP

Up in Scotland last week end in the pine woods, thousands of wasps, all you could hear was the buzzing  . Seems its a bad year for them


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## Grizzly

That's interesting ...we were only saying today that we've hardly seen a wasp anywhere this year. We've got the two wasp traps up in the garden and they are usually full up by now but there is literally not a single one in either.

I hope they're all holidaying in Provence and leaving us alone here !

Just out of interest: when you were stung were you wearing anything yellow ?


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## barryd

Thanks

no I don't think either of us were wearing yellow. I put the ones on the bike down to collisions but the little sod in benagio just had it in for me!

It's happened before. I was on e flying through an orchard in Greece on a trail bike with no helmet on and one stuck between the bridge of my sun glasses and stung me three times. Maybe it's just me.


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## mandyandandy

I have a real thing about wasps and stay well away if I can. Last year at Oradour Aire there were hundreds. 

The others all sat out drinking beer and wine and they were just sitting ducks as far as I was concerned, they laughed at me (hidden in van) till one of them took his hat off to knock one off his beer. Little did he know he caught the wasp and promptly stuck it on his head. Oh how I laughed when it got him :lol: :lol: twice as much as it happened to be my ex husband! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Sat watching around 40 of them after an apple core someone had thrown in a carpark in Northants.

Mandy


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## pete4x4

We have 3 nests in our garden, two I've dealt with but I've left one as they do eat a lot of pests.


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## locovan

We were plagued with wasps camping this weekend and the dog was stung as he tried to eat one.
We couldnt have the m/home door open.
I always thought they were no good to us but the farmers use them to get rid of pests.
They are also used in pollinating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp
But I still hate them as they buss around and we had to swat them all day.


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## peedee

pete4x4 said:


> We have 3 nests in our garden, two I've dealt with but I've left one as they do eat a lot of pests.


What did you use to deal with them? I thought there were less wasps this year too until recently when my neighbour pointed out the nest in my roof. On checking in my loft its huge. I have previously used Rentokil's spray on foam to good effect but I have had a go at this nest twice now and they are still using it and my neighbour isn't very happy about it as it is ruining her enjoyment of her garden.

For what the proffesionals do, they charge an arm and a leg!

peedee


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## Grizzly

peedee said:


> For what the proffesionals do, they charge an arm and a leg!
> 
> peedee


Have you tried your local authority pest extermination department ? I know some do get rid of wasps -my mother had one removed- but others authorities won't. Perhaps you'll be lucky !

G


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## Coulstock

We've had 2 wasp nests in the eaves of our house this year- both promptly dealt with by local authority pest control (at £50 a go !!)

The wasp man said that some people just don't notice them and said that in our cul-de -sac there's probably another dozen or so nests that people haven't noticed.

But he confirms -yes its been a bad year for wasp infestations- he'd just visited an older country house and removed 15 around the eaves of the house.

Harry


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## Morphology

Grizzly said:


> Have you tried your local authority pest extermination department ?


Ours (Tonbridge & Malling) do wasps nests, but if I recall correctly they charge £38 or thereabouts - it's just a fixed-price arrangement with a local private pest-control firm. I therefore deal with the ones I can get to using B&Q's wasp nest killer - sort of talcum powder stuff.

Interesting to hear a couple of people sticking up for wasps - I've always been firmly in the "what use are wasps" camp. maybe I should read up on them a bit.


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## DTPCHEMICALS

Hi barryd,
They just dont like you :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: 

We were having a coffee on the patio yesterday morning and I remarked to Lady p that we seem to have more Hoverflies this year and certainly a lot less bees.
Wasps are a pest, we have a close neighbour with fruit trees, and we were being bothered by a couple.
Lady p is of the arm waving shoo away type when it comes to anything that flies.
I just sit calm and still and they buzz off.

One of the pests landed on Ladyp`s shoulder and started to walk down her front.
her imediate reaction was to jump up wave her arms about and squeal.
The wasp dropped into her blouse and stung her twice.
I shouldn`t have done , but I giggled.

Dave p


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## Grizzly

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> .... and I remarked to Lady p that we seem to have more Hoverflies this year and certainly a lot less bees.


I'm with you on the hoverflies- masses of them here too but still no wasps.

I'm serious about the yellow clothes and tablecloths. Insects are attracted to yellow in a big way and you become a target if you wear yellow or have yellow in anything close to you.

G


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## barryd

Dave P you are a bad man! Poor lady P. I didn't laugh when I deflected the wasp onto mrs d honest!


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## spatz1

Not much pain with a wasp sting, wait while the horse flys stalk you and bite...


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## motormouth

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> The wasp dropped into her blouse and stung her twice.
> 
> Dave p


Dare we ask where she got stung twice??


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## erneboy

There is a very good foam wasp nest destroyer. It shoots the foam in a jet and can reach 4 or 5 meters. A couple of applications will depopulate a nest. I used it recently to get rid of a nest in a hanging basket beside the front door at my brothers house. A little cheaper than calling someone out.

You can mail order it or buy it in Garden Centers and hardware shops.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...a=X&ei=WttITpjdJMvWsgal6tS7CQ&ved=0CE0Q8wIwAA

Sorry for the long link. I seem to have a fault in my computer which prevents me from using the shortening software, Alan.


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## peedee

Grizzly said:


> peedee said:
> 
> 
> 
> For what the proffesionals do, they charge an arm and a leg!
> 
> peedee
> 
> 
> 
> Have you tried your local authority pest extermination department ? I know some do get rid of wasps -my mother had one removed- but others authorities won't. Perhaps you'll be lucky !
> 
> G
Click to expand...

They were not at all interested last time I called them. Cost £100 for a professional to sort one out hence my reluctance to call them again for what is really a simple job. My council has changed so I will re-check, perhaps they can recommend someone a little more reasonable.

Thanks

peedee


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## peedee

erneboy said:


> There is a very good foam wasp nest destroyer. It shoots the foam in a jet and can reach 4 or 5 meters. A couple of applications will depopulate a nest. I used it recently to get rid of a nest in a hanging basket beside the front door at my brothers house. A little cheaper than calling someone out.
> Alan.


This is what I use and have been using on the current nest but I suspect it is so big it is not soaking into the interior, may have thinned them out a bit though.

peedee


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## motormouth

I find the white powder wasp killer to be very effective. Just squirt around the nest entrance and as soon as the little blighters get it on their feet or body, goodnight wasp.


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## Cazzie

Peedee, try ant powder. If you wait till dusk when all the wasps have gone back to the nest and then put a pile of it in the entrance they should all be gone by morning.
If you don't want to get too near the nest, put a pile of powder on the end of a long piece of wood and then tip it into the entrance.
This has been very successful in our garden but since being educated on the benefits of wasps we now only do it if they are very near the house and becoming a nuisance.
Cazzie


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## erneboy

Peedee, it din't seem to need to soak right in, when I did it I just applied a few tines to the entrance. They seemed to come into contact as they came and went or tried to get in and that killed them.

Maybe there are different foams. The one I used was sort of sticky and stayed where I sprayed it. Some did fall off after a while, I rinsed it away in case it might harm animals.

I used to use the powder and it worked well too but I like the foam because I don't need to get as close when applying it, Alan.


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## pete4x4

pete4x4 said:


> We have 3 nests in our garden, two I've dealt with but I've left one as they do eat a lot of pests.


My 'dealt' with is more a Royal 'We', at £25 a pop!


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## peedee

I tried again this morning before they got too active. Squirted the foam into their entrances from about 3 feet away. They have more than one entrance and all are in between the tiles. It doesn't seem to have worked although you are supposed to give it 24 hours. I suspect not enough is getting into the nest. I plan another raid this evening when all is quiet using a plastic tube stuffed under the tiles into which I will squirt the foam. 

As previously stated this foam has worked before, infact I left the abandoned nest in situe. Mrs Dee said she had seen on TV that if you hang an artificial nest up wasp will not build anywhere near it. They are teritorial. It doeen't work, the new nest is only 2 meters away!

peedee


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## drcotts

I noticed that the subject of this thread was wasps *and bees *and yet no real mention of bees casuing a problem was made in the thread.

The title had me a bit interested being a beekeeper myself as bees are not usually attracted to sweet sugary things like your pint of cider or the dinner your trying to eat outside. They are more interested in pollen and nectar.

Wasps on the other hand are carniverous and live of carrion and decaying matter as well as other smaller insects which is why they are regarded as much a help in the garden as a nuisance wheres bees are totally vegetarian.

If i stand in the garden with a pint of Aspels my girls will whizz merrily past my head onto the place where they have found the source of nectar pollen propolis etc and not even notice me wheres i will have a dozen wasps round me in seconds.

I still dont kill wasps though as they do keep the aphids and mealy bugs down. As long as they dont rob my girls of honey i dont mind.

Wasps will usually vacate a nest in the late autum and wont return to the nest as they make a new one each year so in actual fact the best thing is to leave them to bugger orf themselves. you will have the empty nest in place but to be honest its only paper after all the grubs have gone. If you spray stuff it will kill the grubs in situ and they will stay there to rot away.

Bees will use old beehives or anywhere they think they can make a nest.


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## DJMotorhomer

Hi

Saw these on BBC breakfast news

*THE WASPINATOR*

Wasps come round and they see this and are fooled into thinking there is a wasps nest that isnt theirs so they buzz off.

I have bought one, going to try it when it arrives

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/original-...ants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV&hash=item23117a4581

Hope this helps

Dave & Jan


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## barryd

drcotts said:


> I noticed that the subject of this thread was wasps *and bees *and yet no real mention of bees casuing a problem was made in the thread.
> 
> The title had me a bit interested being a beekeeper myself as bees are not usually attracted to sweet sugary things like your pint of cider or the dinner your trying to eat outside. They are more interested in pollen and nectar.
> 
> Wasps on the other hand are carniverous and live of carrion and decaying matter as well as other smaller insects which is why they are regarded as much a help in the garden as a nuisance wheres bees are totally vegetarian.
> 
> If i stand in the garden with a pint of Aspels my girls will whizz merrily past my head onto the place where they have found the source of nectar pollen propolis etc and not even notice me wheres i will have a dozen wasps round me in seconds.
> 
> I still dont kill wasps though as they do keep the aphids and mealy bugs down. As long as they dont rob my girls of honey i dont mind.
> 
> Wasps will usually vacate a nest in the late autum and wont return to the nest as they make a new one each year so in actual fact the best thing is to leave them to bugger orf themselves. you will have the empty nest in place but to be honest its only paper after all the grubs have gone. If you spray stuff it will kill the grubs in situ and they will stay there to rot away.
> 
> Bees will use old beehives or anywhere they think they can make a nest.


The only reason I mentioned Bees was because at least two of the attackers seemed darker than your average wasp but its sunny here and they may have got a tan.

I would never accuse a bee of being deliberately out to sting you like a wasp sometimes can be if its a bit cheesed off. I like bees.

I even saved a few from drowning in Lake St Croix in Provence on my lilo and whiled away a good hour drifting about on bee and wasp rescue.

I didn't realise this thread was going to turn into a user guide to murdering the poor little critters.

Ants on the other hand have to die according to Mrs D. She has found a few in the van over the last few weeks and generally squirts them with cleaning fluid or whatever is to hand. Lately she has got quiet brave and just flattens them with her hands. Just when you think you have got them all a week later another one appears.

Not sure how they get in or why. I think we picked them up in Germany and they fancied as free trip to the Med.


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## peedee

peedee said:


> I plan another raid this evening when all is quiet using a plastic tube stuffed under the tiles into which I will squirt the foam.
> peedee


They were still very active at 8pm and I couldn't pluck up courage to stuff a plastic pipe into the nest so just sprinkled some wasp powder around every entrance I could get at. Repeated the exercise first thing this cold morning when there was not a wasp to be seen. I hope they have now got the message, "Not wanted here"

peedee


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## peedee

The combination of spray and powder seems to have done the trick, not one to be seen on this warm sunny day. I will remove the nest in the winter when they will all be dead for sure. My neighbour is very happy now.

Mavis,
I did check with our local council and they would have done it for £60. Cost me less than £10  

peedee


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## aldra

We've had wasp nests and left them alone

we found that they didn't interfere with us even when eating out in the garden, to intent on going back to their nest

And have you seen their nests?

check at the end of the year

They are magnificent and they don't seem to come back to them

Aldra


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## nickoff

I recently finished a bee keeping coarse and by all accounts honeybees are attracted to the colour blue. As for wasps, if you want to trap them they love a mixture of 50/50 cider and coca cola.

Nick.


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