[JellyBelly]

A friend has just discovered a wasps nest in the upper left-hand corner
of one of the upstairs windows. It's on the outside of the house and so
has been exposed to the cold, the wind and the rain that we've been
getting of late. A couple of weeks ago it hit -2C overnight but for the
past few days it's been more around +11C.

No wasps have been seen since she noticed the nest (she wasn't living
there during the summer) but what's the chances that there are still
some live ones in there that are liable to give me a nasty stinging if I
get up a ladder to get the bloody thing down?

Jell

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:38:15 +0000 someone who may be JellyBelly
wrote this:-

No wasps have been seen since she noticed the nest (she wasn't living
there during the summer) but what's the chances that there are still
some live ones in there that are liable to give me a nasty stinging if I
get up a ladder to get the bloody thing down?

1) spray some expanding foam in the hole.

2) drink a cup of tea.

3) use knife to cut nest from window.

4) burn the nasty little devils.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

[Guy King]

The message
from Huge contains these words:

Nil. They'll all be dead apart from the queen who'll be tucked up
somewhere warm and dry waiting for spring.

Balmoral?

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

[Mary Fisher]

"David Hansen" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:38:15 +0000 someone who may be JellyBelly
wrote this:-

No wasps have been seen since she noticed the nest (she wasn't living
there during the summer) but what's the chances that there are still
some live ones in there that are liable to give me a nasty stinging if I
get up a ladder to get the bloody thing down?

1) spray some expanding foam in the hole.

Not necessary, there won't be any wasps left in the nest. If you try to
spray expanding foam into the opening the whole thing will collapse.


3) use knife to cut nest from window.

There's no need to cut it down even, unless you want to. Wasps won't use it
again.

If you do cut it down do it carefully, the outside envelope is vey fragile.
When it's down cut it in half, carefully, with a bread knife and show the
children the marvellous architecture of the construction.

4) burn the nasty little devils.

They're not nasty.

I thought better of you, David.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

"Guy King" wrote in message
...
The message
from Huge contains these words:

Nil. They'll all be dead apart from the queen who'll be tucked up
somewhere warm and dry waiting for spring.

Huge, you're wrong. The old queen dies off along with the workers. Only new
queens hibernate, they're the ones who will found new nests in the spring if
they survive.

Mary

[Guy King]

The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

If you do cut it down do it carefully, the outside envelope is vey fragile.
When it's down cut it in half, carefully, with a bread knife and show the
children the marvellous architecture of the construction.

They really are seriously impressive inside. I took a sectioned one to
my son's primary school once - the kids were dead impressed.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

[Dave Liquorice]

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 20:43:58 -0000, Mary Fisher wrote:

3) use knife to cut nest from window.

There's no need to cut it down even, unless you want to. Wasps won't
use it again.

I'm tempted to ask how big it is? Golf ball on a stem or bigger?

If you do cut it down do it carefully, the outside envelope is vey
fragile. When it's down cut it in half, carefully, with a bread knife
and show the children the marvellous architecture of the construction.

Hear, hear, they are amazingly intricate and delicate constructions. See
if a local Primary School has a teacher who could use it in lessons (mind
I'm not sure that a "nature table" features in the modern curriculem). Or
better still offer to give a small talk about wasps showing the nest.
Wasps suffer a very bad press but are really fascinating, inquisitive and
helpful creatures.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

[Mary Fisher]

"Guy King" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

If you do cut it down do it carefully, the outside envelope is vey
fragile.
When it's down cut it in half, carefully, with a bread knife and show the
children the marvellous architecture of the construction.

They really are seriously impressive inside. I took a sectioned one to
my son's primary school once - the kids were dead impressed.

Yes, and there are several different kinds of 'paper' although they're all
made from the same source.

Mary

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

[Weatherlawyer]

Mary Fisher wrote:
"David Hansen" head full of wrote in message

4) burn the nasty little devils.

They're not nasty.

Forgive him his ignorance. So many stupid people living in towns and
cities don't have a clue about the planet they live on. You could
almost feel sorry for the clods if they were not such clods.

[Weatherlawyer]

Mary Fisher wrote:
"David Hansen" head full of wrote in message

4) burn the nasty little devils.

They're not nasty.

Forgive him his ignorance. So many stupid people living in towns and
cities don't have a clue about the planet they live on. You could
almost feel sorry for the clods if they were not such clods.

[Weatherlawyer]

Mike wrote:

Forgive him his ignorance. So many stupid people living in towns and
cities don't have a clue about the planet they live on. You could
almost feel sorry for the clods if they were not such clods.

And those that post things twice :-)

I hardly think that the people behind the Google Usenet interface are
clods but then again they must be archetypical geeks.

[David Hansen]

On 27 Nov 2006 14:44:05 -0800 someone who may be "Weatherlawyer"
wrote this:-

Forgive him his ignorance. So many stupid people living in towns and
cities don't have a clue about the planet they live on. You could
almost feel sorry for the clods if they were not such clods.

Extremely excellent, personal abuse and mind reading in one post.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 20:43:58 -0000 someone who may be "Mary Fisher"
wrote this:-

If you do cut it down do it carefully, the outside envelope is vey fragile.
When it's down cut it in half, carefully, with a bread knife and show the
children the marvellous architecture of the construction.

I bow to your superior knowledge.

Provided there are no wasps in the thing I'm sure the nest is very
interesting inside.

4) burn the nasty little devils.

They're not nasty.

I disagree. They are rather too aggressive for my liking, unlike
bees which are welcome.




--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

[[email protected]]

On Nov 28, 12:49 am, "Weatherlawyer"
wrote:
Mike wrote:

Forgive him his ignorance. So many stupid people living in towns and
cities don't have a clue about the planet they live on. You could
almost feel sorry for the clods if they were not such clods.

And those that post things twice :-)

I hardly think that the people behind the Google Usenet interface are
clods

A poor workman always blames his tools ;-)

MBQ

[Tony Williams]

In article ,
David Hansen wrote:

I disagree. They are rather too aggressive for my liking, unlike
bees which are welcome.

Hmm.... we have a beekeeper keeping his hives
just down the road. The strain of bee he uses
is a nasty sort of yellow looking thing, very
aggressive when trapped inside the house. We
have been told that he uses these aggressive
bees because they produce the best honey. Not
much comfort to SWMBO, who is liable to go into
a dangerous shock if stung. ((

--
Tony Williams.

[Guy King]

The message
from David Hansen contains these words:

I disagree. They are rather too aggressive for my liking, unlike
bees which are welcome.

You must have different wasps from us. Ours don't sting unless you poke
'em first.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

[Mary Fisher]

"Mike" wrote in message
...
On 27 Nov 2006 14:44:25 -0800, "Weatherlawyer"
wrote:


Mary Fisher wrote:
"David Hansen" head full of wrote in message

4) burn the nasty little devils.

They're not nasty.

Forgive him his ignorance. So many stupid people living in towns and
cities don't have a clue about the planet they live on. You could
almost feel sorry for the clods if they were not such clods.

That's uncalled for. I live in the inner city yet have handled more wasps
and their nests than most people living anywhere else. Wasps live
everywhere.

I stood barefooted on one once - that was a nasty one! By damn was it
painful -
for the wasp too I suppose.

Wasp stings ARE painful, I sometimes have a very bad reaction to them but
that doesn't make the wasps nasty. They sting to defend themselves.

A lot of people inflict pain on other people even though they're not
defending themselves, that doesn't mean that all people are nasty.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

"David Hansen" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 20:43:58 -0000 someone who may be "Mary Fisher"
wrote this:-

If you do cut it down do it carefully, the outside envelope is vey
fragile.
When it's down cut it in half, carefully, with a bread knife and show the
children the marvellous architecture of the construction.

I bow to your superior knowledge.

Provided there are no wasps in the thing I'm sure the nest is very
interesting inside.

4) burn the nasty little devils.

They're not nasty.

I disagree. They are rather too aggressive for my liking, unlike
bees which are welcome.

Wasps and honey bees can appear agressive if you're thinking
anthropomorphically but they are both defensive. Wasps are more intelligent
than bees, they've evolved further..

I wonder if you're thinking about bumble bees which are less defensive (but
wll sting) or solitary bees which can't sting ... it's a very bit subject
which I've studied for many years.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

"Tony Williams" wrote in message
...
In article ,
David Hansen wrote:

I disagree. They are rather too aggressive for my liking, unlike
bees which are welcome.

Hmm.... we have a beekeeper keeping his hives
just down the road. The strain of bee he uses
is a nasty sort of yellow looking thing, very
aggressive when trapped inside the house. We
have been told that he uses these aggressive
bees because they produce the best honey.

Not true.

Not
much comfort to SWMBO, who is liable to go into
a dangerous shock if stung. ((

So am I but I take care not to be stung. A beekeeper is more likely to be
stung than anyone else because s/he causes a defensive response by invading
the nest.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

"Guy King" wrote in message
...
The message
from David Hansen contains these words:

I disagree. They are rather too aggressive for my liking, unlike
bees which are welcome.

You must have different wasps from us. Ours don't sting unless you poke
'em first.

Or otherwise (innocently perhaps) threaten them.

Mary

[Guy King]

The message
from Huge contains these words:

Nil. They'll all be dead apart from the queen who'll be tucked up
somewhere warm and dry waiting for spring.

Balmoral?

I said warm and dry!

Indoors I'm sure it's very snug.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

[Guy King]

The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

Wasps and honey bees can appear agressive if you're thinking
anthropomorphically but they are both defensive.

My grandmother felt sorry for the bees one very cold spring morning
(this was in the 1920s some time) and took them a saucer of warm sugary
water. Two bees shot out of the hive and stung her, one on each eyelid.
She rather lost her sympathy for them at that point - it took her over a
week to regain her sight properly.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

[Guy King]

The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

You must have different wasps from us. Ours don't sting unless you poke
'em first.

Or otherwise (innocently perhaps) threaten them.

Well clearly, sitting on them or catching one in the fold of your elbow
will fail to impress upon them your otherwise gentle intentions.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

[Mary Fisher]

"Guy King" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

You must have different wasps from us. Ours don't sting unless you poke
'em first.

Or otherwise (innocently perhaps) threaten them.

Well clearly, sitting on them or catching one in the fold of your elbow
will fail to impress upon them your otherwise gentle intentions.

Quite. People often claim that they did nothing but if a wasp lands on you
and you move and a bit of shirt brushes against it it will defend itself
from the attacker. It knows nothing about shirts.

Mary

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

[Mary Fisher]

"Guy King" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

Wasps and honey bees can appear agressive if you're thinking
anthropomorphically but they are both defensive.

My grandmother felt sorry for the bees one very cold spring morning
(this was in the 1920s some time) and took them a saucer of warm sugary
water. Two bees shot out of the hive and stung her, one on each eyelid.
She rather lost her sympathy for them at that point - it took her over a
week to regain her sight properly.

That's awful for your grandma :-( But you shouldn't disturb a beehive when
it's cold - passing in front of a hive entrance is disturbance enough.

They don't think like us - and we don't think like them.

Mary

[raden]

In message , Mike
writes
On 27 Nov 2006 14:44:25 -0800, "Weatherlawyer"
wrote:


Mary Fisher wrote:
"David Hansen" head full of wrote in message

4) burn the nasty little devils.

They're not nasty.

Forgive him his ignorance. So many stupid people living in towns and
cities don't have a clue about the planet they live on. You could
almost feel sorry for the clods if they were not such clods.

And those that post things twice :-)

I stood barefooted on one once - that was a nasty one! By damn was it painful -
for the wasp too I suppose.

I've been stung in the past two summers by wasps in totally unprovoked
attacks

I wasn't making any fast movements, nothing to annoy them, just stung

Killing's to good for the buggers

I do enjoy watching them alighting on a lily leaf and having a drink
from the pond

--
geoff

[Aidan Karley]

In article , Guy King wrote:
Nil. They'll all be dead apart from the queen who'll be tucked up
somewhere warm and dry waiting for spring.

Balmoral?

Which part of "dry and warm" did you misunderstand? G
(OK, the snug bar of the Coach and Horses was quite warm and dry
last time I was in Ballater, but the rest of the village was typical
for Deeside in the winter.)

--
Aidan
Aberdeen, Scotland
Written at Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:35 GMT, but posted later.

[Weatherlawyer]

wrote:

A poor workman always blames his tools ;-)

For what? Leaving his sandwiches at home? Breaking his flask? Having
too much to drink the night before?

[Aidan Karley]

In article om, Dave
Liquorice wrote:
Wasps suffer a very bad press but are really fascinating, inquisitive and
helpful creatures.

Ichneumonidae ? (Sorry about the spelling?)
The ones that gave even Darwin the willies.

But yes, wonderful beasts. I've never understood people who are
scared of them.

--
Aidan
Aberdeen, Scotland
Written at Wed, 29 Nov 2006 08:19 GMT, but posted later.

[Aidan Karley]

In article , David Hansen
wrote:
On 27 Nov 2006 14:44:05 -0800 someone who may be "Weatherlawyer"
wrote this:-

[SNIP]

Extremely excellent, personal abuse and mind reading in one post.

Typical of the "thing". He's a troll elsewhere, and just as much
a waste of electrons. Now how come he's out of my kill file here?

--
Aidan
Aberdeen, Scotland
Written at Wed, 29 Nov 2006 08:23 GMT, but posted later.

[Aidan Karley]

In article , Mary
Fisher wrote:
Wasps are more intelligent
than bees, they've evolved further..

Having evolved "further" does not necessarily imply having
developed more "intelligence" (whatever *that* is). Some (literally)
brainless parasites are highly developed "higher" animals. They've just
developed along a developmental arc that doesn't involve having brains,
so they've lost theirs.

it's a very bit subject
which I've studied for many years.

Big subject indeed. Fascinating animals.

--
Aidan
Aberdeen, Scotland
Written at Wed, 29 Nov 2006 08:26 GMT, but posted later.

[Velvet]

Tony Williams wrote:
In article ,
David Hansen wrote:

I disagree. They are rather too aggressive for my liking, unlike
bees which are welcome.

Hmm.... we have a beekeeper keeping his hives
just down the road. The strain of bee he uses
is a nasty sort of yellow looking thing, very
aggressive when trapped inside the house. We
have been told that he uses these aggressive
bees because they produce the best honey. Not
much comfort to SWMBO, who is liable to go into
a dangerous shock if stung. ((

--
Tony Williams.

I've thought for quite a while that 'honey' bees are getting a less
good-natured. I'm making the effort to encourage some solitary bees
into my garden though, having had them living in my brick chimney wall
in the old place for about a decade and finding them intriguing and
very docile.

I wasn't able to persuade any to use my solitary bee-house to take up
residence in the spring/summer that I had to move out, so didn't hold
out much hope, but this spring (the first in the new place) I'm
delighted to find solitary bees busily nesting in two of the tubes in
the house, so I expect a multiplying population of them when they hatch
out in the coming spring. It was fascinating watching them collect mud
where I'd watered a plant in to take back and stopper the tube with.

Honey bees and wasps I don't like, though I try and tolerate them
(unless indoors - bees are captured and put out, wasps often don't get
afforded the same treatment as they just seem to be hell-bent on coming
back in). Solitary bees I adore. I hear they're better pollinators
than honey bees too, though no idea if that's just rumour.

Velvet

[Clive George]

"Velvet" wrote in message
ups.com...

I wasn't able to persuade any to use my solitary bee-house to take up
residence in the spring/summer that I had to move out, so didn't hold
out much hope, but this spring (the first in the new place) I'm
delighted to find solitary bees busily nesting in two of the tubes in
the house, so I expect a multiplying population of them when they hatch
out in the coming spring. It was fascinating watching them collect mud
where I'd watered a plant in to take back and stopper the tube with.

Our Sedum (poss sedum telephuim?) seems very attractive to bumble bees.
(does that help for solitary ones?)

cheers,
clive

[Staffbull]

Velvet wrote:
Tony Williams wrote:
In article ,
David Hansen wrote:

I disagree. They are rather too aggressive for my liking, unlike
bees which are welcome.

Hmm.... we have a beekeeper keeping his hives
just down the road. The strain of bee he uses
is a nasty sort of yellow looking thing, very
aggressive when trapped inside the house. We
have been told that he uses these aggressive
bees because they produce the best honey. Not
much comfort to SWMBO, who is liable to go into
a dangerous shock if stung. ((

--
Tony Williams.

I've thought for quite a while that 'honey' bees are getting a less
good-natured. I'm making the effort to encourage some solitary bees
into my garden though, having had them living in my brick chimney wall
in the old place for about a decade and finding them intriguing and
very docile.

I wasn't able to persuade any to use my solitary bee-house to take up
residence in the spring/summer that I had to move out, so didn't hold
out much hope, but this spring (the first in the new place) I'm
delighted to find solitary bees busily nesting in two of the tubes in
the house, so I expect a multiplying population of them when they hatch
out in the coming spring. It was fascinating watching them collect mud
where I'd watered a plant in to take back and stopper the tube with.

Honey bees and wasps I don't like, though I try and tolerate them
(unless indoors - bees are captured and put out, wasps often don't get
afforded the same treatment as they just seem to be hell-bent on coming
back in). Solitary bees I adore. I hear they're better pollinators
than honey bees too, though no idea if that's just rumour.

Velvet



I torched my daughters playhouse two summers ago due to wasps!!, I went
in to clean it out to find a bloody big nest in there, right I thought
flyspray'll do the trick. 30 seconds after the first squirt and 10 - 15
stings in i gave up and ran out slamming the door behind me, 20 -30 of
the buggers came with me though. Quick run round the garden ( not used
to running 16st and built for comfort not for speed).
Suitably infuriated at the cheek of the little blighters the red mist
was well and truly down, before I knew it I had doused the playhouse
with petrol from the mower can, leaving a trail up to it, light trail
at arms length and stood well back as it says on the tin, the mushroom
cloud was most impressive and got a few woo's and even a sceam from the
neighbours. After I ranted at them not to call the fire brigade they
realised I'd lost the plot and went inside to close their windows due
to the smoke.
the playhouse burnt well and behaved itself falling in on itself while
burning, I put a bit more rubbish that I had lying about on it while I
had a fire going, and it smouldered itsef to nothing in a few hours.
Raked up the ashes, grass seeded the scorch mark and you'd never know
it was there now :-)
Anyone else got an extreme wasp story ??

That was the last "red mist" episode I've had !! thankfully they are
few and far between :-)

[Velvet]

Clive George wrote:
"Velvet" wrote in message
ups.com...

I wasn't able to persuade any to use my solitary bee-house to take up
residence in the spring/summer that I had to move out, so didn't hold
out much hope, but this spring (the first in the new place) I'm
delighted to find solitary bees busily nesting in two of the tubes in
the house, so I expect a multiplying population of them when they hatch
out in the coming spring. It was fascinating watching them collect mud
where I'd watered a plant in to take back and stopper the tube with.

Our Sedum (poss sedum telephuim?) seems very attractive to bumble bees.
(does that help for solitary ones?)

cheers,
clive

Haven't the foggiest. Solitary bees seem to be out very early in the
spring compared to other bees, so I guess earlier flowering things
would be good to provide. I have a feeling they're rumoured to be
excellent for fruit trees due to waking earlier than the honeys, but
I'm not at all an expert on any of them - I just like the docile little
creatures (whereas dislike to outright fear is a factor of honeybees
and wasps).

[Mary Fisher]

"Aidan Karley" wrote in
message r...
In article om, Dave
Liquorice wrote:
Wasps suffer a very bad press but are really fascinating, inquisitive and
helpful creatures.

Ichneumonidae ? (Sorry about the spelling?)

No, vespidae. More specifically, vespa vulgaris, the common wasp, known as
yellowjackets by USAians.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

"Velvet" wrote in message
ups.com...


Honey bees and wasps I don't like, though I try and tolerate them
(unless indoors - bees are captured and put out,

Honey bees rarely go into houses.

wasps often don't get
afforded the same treatment as they just seem to be hell-bent on coming
back in).

That must be because you're providing something to attract them. They don't
come in for your company.

Solitary bees I adore. I hear they're better pollinators
than honey bees too, though no idea if that's just rumour.

Some are better at some pollination in some areas.

Mary

Velvet

[Mary Fisher]

"Velvet" wrote in message
oups.com...



Haven't the foggiest. Solitary bees seem to be out very early in the
spring compared to other bees, so I guess earlier flowering things
would be good to provide. I have a feeling they're rumoured to be
excellent for fruit trees due to waking earlier than the honeys, but
I'm not at all an expert on any of them - I just like the docile little
creatures (whereas dislike to outright fear is a factor of honeybees
and wasps).

The rumour about pollination of fruit trees is wrong. Top fruit tree blossom
doesn't start to produce nectar until the temperature is higher than it is
in the morning. That's why grass is kept weed-free. Dandelions and some
other 'weeds' begin to produce nectar at lower temperatures than fruit trees
and once honey bees have begun to forage on a particular plant they'll
continue until the supply is exhausted. The bees are drawn to the blossom by
nectar, not pollen, they can't help pollinating the flowers whhilie they're
collecting nectar.

Beehives are hired by fruit growers at pollination time, they don't hire
solitary bees for the purpose.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

"Staffbull" wrote in message
oups.com...




I torched my daughters playhouse two summers ago due to wasps!!,
....
Raked up the ashes, grass seeded the scorch mark and you'd never know
it was there now :-)

Did you feel better after that? More manly??

Next time you have what you consider to be a problem like that call the
local authority or a beekeeper. You might well have to pay for the service
of removal but it could be cheaper than a new playhouse.

[Mary Fisher]

"Aidan Karley" wrote in
message r...
In article , Mary
Fisher wrote:
Wasps are more intelligent
than bees, they've evolved further..

Having evolved "further" does not necessarily imply having
developed more "intelligence" (whatever *that* is).

I didn't say that it was.