On 18/06/2010 14:29, Tim Streater wrote:

I have no proof of this, but looking at the construction of wasp nest I
suspect it is a very good insulator so long as it is dry.

The nest is made of papier maché. The wasps rasp wood off trees or
perhaps your shed and chew it up, then use it for building. So it would
be a decent insulator but presumably would bridge the cavity wall and
lead to dampness.

The insides of one I removed!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9ri4a_a-dead-wasps-nesty_animals


Cyanide will kill them if you have the nerve for that. My dad used to
kill them in ground nests by putting some on a square of cloth, then
pulling the corners up and tying round a stick. Then you wet the cloth
and ram it into the nest entrance.

Yikes :-)

--
Adrian C