Had a problem with a wasp nest about a month ago, they were getting
into my wall cavity where the sky cable went through the wall.

Read a lot of posts on this forum about removal etc so crept out at
midnight and squirted some wasp nest killing powder stuff into the
hole and ran.

Next day...nothing. I was expecting some activity for a few days but
there was none which kinda surprised me somewhat as I thought it took
a few days to kick in.

Anyway, about a week later we started to get the faint smell of
maggots/decay which has now got so bad that the living room is pretty
much a no-go area even with air freshners etc.

Would the nest have been in the cavity itself or might I be able to
get at it by pulling up a few floorboards in the living room and would
a dead wasp nest smell so bad?

"Cookie" wrote in message
ps.com...
Had a problem with a wasp nest about a month ago, they were getting
into my wall cavity where the sky cable went through the wall.

Read a lot of posts on this forum about removal etc so crept out at
midnight and squirted some wasp nest killing powder stuff into the
hole and ran.

Next day...nothing. I was expecting some activity for a few days but
there was none which kinda surprised me somewhat as I thought it took
a few days to kick in.

Anyway, about a week later we started to get the faint smell of
maggots/decay which has now got so bad that the living room is pretty
much a no-go area even with air freshners etc.

Would the nest have been in the cavity itself or might I be able to
get at it by pulling up a few floorboards in the living room and would
a dead wasp nest smell so bad?

This is one of the problems with not leaving the nest until it's empty of
insects naturally, they mostly die in the field rather than in the nest.

If you kill the insects, larvae and pupae in the nest there's a residue of
flesh which will attract flies and even mice. The poison might kill them too
but not necessarily. It will take time for Nature to clear up the mess - but
it will be cleared eventually.

The nest might have been in the wall cavity although they prefer a larger
space to accommodate the layers of insulation and build sensibly sized slabs
of comb for breeding so I suspect it might be in the space between lower
ceiling and upper floorboards.

Mary

On 11 Sep, 10:07, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
"Cookie" wrote in message

ps.com...





Had a problem with a wasp nest about a month ago, they were getting
into my wall cavity where the sky cable went through the wall.

Read a lot of posts on this forum about removal etc so crept out at
midnight and squirted some wasp nest killing powder stuff into the
hole and ran.

Next day...nothing. I was expecting some activity for a few days but
there was none which kinda surprised me somewhat as I thought it took
a few days to kick in.

Anyway, about a week later we started to get the faint smell of
maggots/decay which has now got so bad that the living room is pretty
much a no-go area even with air freshners etc.

Would the nest have been in the cavity itself or might I be able to
get at it by pulling up a few floorboards in the living room and would
a dead wasp nest smell so bad?

This is one of the problems with not leaving the nest until it's empty of
insects naturally, they mostly die in the field rather than in the nest.

If you kill the insects, larvae and pupae in the nest there's a residue of
flesh which will attract flies and even mice. The poison might kill them too
but not necessarily. It will take time for Nature to clear up the mess - but
it will be cleared eventually.

The nest might have been in the wall cavity although they prefer a larger
space to accommodate the layers of insulation and build sensibly sized slabs
of comb for breeding so I suspect it might be in the space between lower
ceiling and upper floorboards.

Mary


Thanks Mary, unfortunately leaving the nest wasn't really an option as
a large number of the wasps seemed to be finding their way into the
house and I was a bit worried that my grandkids might get stung.
I fear I may have to pull a few boards up and dust off my pit
helmet...

"Cookie" wrote in message
oups.com...


Thanks Mary, unfortunately leaving the nest wasn't really an option as
a large number of the wasps seemed to be finding their way into the
house and I was a bit worried that my grandkids might get stung.
I fear I may have to pull a few boards up and dust off my pit
helmet...

People always cite fear for children or dogs as justification :-)

Killing one colony makes no perceptible difference to the number of flying
stinging and biting insects in the air all around us. The reality is that
very few people are stung and then rarely more than once - except people
like me who are dealing with them and interfering with their brood. Then
they become defensive.

I do understand though, if another nest is built in the future try to
discover where the insects are getting into the room - they don't want to be
there so you'll be doing them as well as yourselves a favour by stopping the
hole. If they're coming in through an open window and you're nervous simply
fit some fine netting over the opening. Bridal netting is fine, mosquito
netting is rather fine and doesn't allow as much movement of air. Or there's
always the wasp trap, they work as well indoors as outdoors. Put some jam
and water in a bottle with a narrow neck, that usually works, they go in but
can't get out easily. A properly designed wasp trap is even better, you
don't need to expose your grandchildren to beer fumes, dilute jam works just
as well.

I hope this helps,

Mary

On 11 Sep, 11:43, "Mary Fisher" wrote:

People always cite fear for children or dogs as justification :-)

Killing one colony makes no perceptible difference to the number of flying
stinging and biting insects in the air all around us. The reality is that
very few people are stung and then rarely more than once - except people
like me who are dealing with them and interfering with their brood. Then
they become defensive.

Over the last couple of weeks my 20 month old (inquisitive) little boy
has been stung twice; he has a nasty habit of finding the most rotten
looking fallen apple hiding in the long grass and then picking it up
and running around with it. I'm not certain he's put two and two
together that the wasp / bee sting is related to the manky apple in
his hand.

Of course, we do our best to make sure all rotten fruit is moved away
to prevent just this problem, but he always finds one. Mind you,
although it is uncomfortable for a couple of minutes, there are many
things worse than being stung, so maybe he'll grow up toughened as a
result! He's already been stung more times in his 20 months than I
have in my 35 years!

For the record, the thing that makes me recoil in fear of pain more
than anything else is treading unwittingly on an upturned three pin
plug! Anyone else have strange pain phobias!?

Matt

wrote in message
ups.com...
For the record, the thing that makes me recoil in fear of pain more
than anything else is treading unwittingly on an upturned three pin
plug! Anyone else have strange pain phobias!?

There`s nothing strange about that phobia at all - it bloody hurts! I
regularly have to tell SWMBO not to leave plugs with their pins pointing up
:-)

I think, as they (probably) build a nest under the living room that
some of the more stupid ones have been getting into the living room
under the skirting board somewhere. Probably the same place that all
the spiders come from. They probably have a little insect signpost
under the floor saying "this way to freak out the bald apes"...

"Cookie" wrote in message
ups.com...
I think, as they (probably) build a nest under the living room that
some of the more stupid ones have been getting into the living room
under the skirting board somewhere. Probably the same place that all
the spiders come from. They probably have a little insect signpost
under the floor saying "this way to freak out the bald apes"...

You're probably right about their access but a) wasps are anything but
stupid except that b) they can't read English.

Seal the gap under the skirting! It will help with draughtproofing too.

Mary

You're probably right about their access but a) wasps are anything but
stupid except that b) they can't read English.

Seal the gap under the skirting! It will help with draughtproofing too.

Mary

Unfortunately I just put down some of that laminated wooden floor
stuff and you have to leave a gap to allow the spiders and wasp
in...er, I mean to allow the floor to float around the room.

p.s. the ones that couldn't find their way out after coming in might
be slightly stupid imho...

"Cookie" wrote in message
ups.com...

You're probably right about their access but a) wasps are anything but
stupid except that b) they can't read English.

Seal the gap under the skirting! It will help with draughtproofing too.

Mary

Unfortunately I just put down some of that laminated wooden floor
stuff and you have to leave a gap to allow the spiders and wasp
in...er, I mean to allow the floor to float around the room.

p.s. the ones that couldn't find their way out after coming in might
be slightly stupid imho...

Not at all, they might well be newly hatched and, not knowing the 'official'
exit they go towards chinks of light.

You could put some thin lengths of foam between the floor and the skirting,
we have done.

Mary

wrote in message
ups.com...

Over the last couple of weeks my 20 month old (inquisitive) little boy
has been stung twice; he has a nasty habit of finding the most rotten
looking fallen apple hiding in the long grass and then picking it up
and running around with it. I'm not certain he's put two and two
together that the wasp / bee sting is related to the manky apple in
his hand.

It won't be a bee sting. Bees wouldn't need to go to ripe apples, they have
tongues which can access nectar, which is sweeter than any fruit. Wasps have
hardly any tongues. It's a long and beautiful story but it's only at this
time of year, as a rule, that wasps seek sugar and since very few flowers
can satisfy their needs they exploit anything else they can find - fruit,
sweet and alcoholic drinks, jam and, worst of all when they do it en masse,
bees' nests.

The wasp on the apple will only sting if it's touched, that's a threat to
its integrity and it's defending itself - as any of us would if we were
threatened and had a weapon. I remember one autumn when our children were
eating tea on the front doorstep and wasps were walking round their mouths
eating the jam. No-one was stung.

Wasps really are fascinating creatures, I know they're vilified but they
play an important part in the ecology of our gardens.

Of course, we do our best to make sure all rotten fruit is moved away
to prevent just this problem, but he always finds one. Mind you,
although it is uncomfortable for a couple of minutes, there are many
things worse than being stung, so maybe he'll grow up toughened as a
result! He's already been stung more times in his 20 months than I
have in my 35 years!

Being stung as a child isn't nice but they get over it. Your last sentence
is telling :-) but you're absolutely right in that there are many worse
things than being stung - you have a sensible attitude :-)


For the record, the thing that makes me recoil in fear of pain more
than anything else is treading unwittingly on an upturned three pin
plug! Anyone else have strange pain phobias!?

Since I'm in permanent pain of different intensities I can't say that I have
a phobia about it - but any acute pain, while short-lived, always seems
worse than chronic pain. Thus a sting, a little burn, a graze or cut, a
sharp bruise, all hurt intensely.

But only for a very short time :-)

When in labour I always told myself that it would come to an end, I was
always right :-)

Not that it helped at the time ...

Mary
p.s. I didn't reply to your post immediately because it was worth thinking
about.

Mary Fisher wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

Over the last couple of weeks my 20 month old (inquisitive) little
boy has been stung twice; he has a nasty habit of finding the most
rotten looking fallen apple hiding in the long grass and then
picking it up and running around with it. I'm not certain he's put
two and two together that the wasp / bee sting is related to the
manky apple in his hand.

It won't be a bee sting. Bees wouldn't need to go to ripe apples,
they have tongues which can access nectar, which is sweeter than any
fruit. Wasps have hardly any tongues. It's a long and beautiful story
but it's only at this time of year, as a rule, that wasps seek sugar
and since very few flowers can satisfy their needs they exploit
anything else they can find - fruit, sweet and alcoholic drinks, jam
and, worst of all when they do it en masse, bees' nests.

The wasp on the apple will only sting if it's touched, that's a
threat to its integrity and it's defending itself - as any of us
would if we were threatened and had a weapon. I remember one autumn
when our children were eating tea on the front doorstep and wasps
were walking round their mouths eating the jam. No-one was stung.

Wasps really are fascinating creatures, I know they're vilified but
they play an important part in the ecology of our gardens.

Of course, we do our best to make sure all rotten fruit is moved away
to prevent just this problem, but he always finds one. Mind you,
although it is uncomfortable for a couple of minutes, there are many
things worse than being stung, so maybe he'll grow up toughened as a
result! He's already been stung more times in his 20 months than I
have in my 35 years!

Being stung as a child isn't nice but they get over it. Your last
sentence is telling :-) but you're absolutely right in that there are
many worse things than being stung - you have a sensible attitude :-)

Not if you swell up like a ruddy balloon if even one of the little beggars
jab its sting into you!

That what happens to me and I suffer for days - I kill the beggars as soon
as they get near me.


Brian G

Well, I took up the laminate flooring last night and managed to prise
up 1 floorboard. Had a peek but couldn't see all the way to the other
end of the room so am going to have to pull a few more up and do some
crawling.
Did manage to find a golf-ball sized nest though. Amazing little
things. Kids are gonna take it to show and tell today.
Are the nests always gonna be dangling spheres?

"Brian G" wrote in message
...

Being stung as a child isn't nice but they get over it. Your last
sentence is telling :-) but you're absolutely right in that there are
many worse things than being stung - you have a sensible attitude :-)

Not if you swell up like a ruddy balloon if even one of the little beggars
jab its sting into you!

Swelling is a local reaction, yes it's painful (I have the same thing by the
way) but it means that you're not going to suffer a general reaction (often
called an allergy) which is far, far worse. And very rare I might add.

That what happens to me and I suffer for days - I kill the beggars as soon
as they get near me.

Even if they haven't stung you? That's a bit silly. Might as well blow up
all cars because you might be run over, or shoot all dogs because they might
bite you, and as for humans ...

:-)

Mary

"Cookie" wrote in message
ups.com...
Well, I took up the laminate flooring last night and managed to prise
up 1 floorboard. Had a peek but couldn't see all the way to the other
end of the room so am going to have to pull a few more up and do some
crawling.
Did manage to find a golf-ball sized nest though. Amazing little
things. Kids are gonna take it to show and tell today.
Are the nests always gonna be dangling spheres?

The classic wasp nest is but in a confined space it will more than likely be
attached to its surroundings.

The small one you found was started not less than a few months ago, it might
well be years old. They are delightful and I'm pleased that the children are
interested.

If I'm asked to dispose of a nest, if can't persuade the reluctant host to
let the occupants live out their normal span AND there is a genuinely good
reason for doing it (there rarely is) I cut round the edges, put it in a bin
liner and take it home to put in the chest freezer., That means that no
toxic substance is left in the house and the wasps die with no distress.
After a few hours the nest can be removed from the bag.

Then I take a bread knife and cut through the nest, very carefully, from top
to bottom. This will show the marvellous structure of the whole and is a
very satisfying way to explain to children the life of social wasps - as
well as maths, architecture, society, physics, building ... anything you can
think of. They are always interested, even the silly ones who have
contracted unreasonable fear from adults. They ask lots of questions, far
more searching in some ways than those adults ask, I have to know the
subject thoroughly but even I'm sometimes stumped! Looking at a dead wasp
under a microscope or even a simple magnifying glass is fascinating,
everyone is always surprised at how hairy they are - even their eyes are
hairy.

That was my greatest surprise too, the first time I looked at an enlarged
view.

Sorry, I'm rambling again!

Mary

"The classic wasp nest is but in a confined space it will more than
likely be
attached to its surroundings."

Against the red brickwork near where they were entering the house
there is a fairly large area the same colour as the little nest I
found. I need to crawl to get to it but could that be the nest? From
the outside it just looks like a mess which is why I aint sure if it
is or not.

"They ask lots of questions, far more searching in some ways than
those adults ask"

"What's it made of daddy?"
"I think the wasps chew up bits of wood and sti..."
"And stones?"
"No, I don't think they chew up sto..."
"Well why is it grey then?"
"er......" sound of door slamming shut and engine revving

"Cookie" wrote in message
oups.com...
"The classic wasp nest is but in a confined space it will more than
likely be
attached to its surroundings."

Against the red brickwork near where they were entering the house
there is a fairly large area the same colour as the little nest I
found. I need to crawl to get to it but could that be the nest? From
the outside it just looks like a mess which is why I aint sure if it
is or not.

It sounds as though it could well be. What looks like a mess to you is their
way of making the connections strong enough to hold a surprising amount of
weight in a very fragile structure.

"They ask lots of questions, far more searching in some ways than
those adults ask"

"What's it made of daddy?"
"I think the wasps chew up bits of wood and sti..."
"And stones?"
"No, I don't think they chew up sto..."
"Well why is it grey then?"
"er......" sound of door slamming shut and engine revving

Suggest that they chew up tiny bits of wood and see what colour it turns out
when it's dry. It will probably be grey but not the beautiful silver grey
the wasps can make. And your children will never be able to get the 'paper'
as thin as the wasps can.

And observe the outside layer very carefully, if it was built by one type of
wasp each small piece of 'paper' will be beautifully striped according to
the source of the timber. I've seen green stripes, presumably made from
painted wood.

Mary

Message-ID: from Mary
Fisher contained the following:

If I'm asked to dispose of a nest, if can't persuade the reluctant host to
let the occupants live out their normal span

Yes I had a nest once. I let it be.

--
Geoff Berrow (put thecat out to email)
It's only Usenet, no one dies.
My opinions, not the committee's, mine.
Simple RFDs http://www.ckdog.co.uk/rfdmaker/

"Geoff Berrow" wrote in message
...
Message-ID: from Mary
Fisher contained the following:

If I'm asked to dispose of a nest, if can't persuade the reluctant host to
let the occupants live out their normal span

Yes I had a nest once. I let it be.

Good man!

Mary

--

Geoff Berrow wrote:
Message-ID: from Mary
Fisher contained the following:

If I'm asked to dispose of a nest, if can't persuade the reluctant host to
let the occupants live out their normal span

Yes I had a nest once. I let it be.


I think people imagine the nest getting bigger year on year but IME they
never come back the following year.

Geoff Berrow wrote:

Yes I had a nest once. I let it be.


I let one be until the neighbours complained that the flightline into
the woods tended to go into the baby's bedroom window...

Andy

On 13 Sep, 12:05, Stuart Noble
wrote:
Geoff Berrow wrote:
Message-ID: from Mary
Fisher contained the following:

If I'm asked to dispose of a nest, if can't persuade the reluctant host to
let the occupants live out their normal span

Yes I had a nest once. I let it be.

I think people imagine the nest getting bigger year on year but IME they
never come back the following year.

I was once told that you should destroy wasps nests in winter, as they
can get re-used in summer ... no idea if it's true. But it meant I
cleaned out this massive 2ft structure that had been built behind the
fascia panels on our house when I replaced the guttering ... it was
quite impressive

"Andy Champ" wrote in message
...
Geoff Berrow wrote:

Yes I had a nest once. I let it be.


I let one be until the neighbours complained that the flightline into the
woods tended to go into the baby's bedroom window...

There are too many things wrong with that claim ...

"Jethro" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 13 Sep, 12:05, Stuart Noble
wrote:
Geoff Berrow wrote:
Message-ID: from Mary
Fisher contained the following:

If I'm asked to dispose of a nest, if can't persuade the reluctant
host to
let the occupants live out their normal span

Yes I had a nest once. I let it be.

I think people imagine the nest getting bigger year on year but IME they
never come back the following year.

I was once told that you should destroy wasps nests in winter, as they
can get re-used in summer ... no idea if it's true.

It's not. A queen wasp cominig out of hibernation is programmed to start a
new one, she wouldn't regognise an old one.

But it meant I
cleaned out this massive 2ft structure that had been built behind the
fascia panels on our house when I replaced the guttering ... it was
quite impressive

They are!

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Andy Champ" wrote
I let one be until the neighbours complained that the flightline into the
woods tended to go into the baby's bedroom window...

There are too many things wrong with that claim ...



My grammar? or the facts?

The nest was built under the eaves of the house, on the outside, on the
sloping part of the gable end, on the side nearest the local woods.

Between us and the woods is another house. The owners of that house had
a baby (she's a bit bigger now!) and the baby's room faced our house.

They had a lot of trouble with wasps flying in through the open window,
when they didn't get it right on their way to hunt in the woods.

Does that make it clear?

Andy

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Brian G" wrote in message
...

Being stung as a child isn't nice but they get over it. Your last
sentence is telling :-) but you're absolutely right in that there
are many worse things than being stung - you have a sensible
attitude :-)

Not if you swell up like a ruddy balloon if even one of the little
beggars jab its sting into you!

Swelling is a local reaction, yes it's painful (I have the same thing
by the way) but it means that you're not going to suffer a general
reaction (often called an allergy) which is far, far worse. And very
rare I might add.

Believe me it's not a "local reaction" Mary - and it lays me low for well
over a week! As I said, "I swell up like a ruddy balloon".

That what happens to me and I suffer for days - I kill the beggars
as soon as they get near me.

Even if they haven't stung you? That's a bit silly. Might as well
blow up all cars because you might be run over, or shoot all dogs
because they might bite you, and as for humans ...


Yes, I find WD40 *VERY* effective. As for cars, two have hit me in 58 years
(both times my fault I may add)! Dogs, I hate them more than wasps and if I
could "shoot" them I damn well would! As for humans, well 99% are ok, the
other 1% - well, killing would be far too quick!

BTW, apologies for the delay in responding, but holiday preparations had a
higher priority and I'm off tomorrow.

Brian G

replying to Cookie, IainL wrote:
I have something similar: a destroyed nest under the eaves and now a bad smell
akin to old, sour milk in the room below. Does this sound familiar and did the
smell eventually fade away?

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy...th-421782-.htm

On 01/10/2019 17:14, IainL wrote:
replying to Cookie, IainL wrote:
I have something similar: a destroyed nest under the eaves and now a bad
smell
akin to old, sour milk in the room below. Does this sound familiar and
did the
smell eventually fade away?

posted on September 11, 2007, 8:55 am

--
"In our post-modern world, climate science is not powerful because it is
true: it is true because it is powerful."

Lucas Bergkamp

On Tue, 1 Oct 2019 17:22:12 +0100
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 01/10/2019 17:14, IainL wrote:
replying to Cookie, IainL wrote:
I have something similar: a destroyed nest under the eaves and now
a bad smell
akin to old, sour milk in the room below. Does this sound familiar
and did the
smell eventually fade away?

posted on September 11, 2007, 8:55 am


If the answer to the second question is "No", then he really does have a
problem.

--
Davey.

It's interesting to explore the menu options of the Waspbane website.
https://www.waspbane.com/?page_id=241

Well did it, if not I'd have thought the nest would have been removed by
some irate person in the intervening years.
Having said all of that part of a nest is still under my bathroom floor,
and I've never smelled anything.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 01/10/2019 17:14, IainL wrote:
replying to Cookie, IainL wrote:
I have something similar: a destroyed nest under the eaves and now a bad
smell
akin to old, sour milk in the room below. Does this sound familiar and
did the
smell eventually fade away?

posted on September 11, 2007, 8:55 am

--
"In our post-modern world, climate science is not powerful because it is
true: it is true because it is powerful."

Lucas Bergkamp

You might be developing PArkinsons :-(

On 01/10/2019 17:56, Brian Gaff wrote:
Well did it, if not I'd have thought the nest would have been removed by
some irate person in the intervening years.
Having said all of that part of a nest is still under my bathroom floor,
and I've never smelled anything.
Brian

Pear kinsons, is that a tree disease?

Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Andrew" wrote in message
...
You might be developing PArkinsons :-(

On 01/10/2019 17:56, Brian Gaff wrote:
Well did it, if not I'd have thought the nest would have been removed by
some irate person in the intervening years.
Having said all of that part of a nest is still under my bathroom
floor,
and I've never smelled anything.
Brian