Just above a bedroom window 2 years ago, we could watch wasps flying up
and disappearing into tiny crevices, presumably back to their nest in
some little void there.
They seemed to multiply and we had masses of them as the summer
progressed.
I bought some squirty things and some powder in a tin, but was talked
out of climbing a ladder to them and attempting to blow powder upwards
into crevices while being buzzed by an angry swarm.

We rang the council who said they will die and not return next year so
they would do nothing.
True, they didn't reurn last year, but they have returned this year, so
we are back in the small number stage.

Are there wasp killer sprays with a pipe so that I can poke it
accurately though the entrances? The sprays I can find all have
decoratively shaped tops and no way of poking in even a WD40 pipe.

How are you meant to use the powder? The wasps are above and gravity
doesn't work that way.

Is there any better way to show these things who is boss?
--
Bill

"Bill" wrote in message
...

Just above a bedroom window 2 years ago, we could watch wasps flying up
and disappearing into tiny crevices, presumably back to their nest in some
little void there.
They seemed to multiply and we had masses of them as the summer
progressed.
I bought some squirty things and some powder in a tin, but was talked out
of climbing a ladder to them and attempting to blow powder upwards into
crevices while being buzzed by an angry swarm.

We rang the council who said they will die and not return next year so
they would do nothing.
True, they didn't reurn last year, but they have returned this year, so we
are back in the small number stage.

Are there wasp killer sprays with a pipe so that I can poke it accurately
though the entrances? The sprays I can find all have decoratively shaped
tops and no way of poking in even a WD40 pipe.

How are you meant to use the powder? The wasps are above and gravity
doesn't work that way.

Is there any better way to show these things who is boss?
--
Bill

Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your garden
much freer of pests than it otherwise would be. Only at the end of the
season do they start to eat fruit and become a nuisance - but since by then
the squirrels have already trashed everything, it's no longer a problem. We
used to have lots of wasp nests, and even an occasional hornet, in the loft,
but are getting concerned that there are many fewer than there used to be,
though at this time of the year we still have to 'rescue' a few queens from
indoors and put them outside. Just about the only insect that does not seem
to be in decline is the foreign invader 'harlequin' ladybird of which we
seem to be having to eject hundreds every week! Our fruit trees are all in
flower, but there is not a bee in sight! Or butterfly.

:-(

In message , spamlet
writes
Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your
garden much freer of pests than it otherwise would be. Only at the end
of the season do they start to eat fruit and become a nuisance - but
since by then the squirrels have already trashed everything, it's no
longer a problem. We used to have lots of wasp nests, and even an
occasional hornet, in the loft, but are getting concerned that there
are many fewer than there used to be, though at this time of the year
we still have to 'rescue' a few queens from indoors and put them
outside. Just about the only insect that does not seem to be in
decline is the foreign invader 'harlequin' ladybird of which we seem to
be having to eject hundreds every week! Our fruit trees are all in
flower, but there is not a bee in sight! Or butterfly.

:-(
Well, the bedroom window needs to be opened for ventilation, and the fly
mesh over it is a real nuisance, but the wasps congregate and buzz until
one or more gets through somewhere. We replace the plastic mesh every
year, as things chew through it, and often the screen unsticks. We
already run 2 electronic zappers in the bedroom.

We have, and like, bees but already have had the windows being battered
by the giant moths that plague us every year. The birds eat the fruit to
give the vehicles a multi-coloured christening so I'm not sure what the
wasps live on. I'm no animal lover.
--
Bill

On 30 Apr, 14:54, Bill wrote:
Just above a bedroom window 2 years ago, we could watch wasps flying up
and disappearing into tiny crevices, presumably back to their nest in
some little void there.
They seemed to multiply and we had masses of them as the summer
progressed.
I bought some squirty things and some powder in a tin, but was talked
out of climbing a ladder to them and attempting to blow powder upwards
into crevices while being buzzed by an angry swarm.

We rang the council who said they will die and not return next year so
they would do nothing.
True, they didn't reurn last year, but they have returned this year, so
we are back in the small number stage.

Are there wasp killer sprays with a pipe so that I can poke it
accurately though the entrances? The sprays I can find all have
decoratively shaped tops and no way of poking in even a WD40 pipe.

How are you meant to use the powder? The wasps are above and gravity
doesn't work that way.

Is there any better way to show these things who is boss?
--
Bill

The aerosol foam sprays have a 3m metre range so you can be well
away from nest. Always receommended to do early evening when critters
have returned to nest.

"Bill" wrote

Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your
garden much freer of pests than it otherwise would be. Only at the end of
the season do they start to eat fruit and become a nuisance - but since by
then the squirrels have already trashed everything, it's no longer a
problem. We used to have lots of wasp nests, and even an occasional
hornet, in the loft, but are getting concerned that there are many fewer
than there used to be, though at this time of the year we still have to
'rescue' a few queens from indoors and put them outside. Just about the
only insect that does not seem to be in decline is the foreign invader
'harlequin' ladybird of which we seem to be having to eject hundreds every
week! Our fruit trees are all in flower, but there is not a bee in sight!
Or butterfly.

:-(
Well, the bedroom window needs to be opened for ventilation, and the fly
mesh over it is a real nuisance, but the wasps congregate and buzz until
one or more gets through somewhere. We replace the plastic mesh every
year, as things chew through it, and often the screen unsticks. We already
run 2 electronic zappers in the bedroom.

We have, and like, bees but already have had the windows being battered by
the giant moths that plague us every year. The birds eat the fruit to give
the vehicles a multi-coloured christening so I'm not sure what the wasps
live on. I'm no animal lover.
--
Bill

I am with you on this one Bill - don't start me on wasps nests in the loft,
council operatives who drop the dead ones in the water storage tanks that
find their way to the shower filters.....

There is a foam type wasps nest destroyer which is quite effective.
This can be sprayed at the nest openings to catch the critters on the way
in/out if you can't see the nest proper.
The range is about 2 metres, so you don't have to go right up to the
openings, but the foam may discolour stuff so take trial shots elsewhere
first - try on inconspicuous area etc disclaimer etc.
Do the real deed late on when they are not buzzing around.

Phil

"Bill" wrote in message
...
In message , spamlet
writes
Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your
garden much freer of pests than it otherwise would be. Only at the end of
the season do they start to eat fruit and become a nuisance - but since by
then the squirrels have already trashed everything, it's no longer a
problem. We used to have lots of wasp nests, and even an occasional
hornet, in the loft, but are getting concerned that there are many fewer
than there used to be, though at this time of the year we still have to
'rescue' a few queens from indoors and put them outside. Just about the
only insect that does not seem to be in decline is the foreign invader
'harlequin' ladybird of which we seem to be having to eject hundreds every
week! Our fruit trees are all in flower, but there is not a bee in sight!
Or butterfly.

:-(
Well, the bedroom window needs to be opened for ventilation, and the fly
mesh over it is a real nuisance, but the wasps congregate and buzz until
one or more gets through somewhere. We replace the plastic mesh every
year, as things chew through it, and often the screen unsticks. We already
run 2 electronic zappers in the bedroom.

We have, and like, bees but already have had the windows being battered by
the giant moths that plague us every year. The birds eat the fruit to give
the vehicles a multi-coloured christening so I'm not sure what the wasps
live on. I'm no animal lover.
--
Bill

Apparently not: shame you seem to be one of the decreasing few that ever
gets to see any! The only regular moths round here are clothes moths! I'd
like to see a picture of one of your 'giant moths' (bats?) as the only large
ones the UK has are a few hawk moths, and the emperor moth, all of which are
getting scarce and, if you are getting frequent records of them, then they
should be properly recorded by your county Recorder.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/index.html
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/l...ides-and-keys/

S

While we're on the subject:

When I was clearing hardcore out of the garden yesterday, I pulled a lump of
concrete out of the ground and there was a little tiny papery nest -
smaller than a tennis ball and several waspy things (about 2cm long)
wibbling around it. Needless to say, they got a spade of earth dumped on
them sharpish.

Where they wasps or something else? Didn't realise wasps lived
underground?...


--
Tim Watts

Managers, politicians and environmentalists: Nature's carbon buffer.

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
While we're on the subject:

When I was clearing hardcore out of the garden yesterday, I pulled a lump
of
concrete out of the ground and there was a little tiny papery nest -
smaller than a tennis ball and several waspy things (about 2cm long)
wibbling around it. Needless to say, they got a spade of earth dumped on
them sharpish.

Where they wasps or something else? Didn't realise wasps lived
underground?...


--
Tim Watts


They live anywhere they can find a reasonably dry cavity. However, at this
time of the year you may notice lots of little 'volcanoes' of excavated soil
or - in our case chalk - on the lawn, and even between the crazy paving
stones of our patio. If you watch, you will see the tawny mining bee -
which as it's name suggests - has a hairy tawny back, going in and out.
There seem to be more than usual this year. They are harmless, and I don't
know where they disappear to the rest of the year.

Nature being what it is, you may also see some small yellow 'wasps' going
into the same holes. These are specialist parasites on the mining bee
grubs, but also harmless to you.

The other thing which you will find 'wibbling' around under the ground at
this time of the year are bumble bee grubs in their nests. Bumble bees are
dying out. Along with the spring flowers their emergence is timed to
coincide with. And if this thread is anything to go by, that can be no
surprise!

http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/

S

In message , spamlet
writes
I'd like to see a picture of one of your 'giant moths' (bats?) as the
only large ones the UK has are a few hawk moths, and the emperor moth,
all of which are getting scarce and, if you are getting frequent
records of them, then they should be properly recorded by your county
Recorder.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/index.html
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/l...entification-g
uides-and-keys/

I think getting a picture will be difficult, but I'll try over the
summer and post here if I remember.

If we sit in the garden as it goes dark, all of a sudden these things
start whirling and darting about at tremendous speed. They are almost as
big as a butterfly but with big bodies and very fast flapping wings.
If we leave a window open, they come in to the house and get very
excited by the light. They seem to be just arriving or waking now as a
couple of nights ago they were diving into the lounge windows.

What I don't understand is why they come out at night but are attracted
to light. Seems odd to me.
--
Bill

Bill wrote:
8----------
If we sit in the garden as it goes dark, all of a sudden these things
start whirling and darting about at tremendous speed. They are almost as
big as a butterfly but with big bodies and very fast flapping wings.
If we leave a window open, they come in to the house and get very
excited by the light. They seem to be just arriving or waking now as a
couple of nights ago they were diving into the lounge windows.
8----------

May bugs?

Edgar

TheScullster wrote:
"Bill" wrote

Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your
garden much freer of pests than it otherwise would be. Only at the end of
the season do they start to eat fruit and become a nuisance - but since by
then the squirrels have already trashed everything, it's no longer a
problem. We used to have lots of wasp nests, and even an occasional
hornet, in the loft, but are getting concerned that there are many fewer
than there used to be, though at this time of the year we still have to
'rescue' a few queens from indoors and put them outside. Just about the
only insect that does not seem to be in decline is the foreign invader
'harlequin' ladybird of which we seem to be having to eject hundreds every
week! Our fruit trees are all in flower, but there is not a bee in sight!
Or butterfly.

:-(
Well, the bedroom window needs to be opened for ventilation, and the fly
mesh over it is a real nuisance, but the wasps congregate and buzz until
one or more gets through somewhere. We replace the plastic mesh every
year, as things chew through it, and often the screen unsticks. We already
run 2 electronic zappers in the bedroom.

We have, and like, bees but already have had the windows being battered by
the giant moths that plague us every year. The birds eat the fruit to give
the vehicles a multi-coloured christening so I'm not sure what the wasps
live on. I'm no animal lover.
--
Bill

I am with you on this one Bill - don't start me on wasps nests in the loft,
council operatives who drop the dead ones in the water storage tanks that
find their way to the shower filters.....

There is a foam type wasps nest destroyer which is quite effective.
This can be sprayed at the nest openings to catch the critters on the way
in/out if you can't see the nest proper.
The range is about 2 metres, so you don't have to go right up to the
openings, but the foam may discolour stuff so take trial shots elsewhere
first - try on inconspicuous area etc disclaimer etc.
Do the real deed late on when they are not buzzing around.

Reading this now worries me. I found a nest, last year, in the loft
where my aerial cables enter. When do they start nest building?
Wife keeps all her Scout camping gear up in the loft and from what
another poster said last year, they might be tempted to swarm if the
loft hatch gets lifted.

What is the name of the foam spray and how often should it be used?

Dave

"Dave" wrote in message
...
TheScullster wrote:
"Bill" wrote

Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your
garden much freer of pests than it otherwise would be. Only at the end
of the season do they start to eat fruit and become a nuisance - but
since by then the squirrels have already trashed everything, it's no
longer a problem. We used to have lots of wasp nests, and even an
occasional hornet, in the loft, but are getting concerned that there
are many fewer than there used to be, though at this time of the year
we still have to 'rescue' a few queens from indoors and put them
outside. Just about the only insect that does not seem to be in
decline is the foreign invader 'harlequin' ladybird of which we seem to
be having to eject hundreds every week! Our fruit trees are all in
flower, but there is not a bee in sight! Or butterfly.

:-(
Well, the bedroom window needs to be opened for ventilation, and the fly
mesh over it is a real nuisance, but the wasps congregate and buzz until
one or more gets through somewhere. We replace the plastic mesh every
year, as things chew through it, and often the screen unsticks. We
already run 2 electronic zappers in the bedroom.

We have, and like, bees but already have had the windows being battered
by the giant moths that plague us every year. The birds eat the fruit to
give the vehicles a multi-coloured christening so I'm not sure what the
wasps live on. I'm no animal lover.
--
Bill

I am with you on this one Bill - don't start me on wasps nests in the
loft, council operatives who drop the dead ones in the water storage
tanks that find their way to the shower filters.....

There is a foam type wasps nest destroyer which is quite effective.
This can be sprayed at the nest openings to catch the critters on the way
in/out if you can't see the nest proper.
The range is about 2 metres, so you don't have to go right up to the
openings, but the foam may discolour stuff so take trial shots elsewhere
first - try on inconspicuous area etc disclaimer etc.
Do the real deed late on when they are not buzzing around.

Reading this now worries me. I found a nest, last year, in the loft where
my aerial cables enter. When do they start nest building?
Wife keeps all her Scout camping gear up in the loft and from what another
poster said last year, they might be tempted to swarm if the loft hatch
gets lifted.

What is the name of the foam spray and how often should it be used?

Dave

We have many nests in the loft. They only go under the eaves, and the only
time you get any flying in the loft is if you happen to go up there and turn
the light on for some time, in the winter, and a queen thinks it's spring
and flies toward the light. There is nothing inside the loft to attract
them and they would not fly around in there in the dark.

If your wife is really a Scout camper she ought to know all this anyway...

S

"Bill" wrote in message
...
In message , spamlet
writes
I'd like to see a picture of one of your 'giant moths' (bats?) as the only
large ones the UK has are a few hawk moths, and the emperor moth, all of
which are getting scarce and, if you are getting frequent records of them,
then they should be properly recorded by your county Recorder.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/index.html
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/l...entification-g
uides-and-keys/

I think getting a picture will be difficult, but I'll try over the summer
and post here if I remember.

If we sit in the garden as it goes dark, all of a sudden these things
start whirling and darting about at tremendous speed. They are almost as
big as a butterfly but with big bodies and very fast flapping wings.
If we leave a window open, they come in to the house and get very excited
by the light. They seem to be just arriving or waking now as a couple of
nights ago they were diving into the lounge windows.

What I don't understand is why they come out at night but are attracted to
light. Seems odd to me.
--
Bill

Moths fly to light because they evolved to be used to steer by moonlight, so
they think your light is 250,000 miles (if I remember my geography) away,
and when they try to set a straight course by keeping it in a particular
position they end up spiralling in to your light instead. This,
unfortunately, is one of the reasons there are so few moths nowadays: and
hence fewer bats and so on.

There are different colour spectrums of light and moth traps tend to be of
the mercury vapour type. You might find a 'warmer' choice of room lighting
might be less attractive to them. (Some of the modern cfls are very 'cold'
looking - and sometimes shops only have one sort for each size and fitting,
so sometimes you end up with cold lights by mistake.)

The tremendous speed part sounds like a humming-bird hawkmoth, but that
would normally be day flying I think. It would certainly be interesting to
see a picture of one. You may find some resting on the wall under the light
when they get knackered with flying round and round. Then nowadays it's
easy to take a few shots of them with your digital camera until one comes
out nice and clear. Then you can post it to the NHM link and they will tell
you all about it: but do let us know too.

S

"Edgar Iredale" wrote in message
...
Bill wrote:
8----------
If we sit in the garden as it goes dark, all of a sudden these things
start whirling and darting about at tremendous speed. They are almost as
big as a butterfly but with big bodies and very fast flapping wings.
If we leave a window open, they come in to the house and get very
excited by the light. They seem to be just arriving or waking now as a
couple of nights ago they were diving into the lounge windows.
8----------

May bugs?

Edgar

Forgot about those. Yes could be mistaken for moths while flying, but
obviously beetles once landed.

And wot do you know - it's Buglifes 'bug of the month' and they say it is
making a comeback. We had loads of them fly into a holiday cottage in Devon
a few years back, but I've not seen a single one since (Bedfordshire)

All about, and nice pics he
http://www.buglife.org.uk/discoverbugs/bugofthemonth/

S

On Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:29:02 +0100, "spamlet"
wrote:

Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your garden
much freer of pests than it otherwise would be.

Possibly, but wasp numbers are getting completely out of hand in late
summer in some areas.

Our fruit trees are all in
flower, but there is not a bee in sight! Or butterfly.

Well when you have seen a mob of wasps completely destroy a honey bee
colony in less than a week in late summer you might understand why
there is a lack of bees for pollination the following spring.

Seeing a returning forager honey bee land on a hive and then a
fraction of a second later have its arse end ripped off by a waiting
wasp that then flies off with the meaty bits leaving the honey bee
walking around on all its legs but slowly dying oozing its guts out is
pretty shocking.

Then, when the wasps have taken out all the guard bees and the
foragers, you get the wasps eating all the bee larvae out of the hive,
the remaining bees give up or get eaten and the wasps strip the entire
hive down to bare wax, no honey, no bees but millions of f*cking
wasps.

Any queen wasp I see I have no hesitation in squashing. I certainly
don't rescue the little *******s. There are plenty of other predators
to keep aphids and the like under control.

--

In article ,
Dave writes:
Reading this now worries me. I found a nest, last year, in the loft
where my aerial cables enter. When do they start nest building?
Wife keeps all her Scout camping gear up in the loft and from what
another poster said last year, they might be tempted to swarm if the
loft hatch gets lifted.

What is the name of the foam spray and how often should it be used?

They won't reuse a nest again.
They are no more likely to reuse the same entry hole (indeed less so
if it's directly coupled to the old nest) than they are any other
point of entry to the loft space. They do particularly like sheltered
entry holes though, such as in soffits, so making sure you don't have
any of those might reduce the chances of a nest, but don't close off
the loft ventilation or you'll have much more serious problems.

You would need to make your loft insect-proof to keep them out, and
that's probably not feasable, at least in an older house.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

"The Other Mike" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:29:02 +0100, "spamlet"
wrote:

Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your
garden
much freer of pests than it otherwise would be.

Possibly, but wasp numbers are getting completely out of hand in late
summer in some areas.

Our fruit trees are all in
flower, but there is not a bee in sight! Or butterfly.

Well when you have seen a mob of wasps completely destroy a honey bee
colony in less than a week in late summer you might understand why
there is a lack of bees for pollination the following spring.

Seeing a returning forager honey bee land on a hive and then a
fraction of a second later have its arse end ripped off by a waiting
wasp that then flies off with the meaty bits leaving the honey bee
walking around on all its legs but slowly dying oozing its guts out is
pretty shocking.

Then, when the wasps have taken out all the guard bees and the
foragers, you get the wasps eating all the bee larvae out of the hive,
the remaining bees give up or get eaten and the wasps strip the entire
hive down to bare wax, no honey, no bees but millions of f*cking
wasps.

Any queen wasp I see I have no hesitation in squashing. I certainly
don't rescue the little *******s. There are plenty of other predators
to keep aphids and the like under control.

Never heard of wasps doing this befo not in the UK at least - seen some
gory film of hornets doing this in foreign climes though. A recent
documentary, found one of the chief culprits in test hives was actually
mice.

In late summer in our garden, the wasps, like most other sweetness loving
insects, make a 'beeline' straight from the eaves to the flowers on the ivy
in our pear tree. Until recently, that ivy would annually be covered with
red admiral butterflies, which was an amazing sight to look forward to each
year. There were very few last year; and only a few hornets too: sadly.
Perhaps, the wasps in your area lack an alternative source of food, and ivy
is probably the most important late summer/autumn source of nectar - in the
UK at least. Most people seem to want to kill that too... which may be why
your bees are getting attacked. Nature balances, until people who hate
parts of it start to interfere.

http://hymettus.org.uk/index.htm

Hymettus Ltd is the premier source of advice on the conservation of bees,
*wasps* and ants within Great Britain and Ireland.

I suggest you get in touch with them with your story and ask their advice:


S

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Dave writes:
Reading this now worries me. I found a nest, last year, in the loft
where my aerial cables enter. When do they start nest building?
Wife keeps all her Scout camping gear up in the loft and from what
another poster said last year, they might be tempted to swarm if the
loft hatch gets lifted.

What is the name of the foam spray and how often should it be used?

They won't reuse a nest again.
They are no more likely to reuse the same entry hole (indeed less so
if it's directly coupled to the old nest) than they are any other
point of entry to the loft space.

That's very good news, thanks :-)

They do particularly like sheltered
entry holes though, such as in soffits, so making sure you don't have
any of those might reduce the chances of a nest, but don't close off
the loft ventilation or you'll have much more serious problems.

The soffits are where my aerials come into the house. Two holes about a
foot apart. After the holiday, I'll get something to block them with.

You would need to make your loft insect-proof to keep them out, and
that's probably not feasable, at least in an older house.

I've never had any problems with insects, just the problem of finding a
wasps nest.

Thanks for your input

Dave

spamlet wrote:


We have many nests in the loft. They only go under the eaves, and the only
time you get any flying in the loft is if you happen to go up there and turn
the light on for some time, in the winter, and a queen thinks it's spring
and flies toward the light. There is nothing inside the loft to attract
them and they would not fly around in there in the dark.

Many thnks for that reassuring post.

If your wife is really a Scout camper she ought to know all this anyway...

The term Scouter is very loosely used these days for the four different
age ranges involved.

Beaver Scouts
Cub Scouts
Scouts as we think about them and
Venture Scouts.

Only the first two groups are active in our local area.

Dave

"Dave" wrote in message
...
spamlet wrote:


We have many nests in the loft. They only go under the eaves, and the
only time you get any flying in the loft is if you happen to go up there
and turn the light on for some time, in the winter, and a queen thinks
it's spring and flies toward the light. There is nothing inside the loft
to attract them and they would not fly around in there in the dark.

Many thnks for that reassuring post.

If your wife is really a Scout camper she ought to know all this
anyway...

The term Scouter is very loosely used these days for the four different
age ranges involved.

Beaver Scouts
Cub Scouts
Scouts as we think about them and
Venture Scouts.

Only the first two groups are active in our local area.

Dave

Then I think they would all find some Buglife projects for kids fascinating:
http://www.buglife.org.uk/discoverbugs

And similarly the NHM's kids section:
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/

As I recall the Beavers can be very handy at weeding allotment patches
too...

S

spamlet wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message
...
spamlet wrote:


We have many nests in the loft. They only go under the eaves, and the
only time you get any flying in the loft is if you happen to go up there
and turn the light on for some time, in the winter, and a queen thinks
it's spring and flies toward the light. There is nothing inside the loft
to attract them and they would not fly around in there in the dark.
Many thnks for that reassuring post.

If your wife is really a Scout camper she ought to know all this
anyway...
The term Scouter is very loosely used these days for the four different
age ranges involved.

Beaver Scouts
Cub Scouts
Scouts as we think about them and
Venture Scouts.

Only the first two groups are active in our local area.

Dave

Then I think they would all find some Buglife projects for kids fascinating:
http://www.buglife.org.uk/discoverbugs

And similarly the NHM's kids section:
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/

As I recall the Beavers can be very handy at weeding allotment patches
too...

We don't have any allotments within a short enough distance, but I'll
pass on the info to the Beaver and Cub leaders this week.

Thanks for the links.

Wife is ADC for the town's beavers, so she doesn't get involved in the
things the individual colonies do as much these days though.


Dave

"Dave" wrote in message
...
spamlet wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message
...
spamlet wrote:


We have many nests in the loft. They only go under the eaves, and the
only time you get any flying in the loft is if you happen to go up
there and turn the light on for some time, in the winter, and a queen
thinks it's spring and flies toward the light. There is nothing inside
the loft to attract them and they would not fly around in there in the
dark.
Many thnks for that reassuring post.

If your wife is really a Scout camper she ought to know all this
anyway...
The term Scouter is very loosely used these days for the four different
age ranges involved.

Beaver Scouts
Cub Scouts
Scouts as we think about them and
Venture Scouts.

Only the first two groups are active in our local area.

Dave

Then I think they would all find some Buglife projects for kids
fascinating:
http://www.buglife.org.uk/discoverbugs

And similarly the NHM's kids section:
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/

As I recall the Beavers can be very handy at weeding allotment patches
too...

We don't have any allotments within a short enough distance, but I'll pass
on the info to the Beaver and Cub leaders this week.

Thanks for the links.

Wife is ADC for the town's beavers, so she doesn't get involved in the
things the individual colonies do as much these days though.


Dave

You're welcome. I was once in a scout group, and, looking back, I'd say it
was, in practical terms, one of the most useful parts of my education, and
it must have been the starting point for many a lifelong DIYer - and indeed,
wildlife/countryside enthusiast. Mind you, I always nearly froze to death
at night camping!

:-)

S

In message , Bill
writes

Just above a bedroom window 2 years ago, we could watch wasps flying up
and disappearing into tiny crevices, presumably back to their nest in
some little void there.
They seemed to multiply and we had masses of them as the summer
progressed.
I bought some squirty things and some powder in a tin, but was talked
out of climbing a ladder to them and attempting to blow powder upwards
into crevices while being buzzed by an angry swarm.

We rang the council who said they will die and not return next year so
they would do nothing.
True, they didn't reurn last year, but they have returned this year, so
we are back in the small number stage.

Are there wasp killer sprays with a pipe so that I can poke it
accurately though the entrances? The sprays I can find all have
decoratively shaped tops and no way of poking in even a WD40 pipe.


Lots of people will come up with pills and potions

Others will tell you to hug them and leave them a saucer of milk

The only thing I found that will work well in your instance is to spray
the entrance holes with Nippon powder. They take it into the nest and
within two days you have no more than a couple of lost souls looking for
the nest


--
geoff

In message , geoff
writes

Are there wasp killer sprays with a pipe so that I can poke it
accurately though the entrances? The sprays I can find all have
decoratively shaped tops and no way of poking in even a WD40 pipe.


Lots of people will come up with pills and potions

Others will tell you to hug them and leave them a saucer of milk

The only thing I found that will work well in your instance is to spray
the entrance holes with Nippon powder. They take it into the nest and
within two days you have no more than a couple of lost souls looking
for the nest

Agree about the Nippon powder being effective but find the usual
dispenser unsuitable for firing up into the soffit area. One year I made
up some sheet metal trays with a screwed tab to fix them under the
soffit and close to the hole. Worked OK as the Wasps landed in the tray
en-route to the nest. Re-loading with powder was an issue as Wasps hang
about the entrance after dark.

I also tried using a piece of Bundy tube, bent so that the dispenser
could be held normally. Needs improvement and an opportunity for our
inventive correspondents:-)

regards



--
Tim Lamb

On Sat, 1 May 2010 07:37:41 +0000 (UTC), Andrew Gabriel wrote:

You would need to make your loft insect-proof to keep them out, and
that's probably not feasable, at least in an older house.

Aye, I found a wsp nest in the loft of my flat once, late in the
season it was *huge* about 18" high and at least a couple of feet
wide. After that I made of point of inspecting the loft in late
spring for the start of nests. If I found any new ones I let loose
with a liberal dose of ordinary household fly killer, that stopped
the nests developing...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 1 May, 08:25, The Other Mike
wrote:
On Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:29:02 +0100, "spamlet"

wrote:
Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your garden
much freer of pests than it otherwise would be. *

Possibly, but wasp numbers are getting completely out of hand in late
summer in some areas.

Our fruit trees are all in
flower, but there is not a bee in sight! *Or butterfly.

Well when you have seen a mob of wasps completely destroy a honey bee
colony in less than a week in late summer you might understand why
there is a lack of bees for pollination the following spring.

Seeing a returning forager honey bee land on a hive and then a
fraction of a second later have its arse end ripped off by a waiting
wasp that then flies off with the meaty bits leaving the honey bee
walking around on all its legs but slowly dying oozing its guts out is
pretty shocking.

Then, when the wasps have taken out all the guard bees and the
foragers, you get the wasps eating all the bee larvae out of the hive,
the remaining bees give up or get eaten and the wasps strip the entire
hive down to bare wax, no honey, no bees but millions of f*cking
wasps.

Any queen wasp I see I have no hesitation in squashing. *I certainly
don't rescue the little *******s. *There are plenty of other predators
to keep aphids and the like under control.

--

I've never seen that level of destruction but I've just seen a queen
wasp kill out a pretty weak hive this past week - by coincidence I
caught here as she left the hive and disposed of her. So I'm sorry,
Spamlet, wasps and bees do not get on and the bees typically come off
worse, so I join the Other Mike in pursuing them with vigour, and
making sure that on my property anyway all wasp nests get destroyed.

By the way, in my experience the bigger hazard of spraying the nest
entrance is making sure that I don't get a face full of the powder.
Wasps don't seem to have the same coordinate nest defence capability
as bees - disturb a large nest you will get attacked, but just
spraying dust around the entrance hole isn't disturbing the nest.

Rob

"robgraham" wrote in message
...
On 1 May, 08:25, The Other Mike
wrote:
On Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:29:02 +0100, "spamlet"

wrote:
Ignore them and let them get on with the valuable job of keeping your
garden
much freer of pests than it otherwise would be.

Possibly, but wasp numbers are getting completely out of hand in late
summer in some areas.

Our fruit trees are all in
flower, but there is not a bee in sight! Or butterfly.

Well when you have seen a mob of wasps completely destroy a honey bee
colony in less than a week in late summer you might understand why
there is a lack of bees for pollination the following spring.

Seeing a returning forager honey bee land on a hive and then a
fraction of a second later have its arse end ripped off by a waiting
wasp that then flies off with the meaty bits leaving the honey bee
walking around on all its legs but slowly dying oozing its guts out is
pretty shocking.

Then, when the wasps have taken out all the guard bees and the
foragers, you get the wasps eating all the bee larvae out of the hive,
the remaining bees give up or get eaten and the wasps strip the entire
hive down to bare wax, no honey, no bees but millions of f*cking
wasps.

Any queen wasp I see I have no hesitation in squashing. I certainly
don't rescue the little *******s. There are plenty of other predators
to keep aphids and the like under control.

--

I've never seen that level of destruction but I've just seen a queen
wasp kill out a pretty weak hive this past week - by coincidence I
caught here as she left the hive and disposed of her. So I'm sorry,
Spamlet, wasps and bees do not get on and the bees typically come off
worse, so I join the Other Mike in pursuing them with vigour, and
making sure that on my property anyway all wasp nests get destroyed.

By the way, in my experience the bigger hazard of spraying the nest
entrance is making sure that I don't get a face full of the powder.
Wasps don't seem to have the same coordinate nest defence capability
as bees - disturb a large nest you will get attacked, but just
spraying dust around the entrance hole isn't disturbing the nest.

Rob

Like I said take it up with the experts:
http://hymettus.org.uk/index.htm

Hymettus Ltd is the premier source of advice on the conservation of bees,
*wasps* and ants within Great Britain and Ireland.

I suggest you get in touch with them )
with your story, and ask their advice. If there are more stories like
yours, they may well want to investigate, the extent of the problem (mind
you, if it was, as you say, 'a weak' hive then it may just be natural
selection doing its job after something else has affected the bees - like
nasty pesticides and strimmers and mowers removing all their natural food
supplies):.

S

Tim Watts wrote:
While we're on the subject:

When I was clearing hardcore out of the garden yesterday, I pulled a lump of
concrete out of the ground and there was a little tiny papery nest -
smaller than a tennis ball and several waspy things (about 2cm long)
wibbling around it. Needless to say, they got a spade of earth dumped on
them sharpish.

Where they wasps or something else? Didn't realise wasps lived
underground?...

What we used to call German wasps (big with yellow and black stripes) certainly
make their nests underground. I recall big excitement as a kid when a nest was
dug up, after being well doused with something nasty. If I recall correctly it
was 30-40 cm across.

Introduced wasps are now considered a major pest in the NZ bush, because they
get all the caterpillars that some birds prey on.