Andrew McKay wrote:

(wasps) If their residence appears to be under
attack then a whole damn army of them will be making their presence
known.

Go out at night and run 1/2 pt. of petrol down their hole, then block it
up with something if you can, probably won't be necessary, though.
Alternatively, play the flame of a blowlamp on the hole entrance, they
won't be able fly at you without wings.

Use spray-on wasp killer if they're in a hole in your house.

DIY a beekeepers veil with net curtain & some wire. Dress up, no skin
exposed, and they can't get you. If the nest is in a bush, dress up
like that, go out at night, slide a carrier bag around the nest, close
the top, slide off the twig, run some petrol into the bag, it'll kill
them fast.

Andrew McKay wrote:
"Mary Fisher" wrote:
Now tell me about badgers and wasps.

Why should I? You just argue incessantly.....

At least IMM is usually on-topic.

In message , Mary
Fisher writes

"Sue" wrote in message
...
In message , Mike
writes

But if you've had badgers then you'll think a fox a great improvement -
their 'slurry' smells the whole garden out.


Badgers dig up wasps' nests and eat them.


What's useful about that?
It helps to keep the badgers fed and well.

We have badgers, foxes and rabbits at home, plus a very odd horse and an
assortment of rats and mice. The only ones that we try and deter are the
rats and mice, we are quite happy to share our bit of space with all the
others.
The badgers used to love it when the foxes killed the hens as we would
bury the hens and then the badgers would dig them up a few weeks later
for the maggots!
--
Bill

In message , Mary
Fisher writes
The noise of a vixen on heat is bloodcurdling.
Too right!


--
Bill

In article ,
Chris Bacon wrote:
Now tell me about badgers and wasps.

Why should I? You just argue incessantly.....

At least IMM is usually on-topic.

Provided that topic is 'snip rubbish'...

--
*Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're old hat.) *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Chris Bacon wrote:
Now tell me about badgers and wasps.

Why should I? You just argue incessantly.....

At least IMM is usually on-topic.

Provided that topic is 'snip rubbish'...

Don't get me wrong, I don't like his "rubbish" posts either, nor the
constant sniping at him, not all this bloody OT tittle-tattle. Some
is to be expected, but too much spoils things. I wonder whether
"Agnus" and "Mlacom" and the others are still making u.c.e unusable.
That is the end result...

"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...


DIY a beekeepers veil with net curtain & some wire.

Not as easy to do efficiently as you'd think. You really need black net -
available from bridal departments of large stores.

Dress up, no skin exposed, and they can't get you.

Oh yes they can!

If the nest is in a bush, dress up
like that, go out at night, slide a carrier bag around the nest, close
the top, slide off the twig, run some petrol into the bag, it'll kill them
fast.

Waste of petrol, smelly and not without hazard to the operator. Instead, put
the bag and contents in the freezer for a few hours. Effective and humane -
and very cheap.

Mary

"Bill" wrote in message
...

But if you've had badgers then you'll think a fox a great improvement -
their 'slurry' smells the whole garden out.


Badgers dig up wasps' nests and eat them.


What's useful about that?
It helps to keep the badgers fed and well.

We have badgers, foxes and rabbits at home, plus a very odd horse and an
assortment of rats and mice. The only ones that we try and deter are the
rats and mice, we are quite happy to share our bit of space with all the
others.

I'd like horses, definitely don't want badgers and fox, you can't get rid of
rodents and I don't mind them.

Mary

In article , Mary
Fisher wrote:
Many talents. A role in ... conflict resolution.

Hmm.

"If you two don't renounce violence immediately I'll thump you"

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Free SEDBUK boiler database browser http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm

"Tony Bryer" wrote in message
...
In article , Mary
Fisher wrote:
Many talents. A role in ... conflict resolution.

Hmm.

"If you two don't renounce violence immediately I'll thump you"

Hey! I didn't write that first line! It sounds like sociological jargon.

I'm totally non-combatant.

Mary

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Free SEDBUK boiler database browser http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm

Chris Bacon wrote:
Andrew McKay wrote:

(wasps) If their residence appears to be under
attack then a whole damn army of them will be making their presence
known.

Go out at night and run 1/2 pt. of petrol down their hole, then block it
up with something if you can, probably won't be necessary, though.
Alternatively, play the flame of a blowlamp on the hole entrance, they
won't be able fly at you without wings.

Just opened this post, and got as far as this before realising you
weren't talking about foxes...!

David

FWIW, the foxes at my parents can climb fences like a ladder - both
sheep fence at over 6' and 6' high 2" square weld mesh. As another
poster said - a determined fox is hard to stop.

What about an electric fence? or peeing into their holes? (oo-err - no
smutty comments please)

Alan.

"Alan" wrote in message
oups.com...
FWIW, the foxes at my parents can climb fences like a ladder - both
sheep fence at over 6' and 6' high 2" square weld mesh. As another
poster said - a determined fox is hard to stop.

What about an electric fence?

Yes, I thought about that in the night.

They haven't managed our 2m chain link fence. Perhaps having a very slight
'give' in the fencing is a deterrent.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...
We have badgers, foxes and rabbits at home, plus a very odd horse and an
assortment of rats and mice. The only ones that we try and deter are the
rats and mice, we are quite happy to share our bit of space with all the
others.

I'd like horses, definitely don't want badgers and fox,

Badgers are fine provided you regularly put out a little food where you
don't want them to poo. Only problem with them is they eat hedgehogs.

Foxes are more variable - some are well behaved and some are as bad as
humans.

"Alan" wrote in message
oups.com...
FWIW, the foxes at my parents can climb fences like a ladder - both
sheep fence at over 6' and 6' high 2" square weld mesh. As another
poster said - a determined fox is hard to stop.

What about an electric fence?

They just ask the badger to dig under it for them.

"Mike" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...
We have badgers, foxes and rabbits at home, plus a very odd horse and
an
assortment of rats and mice. The only ones that we try and deter are
the
rats and mice, we are quite happy to share our bit of space with all
the
others.

I'd like horses, definitely don't want badgers and fox,

Badgers are fine provided you regularly put out a little food where you
don't want them to poo. Only problem with them is they eat hedgehogs.

And they're carriers of nasties. People get het up because of rats and Weils
but badgers are vectors of worse things.

Foxes are more variable - some are well behaved and some are as bad as
humans.

I don't want humans in my back garden either, unless I invite them in.

Do you want uninvited humans in your back garden?

Mary

"Mike" wrote in message
...

"Alan" wrote in message
oups.com...
FWIW, the foxes at my parents can climb fences like a ladder - both
sheep fence at over 6' and 6' high 2" square weld mesh. As another
poster said - a determined fox is hard to stop.

What about an electric fence?

They just ask the badger to dig under it for them.

Fox can dig a couple of feet under fences.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

Badgers are fine provided you regularly put out a little food where you
don't want them to poo. Only problem with them is they eat hedgehogs.

And they're carriers of nasties. People get het up because of rats and
Weils
but badgers are vectors of worse things.

Foxes are more variable - some are well behaved and some are as bad as
humans.

I don't want humans in my back garden either, unless I invite them in.

Do you want uninvited humans in your back garden?

Unfortunately the ramblers have a right of way.

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:58:56 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

I'm totally non-combatant.

Except where the world needs to be put to rights about what swarms and
what doesn't

Andrew

Please note that the email address used for posting
usenet messages is configured such that my antispam
filter will automatically update itself so that the
senders email address is flagged as spam. If you do
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submit an enquiry - http://www.kazmax.co.uk

"Andrew McKay" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:58:56 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

I'm totally non-combatant.

Except where the world needs to be put to rights about what swarms and
what doesn't

Surely this ng is about those who don't know wanting to learn, which
involves those who do know doing the teaching?

And that doesn't involve combat, well, perhaps intellectual but certainly
not physical, that's never been my style.

Mary

Andrew

Please note that the email address used for posting
usenet messages is configured such that my antispam
filter will automatically update itself so that the
senders email address is flagged as spam. If you do
need to contact me please visit my web site and
submit an enquiry - http://www.kazmax.co.uk

In message , Mary
Fisher writes

"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...


DIY a beekeepers veil with net curtain & some wire.

Not as easy to do efficiently as you'd think. You really need black net -
available from bridal departments of large stores.

Dress up, no skin exposed, and they can't get you.

Oh yes they can!

If the nest is in a bush, dress up
like that, go out at night, slide a carrier bag around the nest, close
the top, slide off the twig, run some petrol into the bag, it'll kill them
fast.

Waste of petrol, smelly and not without hazard to the operator. Instead, put
the bag and contents in the freezer for a few hours. Effective and humane -
and very cheap.


I've never seen a wasps' nest in a bush, but that'd work if you did.
In more normal locations like holes in the ground, I do this (no special
clothes required):

Stand and watch the entrance from about three feet away until there's a
gap in the traffic, then step up to it and shake half a teaspoonful of
powder insecticide onto their landing pad. Then walk away again. The
wasps won't react.
Do it on a warm dry day or the damp'll cake your powder and it won't
work.

If you want to get rid of a hanging nest in an outhouse, make sure your
escape route's clear before giving it a good puff of powder, then leave
the building as fast as possible, jumping off the ladder if you used
one.
Stop outside the doorway and watch the fun - they'll go spare, but they
won't go looking for you.

Wasps are terribly destructive of fruit crops, so badgers are welcome to
all they can find.

--
Sue ]

"Sue" wrote in message
...


I've never seen a wasps' nest in a bush, but that'd work if you did.

It's not uncommon. There are different kinds of social wasps, one type
always builds nests in a bush or tree.

In more normal locations like holes in the ground, I do this (no special
clothes required):

It's only more normal for another type of wasp.

Stand and watch the entrance from about three feet away until there's a
gap in the traffic, then step up to it and shake half a teaspoonful of
powder insecticide onto their landing pad. Then walk away again. The
wasps won't react.

You can't guarantee that. They respond to vibrations.


If you want to get rid of a hanging nest in an outhouse, make sure your
escape route's clear before giving it a good puff of powder, then leave
the building as fast as possible, jumping off the ladder if you used one.

That's a silly and potentially dangerous solution. But don't let me stop you
....

Stop outside the doorway and watch the fun - they'll go spare, but they
won't go looking for you.

No, and they won't be 'going spare'. They'll be dying, horribly. It's not
fun.

Or perhpas you enjoy watching creatures dying at your hands?

Wasps are terribly destructive of fruit crops,

WHAT??? What fruit crops? And in what way?

I really don't think you know much about wasps. And I'm sad that you're so
hostile to a beautiful, intelligent and extremely useful creature. That is,
useful to Man, unlike badgers which can spread disease.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

I really don't think you know much about wasps. And I'm sad that you're so
hostile to a beautiful, intelligent and extremely useful creature. That
is,
useful to Man, unlike badgers which can spread disease.

Don't know about the wasps but please don't denigrate the badger which does
a lot of good for the countryside. The only disease it spreads is bovine TB
which only affects cattle. They pass it on by walking in the cow's feeding
trays which means you must keep badgers out of the cowshed come what may.
But as badgers are very territorial, if your area hasn't got TB and nobody
kills the local badgers so that others will move in, there isn't usually a
problem. Unfortunately too many idiots don't understand this and kill
badgers indescriminantly and even more unfortunately HM Gov are included in
this list of idiots. The only way this would work (apart from complete
extermination of the species) would be for a selective cull of infected
badgers but how you do that I don't know.

In message , Mike
writes
Don't know about the wasps but please don't denigrate the badger which does
a lot of good for the countryside. The only disease it spreads is bovine TB
which only affects cattle. They pass it on by walking in the cow's feeding
trays which means you must keep badgers out of the cowshed come what may.
But as badgers are very territorial, if your area hasn't got TB and nobody
kills the local badgers so that others will move in, there isn't usually a
problem. Unfortunately too many idiots don't understand this and kill
badgers indescriminantly
Which is exactly the reason that we have told no one about the ones that
we have, not even the local badger groups are aware of them. Hopefully
that way they should have a relatively peaceful life.

and even more unfortunately HM Gov are included in
this list of idiots. The only way this would work (apart from complete
extermination of the species) would be for a selective cull of infected
badgers but how you do that I don't know.



--
Bill

"Mike" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

I really don't think you know much about wasps. And I'm sad that you're
so
hostile to a beautiful, intelligent and extremely useful creature. That
is,
useful to Man, unlike badgers which can spread disease.

Don't know about the wasps but please don't denigrate the badger which
does
a lot of good for the countryside. The only disease it spreads is bovine
TB
which only affects cattle.

And thence humans.

But ONLY cattle? Thousands of cattle are killed every year in UK, not
because they HAVE TB but because they MIGHT have it. Badgers are protected
even when they're known to have it.

They pass it on by walking in the cow's feeding
trays which means you must keep badgers out of the cowshed come what may.

What about cattle which live outside?

But as badgers are very territorial, if your area hasn't got TB and nobody
kills the local badgers so that others will move in, there isn't usually a
problem. Unfortunately too many idiots don't understand this and kill
badgers indescriminantly and even more unfortunately HM Gov are included
in
this list of idiots.

HMG isn't culling badgers.

The only way this would work (apart from complete
extermination of the species) would be for a selective cull of infected
badgers but how you do that I don't know.

No. But exactly the same arguments can be made about wasps. OK, a wasp
stings you. If you think it will do any good kill that wasp - you don't need
to destroy the whole colony.

Mary

Sue wrote:
Stand and watch the entrance from about three feet away until there's a
gap in the traffic, then step up to it and shake half a teaspoonful of
powder insecticide onto their landing pad. Then walk away again. The
wasps won't react.
Do it on a warm dry day or the damp'll cake your powder and it won't work.

A spoon on a stick, a tin of cymag, and a drop of water....

In article ,
Mary Fisher wrote:
But ONLY cattle? Thousands of cattle are killed every year in UK, not
because they HAVE TB but because they MIGHT have it.

Many more are killed to eat. Doubt they notice the difference. :-)

--
*Who are these kids and why are they calling me Mom?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 11:29:06 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

No. But exactly the same arguments can be made about wasps. OK, a wasp
stings you. If you think it will do any good kill that wasp - you don't need
to destroy the whole colony.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall reading about someone
having died as a result of a badger biting their ankle.

But I have heard about people dying because of a wasp sting (or was
that a bee sting? Perhaps it's related to whether they swarm....).

So doing away with a colony might not be such a bad thing IF the wasps
are in an area where there is a good chance of them stinging people.

Andrew

Please note that the email address used for posting
usenet messages is configured such that my antispam
filter will automatically update itself so that the
senders email address is flagged as spam. If you do
need to contact me please visit my web site and
submit an enquiry - http://www.kazmax.co.uk

"Andrew McKay" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 11:29:06 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

No. But exactly the same arguments can be made about wasps. OK, a wasp
stings you. If you think it will do any good kill that wasp - you don't
need
to destroy the whole colony.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall reading about someone
having died as a result of a badger biting their ankle.

All that means is that you haven't read about it. That doesn't mean that it
hasn't happened.

But I have heard about people dying because of a wasp sting (or was
that a bee sting? Perhaps it's related to whether they swarm....).

Swarming bees are extremely unlikely to sting, they have nothing to defend
and it's very difficult for them to get into the stinging position.
Beekeepers enjoy demonstrating this by running bare hands through a swarm.
It's a lovely feeling, warm, soft and responsive.You must have seen pictures
of people with 'bee beards'?

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/imag...a-beebeard.jpg

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/images/pete.jpg

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/images/KATEbb1.jpg

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/images/Sarah_bb1.jpg

These are two young men and two young women by the way, with no protective
clothing.

There are about 8 deaths a year in UK from the combined stings of bees,
wasps, snakes and whatever else they might be stung by. Most deaths are
caused by extreme reactions to stings.Very, very few people are so
sensitive. I'm one of them as it happens, I'm not dead yet and I've probable
come into contact with more wasps and bees than the rest of this group
together. But I'm intelligent, I take precautions, not risks, and know how
to treat myself if I'm stung at a vulnerable time. Even those of us with
extreme vulnerability don't die with every sting :-)

I don't have pictures but I've walked around with a wasp trying to eat the
hard skin round my thumb. I have pictures of a wasp eating my lunch at
Berkeley Castle last year.

So doing away with a colony might not be such a bad thing IF the wasps
are in an area where there is a good chance of them stinging people.

That's the first time that's been suggested. I've been known to destroy
colonies of wasps (albeit with a heavy heart) when they've been sited in
places where there's a lot of human traffic. But even in those conditions
they usually aren't a problem and if you killed all the colonies you could
find there still would be millions of biting and stinging insects flying
around in summer. The effect of your efforts would be almost nil.

Nobody's mentioned mosquitoes - I react very badly to those. and don't talk
about horseflies and even greenfly ...

The most dangerous thing I do when seeing to swarms or wasp nests is getting
in the car ...

Mary
Mary

Andrew

Please note that the email address used for posting
usenet messages is configured such that my antispam
filter will automatically update itself so that the
senders email address is flagged as spam. If you do
need to contact me please visit my web site and
submit an enquiry - http://www.kazmax.co.uk

Mary Fisher wrote:


HMG isn't culling badgers.

Maybe not at the moment, but they were in 2000:

http://www.naturalworldtours.co.uk/a...r/oct0700f.htm

and are considering it again:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4295169.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4308121.stm

Chris

--
Cut along the dotted line to reply

"Chris" wrote in
message ...
Mary Fisher wrote:


HMG isn't culling badgers.

Maybe not at the moment, but they were in 2000:

http://www.naturalworldtours.co.uk/a...r/oct0700f.htm

and are considering it again:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4295169.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4308121.stm

I know but I said HMG ISN'T ...

That doesn't mean in the past or perhaps in the future.

Mary

Chris

--
Cut along the dotted line to reply

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

I really don't think you know much about wasps. And I'm sad that you're
so
hostile to a beautiful, intelligent and extremely useful creature. That
is,
useful to Man, unlike badgers which can spread disease.

Don't know about the wasps but please don't denigrate the badger which
does
a lot of good for the countryside. The only disease it spreads is
bovine
TB
which only affects cattle.

And thence humans.

Don't be silly. Bovine TB and human TB are totally different diseases.


But ONLY cattle? Thousands of cattle are killed every year in UK, not
because they HAVE TB but because they MIGHT have it. Badgers are protected
even when they're known to have it.

They pass it on by walking in the cow's feeding
trays which means you must keep badgers out of the cowshed come what
may.

What about cattle which live outside?

If all cattle lived outside all year we wouldn't have the TB problem.
Unfortunately we would have a lot of hungry cold cattle and high calf
mortality.


But as badgers are very territorial, if your area hasn't got TB and
nobody
kills the local badgers so that others will move in, there isn't usually
a
problem. Unfortunately too many idiots don't understand this and kill
badgers indescriminantly and even more unfortunately HM Gov are included
in this list of idiots.

HMG isn't culling badgers.

Oh yes it is. There are currently four cull zones though one has been
suspended.


The only way this would work (apart from complete
extermination of the species) would be for a selective cull of infected
badgers but how you do that I don't know.

No. But exactly the same arguments can be made about wasps. OK, a wasp
stings you. If you think it will do any good kill that wasp - you don't
need
to destroy the whole colony.

I haven't said anything about wasps good or bad. As I said just lay off the
badger.

"Bill" wrote in message
...
In message , Mike
writes
Don't know about the wasps but please don't denigrate the badger which
does
a lot of good for the countryside. The only disease it spreads is bovine
TB
which only affects cattle. They pass it on by walking in the cow's
feeding
trays which means you must keep badgers out of the cowshed come what may.
But as badgers are very territorial, if your area hasn't got TB and
nobody
kills the local badgers so that others will move in, there isn't usually
a
problem. Unfortunately too many idiots don't understand this and kill
badgers indescriminantly

Which is exactly the reason that we have told no one about the ones that
we have, not even the local badger groups are aware of them. Hopefully
that way they should have a relatively peaceful life.

Good for you. Problem is once the young males grow they get driven away by
the dominant male and that often gives the game away.

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

No. But exactly the same arguments can be made about wasps. OK, a wasp
stings you. If you think it will do any good kill that wasp - you don't
need
to destroy the whole colony.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall reading about someone
having died as a result of a badger biting their ankle.

All that means is that you haven't read about it. That doesn't mean that
it
hasn't happened.

Oh I think if a badger bit you half of the surrounding countryside would
hear it . They really tear into each other in their domestic disputes :-)

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

"Chris" wrote in
message ...
Mary Fisher wrote:


HMG isn't culling badgers.

Maybe not at the moment, but they were in 2000:

http://www.naturalworldtours.co.uk/a...r/oct0700f.htm

and are considering it again:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4295169.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4308121.stm

I know but I said HMG ISN'T ...

That doesn't mean in the past or perhaps in the future.

Mary


Or now. Several hundred this year already.

Mary Fisher wrote:
HMG isn't culling badgers.
Maybe not at the moment, but they were in 2000:
http://www.naturalworldtours.co.uk/a...r/oct0700f.htm
and are considering it again:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4295169.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4308121.stm
I know but I said HMG ISN'T ...
That doesn't mean in the past or perhaps in the future.

Badgers don't have votes or pay taxes, so they're not entitled to
government protection.

Owain

Mike wrote:
"Mary Fisher" wrote in message

And thence humans.


Don't be silly. Bovine TB and human TB are totally different diseases.

Bovine TB is zoonotic. Humans can still catch it.


--
Howard Neil

"Mike" wrote in message
...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
et...

I really don't think you know much about wasps. And I'm sad that
you're
so
hostile to a beautiful, intelligent and extremely useful creature.
That
is,
useful to Man, unlike badgers which can spread disease.

Don't know about the wasps but please don't denigrate the badger which
does
a lot of good for the countryside. The only disease it spreads is
bovine
TB
which only affects cattle.

And thence humans.

Don't be silly. Bovine TB and human TB are totally different diseases.

So why is there the fuss about bovine TB? Why are cattle killed when they're
reactors even if they don't HAVE TB?


But ONLY cattle? Thousands of cattle are killed every year in UK, not
because they HAVE TB but because they MIGHT have it. Badgers are
protected
even when they're known to have it.

They pass it on by walking in the cow's feeding
trays which means you must keep badgers out of the cowshed come what
may.

What about cattle which live outside?

If all cattle lived outside all year we wouldn't have the TB problem.
Unfortunately we would have a lot of hungry cold cattle and high calf
mortality.

You haven't addressed my previous point nor this oneproperly. You're cherry
picking, thus devaluing your argument.

There are several breeds of cows which can and do live outside perfectly
well, we have a daughterwith such a herd. But she still had a reactor...


But as badgers are very territorial, if your area hasn't got TB and
nobody
kills the local badgers so that others will move in, there isn't
usually
a
problem. Unfortunately too many idiots don't understand this and kill
badgers indescriminantly and even more unfortunately HM Gov are
included
in this list of idiots.

HMG isn't culling badgers.

Oh yes it is. There are currently four cull zones though one has been
suspended.

Where?



I haven't said anything about wasps good or bad. As I said just lay off
the
badger.

I don't want to have anything to do with badgers. If they appeared in my
garden they'd have accidents. They are dirty by human standards - like all
'vermin' - and can be vicious.

I used to eat badger meat but no longer. Even it's skin isn't much good for
anything.

Mary

In message , Mike
writes

Good for you. Problem is once the young males grow they get driven away by
the dominant male and that often gives the game away.
So far we, they, have been lucky for the last 30+ years any way. The
land is in a very quiet rural part of the country.



--
Bill

"Sue" wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes

"Sue" wrote in message
...


I've never seen a wasps' nest in a bush, but that'd work if you did.

It's not uncommon. There are different kinds of social wasps, one type
always builds nests in a bush or tree.

I'm British - we only have two species, almost indistinguishable.

We have three COMMON species of social wasps in England (I live in
Yorkshire). I'm not counting hornets, we rarely have them as far north as
this, sadly.

And hornets if you're lucky enough to live in an area that has them.


Stand and watch the entrance from about three feet away until there's a
gap in the traffic, then step up to it and shake half a teaspoonful of
powder insecticide onto their landing pad. Then walk away again. The
wasps won't react.

You can't guarantee that. They respond to vibrations.

I've done it scores of times, though I'm not heavy-footed.

But you said that they *won't* react. You can't guarantee that.


If you want to get rid of a hanging nest in an outhouse, make sure your
escape route's clear before giving it a good puff of powder, then leave
the building as fast as possible, jumping off the ladder if you used
one.

That's a silly and potentially dangerous solution. But don't let me stop
you

I've done it several times with wasps' nests. As for jumping off ladders,
isn't it the normal way down?

I haven't made a study of it and I doubt that you have.

Stop outside the doorway and watch the fun - they'll go spare, but they
won't go looking for you.

No, and they won't be 'going spare'. They'll be dying, horribly. It's not
fun.

They die quite slowly, and not immediately.

What you call, unscientifically,going spare is writhing from the effects of
the poison on their nervous system.

Or perhaps you enjoy watching creatures dying at your hands?

Wasps are terribly destructive of fruit crops,

WHAT??? What fruit crops? And in what way?

They eat a small part of *every* fruit,

No they don't.

and then it rots.

Not necessarily.

Like rodents, they spoil far more than they eat.

They don't EAT fruit.

I really don't think you know much about wasps. And I'm sad that you're so
hostile to a beautiful, intelligent and extremely useful creature. That
is,
useful to Man, unlike badgers which can spread disease.

I'm familiar with wasps, as they don't mind having me around.

So why kill the colony? We usually have several wasp nests in our house and
in our garden every year. We never kill them, we watch them. and I've
studied them, academically.

Wasps are pretty (except those continental ones that we had for a couple
of years in the eighties, which lacked style.

Oh what a silly thing to say!

They did nest in trees, which is why they died out in our climate.)
They have minimal intelligence (slightly more than earthworms, but social
insects have very little autonomy).

I really don't know why I'm bothering to read this, in fact when I get to
the end that will be the finish.

The amount of carrion they clean up is insignificant,

It's not but I don't know why you brought that in. They do take far more
live meat from what most people consider to be pests.

in fact it's a curiosity to see several of them among the flies on a dead
pigeon. I don't know what else they'd be useful for.

That just proves that you don't know much about wasps.What's worse, you're
not willing to learn.

--
Sue ]|(