From time to time we all have to unfortunately deal with wasps. My personal favorite (Raid Wasp and Hornet Killer HINT: the blue can) is basically nerve gas in liquid form, in a pressurized can. My tactic is 'hit and run' not only to avoid PO'd wasps but to avoid the spray vapor as well. I have noticed that this spray is pretty hard on plants that it lands on. For some reason I just don't think the vapor would be very healthy for me either.
There is a homesteader type of guy who has a Youtube channel called Wranglerstar. He has a lot of common sense ideas in his nicely done videos that may help some of you with some projects around your own homes. A far safer wasp spray is one of them. I have yet to try it but I will give it a go in the near future. Here's da link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfvjTEfqRk8
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.
Every year I have to deal with two things right outside my front door...wasps and robins. They both like to build nests on the overhang.
Every year I have done the same thing...keep knocking down the robin nest as she builds, and eventually she finds another spot and do the spray and run on the wasps nest in the evening and clean up the corpses in the morning.
This year though, I noticed something...when the robin was building her nest, the wasps moved out!
Guess they figured the robin was a bad element in the neighborhood or something!
So I just left the robin alone, and what do you know...not a wasp in sight!
I also get greeted every morning with a robin just above and to my right when i walk out the door...could be worse I guess.
Here you can see the robin nest and all the old wasp nests...the wasp nest that was begun this year isn't in the pic, but you can see how this has been an ongoing issue!
I hate the bast**ds!! For some reason they love trying to find a way into the cracks of the logs on our house. We set out wasp traps and seem to get some and as well those fake nests but not sure how well they work. The eaves of the outbuildings all seem to accumulate nests as well as inside. I've learned to be cautious going in to them.
ps I like the spelling guide in your signature!
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling
on the positive side, I look for a wasp nest near or in my food forest.. once the wasps move in, the current worms that attack the currents and the gooseberries, populations are knocked down to darn near nil as the wasps take care of them.
I agree that having wasps go into the house or build right above a doorway is bad, but I typically have a number of wasp nests out in the yard and I leave them alone.
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
My DIY wasp trap is super simple. A small clear plastic bottle with a single small hole in the side near the top. Put a couple of ounces of non diet cola into the bottle and put the cap back on. Set the trap in a location that wasps frequent. Wasps smell the cola and can't resist. They crawl through the small hole sample the cola and often can't find their way back out. The wasps become exhausted, then fall into the cola and drown. I have seen wasps showing interest in a trap like this more than 2 months after is was set outside, without changing the cola.
While I am sure that more than one bee has been lost to this trap for the most part they show little interest because they are looking for flowers on a green background (hence the clear bottle). Keeping the hole too small for bumble bees to get through makes sure they won't get trapped either. Usually by the end of wasp season (I leave this out until I don't see wasps any more) there is about an inch of somewhat dissolved 'wasp sludge' in the bottom of the bottle.
WARNING!!! Do not drink the wasp sludge!
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.
I use a large heavy duty garbage bag with a can of raid in the bottom and some thick gloves, then set a ladder up under the nest before dark. After dark I take the bag and have a pair zip ties ready, quietly climb the ladder and wrap the bag around the nest, then drop it into the bag, close up quickly and get one of the zip ties around the top. Once down the ladder I take six inches of top above the tie and fold it down then use the second tie over that so it is double ziptied.
By this time things tend to be getting busy inside the bag so I set the bag flat on the ground and grab the raid can so I can press the button. I fill the bag until it is not quite as tense as a ballon and leave it until morning. It only takes a two or three second burst from the can to get this achieved. Inthe morning I hit the raid can again for one second and give the bag a shake. I have had the odd hold out find enough air inside the nest overnight, but not often.
A little later open up, retreive the raid can, then retie and drop the bag ino the garbage.
Hmmm, maybe I should rethink the quiet part...
That wasp spray works also on attackers,for defending yourself because once you get sprayed in the eyes you need medical attention
That wasp spray works also on attackers,for defending yourself because once you get sprayed in the eyes you need medical attention
Not to mention if you get the front of their shirt they will get messed up from the fumes and are also pretty flammable. 😆
Than= I’d rather be rich than poor.
Then= I first became hungry then I ate.
There = She is there now.
Their = They have their things.
They're = They're going to the mall.
To = They came to the house.
Too = That's too bad.