OT: wasp nest - take it down or let it go?

[dave thompson]

Originally Posted by soulspinner

Love my Bumblebees in my back yard. They are working on the rose bushes before dawn and in 29 years they have been on me in my clothes and never stung me. Just working....

Bees, Bumble and Honey, are patiently intent on doing their jobs and aren’t aggressive unless directly attacked. Wasps, hornets and yellowjackets are a different breed of cat, wildly unpredictable and viciously aggressive.

I would NOT, under any circumstances, try to knock down one of their nests. They relentlessly pursue their antagonist and sting them multiple times each as they have no barbs in their stingers like bees do. Dealing with them is like being in a knife fight with hundreds of demons.

[Vientomas]

WD-40 kills those mo fo's too. I've used it to good effect.

[bcroslin]

Alright, I’m totally invested in this thread. OP, please post video when you deal with the problem.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by rwsaunders

Make sure that she’s prescribed an EpiPen now that she’s had a reaction and advise her to carry Benadryl as well. I’d been stung plenty of times prior to that incident without issues as I was a caddie when I was a kid, but after the paper wasp sting, I’ve had a few bee encounters that required the pen. In all cases, wasps and yellow jackets have been the culprits.

She was. The ER doctor was on top of things.

[tony_mm]

How he did it....


https://youtu.be/6nBaQhH6scw

[harlond]

This basketball-sized wasps' nest hangs ominously above my car in the driveway. Haven't had any problems so far though. I'm currently planning to leave them alone and hope a winter freeze takes care of the issue. Subject to change if they get more aggressive. Actually they haven't been aggressive at all. So subject to change if they get aggressive.

[Toddtwenty2]

If they aren’t being particularly territorial or aggressive, I would let them be. Wasps, in particular, are very helpful in moderating some insect populations and keeping your yard’s ecosystem balanced.
Spiders are even better at this moderation as strong generalist predators. They basically eat anything, so populations that grow too large are consumed more.
My 2 cents- I am pro-life within reason... and sometimes slightly beyond. I have a few nests around my house and they co-exist peacefully with my family.

[DRZRM]

Last late summer/early fall I was checking the hose at my grandmother's house on Long Island and my foot sunk into a soft spot in the bushes near her house, immediately followed by the appearance of angry yellow jackets. Stung a few times while running away shrieking. Several treatments of chemicals over several days did the trick.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by Toddtwenty2

If they aren’t being particularly territorial or aggressive, I would let them be. Wasps, in particular, are very helpful in moderating some insect populations and keeping your yard’s ecosystem balanced.

Can you elaborate? This is interesting.

[colker]

Maybe you guys could become friends. You could train them to guard the house. Have a beer in the evening while you teach them tricks; "sit".. "good wasp"... They would watch as you fix your bike. Maybe. Anything is possible.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by joosttx

Can you elaborate? This is interesting.

i thought you have a doctorate on this subject or something...

[Seramount]

get paper wasp nests under the eaves a couple of times each year.

I don't molest those on the sides of the house, they don't bother anyone.

however, the one that gets built right by the front door poses a problem...the insects don't appreciate my comings and goings.

usually just knock the nest down with a broom when it's in the early stages of construction. but, once it's a substantial structure, a precision spritz with wasp spray ends the situation.

it's not like it's a sack full of rattlesnakes...

[zambenini]

Originally Posted by Lewis Moon

Set your house on fire.
Those things are ecologically cool and beautiful up until your dog/spouse/ownbadself gets stung.

This made me laugh.

[zambenini]

If you are allergic it might as well be.

Originally Posted by Seramount

get paper wasp nests under the eaves a couple of times each year.

I don't molest those on the sides of the house, they don't bother anyone.

however, the one that gets built right by the front door poses a problem...the insects don't appreciate my comings and goings.

usually just knock the nest down with a broom when it's in the early stages of construction. but, once it's a substantial structure, a precision spritz with wasp spray ends the situation.

it's not like it's a sack full of rattlesnakes...

[rwsaunders]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

She was. The ER doctor was on top of things.

Good. I wasn’t so fortunate the first time that I had a reaction as they kept me overnight for observation and tested me for epilepsy and other possible neurological issues then let me go...no pen.

Three months later I was stung by another paper wasp on a construction site and I had the same reaction. I called the EMT’s as soon as it happened as I became light headed and my pulse slowed down...same as the first reaction. When the EMT’s arrived, they gave me a shot of slurp juice and took me to the ER. When the ER Doc asked me if I had experienced previous reactions and I responded yes, she then asked why I didn’t use my pen...what pen?

I now carry a two-pack wherever I go and I’ve only had to use them once in the past 18 years. I’ve been stung a few times since by honeybees with minor itching but it’s the wasps that I have a bad relationship with.