wasps

[Kelly4]

We can't use our patio at the moment because of the crazy wasps. We have a huge rock (limestone) in the middle of the patio, which is covered in various plants and flowers. It's imposible to see where they are building nests. We destroyed a few nests in the roof, on window blinds, etc. but we can't seem to get rid of the wasps. A few questions...

Are there any products available to repel wasps, like the odour-based mosquito ones (in the event that we never find the nests)?

Are there certain times of day when wasps come out to play (so we can avoid letting the kids play out there at those times)?

Should we avoid avoiding the patio (does lots of human activity and kiddie noise repel them at all?)

Would a professional be able to help us out or will the wasps just come back and nest in another spot?

Are there certain plants/flowers that particularly attract wasps? They seem to love our walnut tree but I'd rather not chop it down! I am happy to get rid of some of the other plants and flowers if it mens the wasps will go away.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Kelly

[Shukran]

Are you near any water? Our next door neighbour has a swimming pool and whenever we go in the pool we're bombarded by them drinking the water and pestering us. They certainly don't take no for an answer when they're swiped either, it just makes them more determined. However, we're about 50 yards away from next door and we don't see any at all. The only difference between the two is the swimming pool I think.

Sorry, but I don't know what the answer is but I'm sure somebody does. Good luck.

(They've got horribly dangly legs as well!)

[Graye]

Those wasps with the dangly legs (the ones you usually see trying to drink from your pool and which build the tiny open-ended nests) are generally called paper wasps. They are generally not very aggressive but can be a nuisance when you are trying to enjoy your pool/patio. You will probably find a neighbour has some nests in their garden or patio and they are just coming over to yours looking for water.

The best thing you can use is Baygon, which is a spray to repel them. You should be able to find this in Spain, although I've never tried. Otherwise you need to look on the cans of insect repellant and check for pyrethrin, permethrin or resmethrin. These will all deal with wasps.

[spanish_lad]

(They've got horribly dangly legs as well!)

maisonary wasps - more dangerous than normal ones and they make nests in holes in walls / rocks.

[Graye]

Forgot to say they are attracted by "nice" smells too - these include perfume, aftershave and suntan lotion...

[Graye]

I also found this on a website which might make it easier for you, ie the soapy water is easier to come by than the chemicals...

"If the wasps have long, dangling legs, then they are paper wasps. You cannot "spray for the season" to keep paper wasps away; the spray will kill only the wasps that are there ON THE DAY THEY SPRAY. There are probably about 50-500,000 paper wasps living within a mile radius around your home, and they move around a lot (especially in the spring), looking for places to build their nests. Some will find your home, eventually, and set up shop there. This absolutely cannot be prevented. What you CAN prevent is that any of them set up nests so close to your personal space that they would become a threat; paper wasps have an attack radius of only about three feet - nests farther away than that from your head are not a threat, and the wasps themselves are beneficial, as they eat caterpillars in your trees and garden. You can accomplish this with a squirt bottle full of soapy water. If you see a nest, and it can be reached by you (standing on the ground, with your squirt bottle), then it is close enough that it should be removed. Squirt any wasps with soapy water, and this will kill them. The *minute* there are no wasps left on the nest, remove the entire nest, *including* every last bit of the little stalk (the stalk is saturated with "homing signals", and if you leave it, other wasps will find it and build a new nest on it). If you simply keep the squirt bottle handy, and check your property regularly, you can eliminate your problem."

[Shukran]

I found this interesting article from the Ohio State University on Paper Wasps in the US and Europe:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2077.html

[Kelly4]

Thanks for your advice. Our biggest problem is that with all the plants hanging off the rock in the patio, it's impossible to locate any nests. It's looking like we might have to invest in a bee suit and wade in there to investigate...or stay inside all summer.

The next door neighbours have got a pool but it's not very well-maintained and attracts a lot of mosquitos. Are the wasps repelled by chlorine and other pool chemicals?

Kelly

[Graye]

I've tried an experiment this afternoon as our garden is full of wasps and we have a pool too. I can't find any nests this year so they are just attracted by the water from what I can see. I sat on the edge of the pool with my legs in the water and just ignored any approaching wasps. They also ignored me, other than one who landed on my leg, sat for a moment and took off. All the others are just interested in drinking from the puddles on the pool edge. So they seem not to be bothered by pool chemicals over much.

They usually make their nests in the eaves or tile overhangs of your house - look for little grey honeycomb like structures attached by a stem. I would be surprised if they built in the rock or plants as they like to suspend the honeycomb from a stem. Might they just be investigating in there or are they being very protective of that area?

The local "cure" is to spray deisel around, apparently they hate it! But you would probably like the smell and mess of that even more than the wasps themselves...

[Grouser]

I don't think it's enough just to remove the nests. You must treat the area where they have built or any survivors will re-build again. At least this is true of the ones that build those paper nests in England. I found painting the nest site with creosote effective.

[country boy]

We have a small washing-up bowl of water on the patio for the dog and the wasps just love that and totally ignore us, so perhaps the decoy technique is the answer, for sure there are too many to eradicate and they only want water, so give it to them!

[jazper]

Why would they go to the bowl instead of the pool? Can you make the water "tastier"?

[chrys macphail]

When I was having my pool built the builders kept leaving part used tins og pop around and guess what the wasps loved it more than the pool, so just a suggestion leave a few jars (with the lids nearby) around the source of the wasps and watch then go into the jars they stay there for ages, enough time for you to put the lid on and kill them. Maybe a bit tedious but at least you might keep them away from where you are sitting. As for wasp stings, last year my husband got stung by a wasp that looks like a hovering cross, black and yellow with a long tail, his arm swelled up to double the size and the pain was excrutiating, was advised to have an injection if it happened again, laid him up for a couple of days, these ones are really nasty so beware.

[julian]

i presume they go to the bowl rather than the pool because it´s a lot calmer , the water jets and someone swimming in the pool can make it a bit of a difficult drink for them !!
actually the wasps don´t sting if you leave them alone and just ignore them, I have lots in the garden and around the pool, but I have learnt to live with them rather than try to get rid of them, which seems to be very difficult.
my wasps definitly prefer the bowl, or any puddle rather than drinking from the pool

[chrys macphail]

Does any one have a picture of these wasps with the dangly legs, very distinct black and yellow with what looks like a long tail they are quite big, I have looked on google, wikipedia and ask.co.uk but cant seem to find any info. They are nasty things and when they sting you, you know about it.

Any info gratefully received

[Graye]

Paper wasps have the dangly legs - they just look like smaller British wasps. I think the thing with the tail you describe is probably a hornet and the tail was in fact his sting. They can be really nasty! Put "paper wasp" and "European hornet" in google images and you will see some pictures for you to compare.