WASPS (Bees)

[sweetnpetite]

My entire neigborhood is overrun with wasps. And they are SO agressive. I live in a manufactured home community ("trailer park") and they nest under the skirting, inside the window ledges, ect, under the porch, everywhere. But they have been awful in this whole damn town. What the heck can we do to get rid of them? And prevent them from coming back? Someone help!!! Please. It's not even a matter of IF you will get stung, but WHEN, and how many times! This has got to stop!!!

 

[ibhard]

Poison them. Get the kind you can squirt them and be a good 5ft away from them. They are bad where I live at too. I kill them and pull their nests down so the others won't come back that aren't in the nest at the time I poison them. I have to be mean to them to get rid of em', I'm allergic.

 

[sweetnpetite]

I called my manager and he said wait until night time and spray the nests. When it's cold and dark, they are all inside so you get them all and they can't rebuild.

Does anybody have any suggestions on the best or worst spray to use?

Also, I"d like to do whatever I can to prevent them from coming back and keep them OUT of my yard (and house) any suggestions on that front? I mean, should I hang moth balls from the trees or what?

 

[Retrieval]

If your near a nest and you get attacked just remember to run for at least 100 metres, wasps/bees won't chase you further from the nest than this.

 

[Antfarmer77]

I called my manager and he said wait until night time and spray the nests. When it's cold and dark, they are all inside so you get them all and they can't rebuild.

Does anybody have any suggestions on the best or worst spray to use?

It is best to spray them at night, but remember if you miss the nest and stir them up they'll fly towards a light source, i.e. a flashlight. So if someone you don't particulary care for offers to help...have them hold the light

 

[bordendazed]

Commercial "bug spray" is effective, but be careful how much and where you spray it. Too high a concentration of it and it becomes a weak nerve gas, and can cause problems, especially for kids...

If the infestatino that bad, I'd ask for a professinoal exterminator ASAP.

 

[FallingToFly]

We have yellow jackets invading our fences at the barn- so I sympathize. We use a commercial spray, and wait at least twelve hours before approaching the area again.

If you want to get rid of them and keep them gone, you can try to find a natural predator. You can check this site for some info of wasps- someone said something about honey bees being a predator for them.

http://www.saferbrand.com/faq_wasp_hornet.htm#q5

Some wasps are very non-aggressive predators of some really nasty bugs. Here in Florida we have a really gorgeous red and black metallic wasp that kills spiders and lays their eggs in the corpses to provide food for the larvae. They are awesome- very non-aggressive, beautiful, and they control the spiders that can cause some issues for us out at the barn.

The most important thing about wasps and bees is that if you don't disturb or threaten them, they'll ignore you. Don't wear strong perfumes or use strong floral soaps, don't leave sweet drinks or food out where it can attract them. Keep grass mown and bushes clipped back off paths and driveways to avoid accidental brush-ups. The worst thing you can do if a wasp or bee flies near you or lands on you is to scream and swat. If you just stay calm and go about your business, they'll ignore you. We aren't food, and as long as we don't act like a predator or threat, we aren't that either. Teaching children not to swat or run from bees and wasps can save a lot of trial and pain.

Most insects- butterflies, wasps, bees, dragonflies- are attracted to salt and the nutrients we sweat out. Usually if they land on you, they just want a drink with a kick, and then they'll flit off. Some women seem to exude a chemical signature that certain insects adore- dragonflies and bees for me, although butterflies love my sister and mom. (Figures that I would attract predators, lol.) This is especially true whenever you're fertile- anyone trying to get pregnant, keep an eye on how insects react around you. Gives you a good idea of when you're cycling (or when to avoid sex) and it's at least more interesting than taking your temperature every morning, right?

I'll go through some of my herbal stuff and see if I can find a repellent scent for them. I know that citronella doesn't work... Also, if you do get stung, slice an onion in half and slap it on the sting. It draws out the poison and reduces the swelling in seconds. We keep a bag around the barn and I keep one in my brush box for that exact purpose. Works on spider bites and cow ant stings as well- not so well of snakes. Snakes you need to warm up a piece of steak and slap it on...

Gah! Rambling! I'll go see what I can find for you now.

 

[FallingToFly]

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosecurity/stowaways/Wasps/faq.asp#q12

I found a much better website for info- although mainly for New Zealand, it still gives you an idea of what you can try to attract for a sort of natural deterrent.

 

[rgraham666]

Falling, if by 'cow ants' you mean those red and black fuzzy ants, they're actually a wingless wasp. One hell of a sting though.

That's good advice though for the keeping the wasps away.

One correction, the spiders stung by the wasps you mention aren't dead, just paralysed. So they're eaten alive by the young of the wasp.

As long as I'm here I'll advertise one of my favourite websites, What's That Bug?. It's got all sorts of cool photos and information on all kinds of insects and arachnids.

If you want to see something really creepy looking click on the 'Solpugids' link.

 

[yevkassem72]

As bad as they are, I hate ants even more. Damn things bit me today.

 

[kendo1]

To stop them nesting in a particular place you can use good old petrol.

Of course there is the risk of fire when you are applying it.

But, seriously, similar products can be applied with a paint brush. Bugs hate the smell of it. It should be possible to find a less combustible product that you can live with too.

'Ah! I love the smell of napalm in the morning.'

I used some on a shed at the botom of our garden. It got rid of the wasps. I wouldn't really want to use it on my house though.

Ken

 

[FallingToFly]

Falling, if by 'cow ants' you mean those red and black fuzzy ants, they're actually a wingless wasp. One hell of a sting though.

That's good advice though for the keeping the wasps away.

One correction, the spiders stung by the wasps you mention aren't dead, just paralysed. So they're eaten alive by the young of the wasp.

As long as I'm here I'll advertise one of my favourite websites, What's That Bug?. It's got all sorts of cool photos and information on all kinds of insects and arachnids.

If you want to see something really creepy looking click on the 'Solpugids' link.

Oh I know, I love that site too!

And I know that they're technically named Velvet Wasps, but down South, they're cow ants, or cow kilers, depending on where you live. Nasty, aggressive little shits they are too. Pretty to look at though.

 

[rgraham666]

Oh I know, I love that site too!

And I know that they're technically named Velvet Wasps, but down South, they're cow ants, or cow kilers, depending on where you live. Nasty, aggressive little shits they are too. Pretty to look at though.

Never seen one. I gather they're a Southern U.S. phenomena and don't live up here.

I would love to though. I wanted to be an entomologist as a kid. I love my insects.

 

[SensualCealy]

Im highly allergic to Wasps and black faced bees- like Im going to check to see if it has a black face or not!

A tip I was given a while back is take a paper bag- a paper lunch bag is the perfect size. Blow it up like you are going to pop it, tie the end with tap and a string to hang it with. Now hang it near the nest. This makes the wasps think there is another nest near by and they wont nest near another collony.

Hubby uses Raid Wasp and ... spray, not sure of the exact name. The next day he will knock the nest down and burn it in our pit. If there are any larve in it, they are toast!

This is the time of year when Wasps and Bees get stupid, not exactly sure, but thats what my allergist says, Stay really still around them and dont wear any highly perfumed spray, deoderant, or shampoos. When they are really bad at the begining of the year we put out a small saucer of root beer- no name and A+W works the best. When you have a few in the saucer, you can slowly go and spray them with HAIR SPRAY! This sticks their wings together and they cant fly! Then step on them with shoes!

Good luck!
C- if you at one time were not allergic, you can become allergic- I did, after years of growing up in the country getting stung all summer, turning 30 I got stung and went into an attack. Now I carry an Epi pen all summer and fall.

 

[sweetnpetite]

If your near a nest and you get attacked just remember to run for at least 100 metres, wasps/bees won't chase you further from the nest than this.

Dumb American Asks: What's 100 meters equal in feet?

 

[S-Des]

Dumb American Asks: What's 100 meters equal in feet?

LOL, 300 feet and change (that's the answer you get from another dumb American). I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the traps. Any time you see someone doing a flea market or food stand where there is a large problem with bees/wasps, they use a trap. It looks like a sun-tea jar and has something in it that attracts them. They can get in, but not out. Once it's full, you toss it. Seems to work really well (although I guess it doesn't eliminate the bees, just reduces their number). At least that would make spraying them much easier.

The regular stuff at the store has always worked for me. I never noticed any difference between brands. Your best bet...make friends with a nice guy and tell him you need help. You can hide inside while he gets stung.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Yellowjackets

Are these the guys?

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/yellowjacket.jpg

These are yellowjackets, and you can find more information on getting rid of them here

They often appear in late summer-early fall and are pesky because they're attracted to human food and garbage and spilled drinks and stuff, and even perspiration and perfume. We've got some here but they're not that close to the house and we just pretty much just leave them alone and do our barbecues fast. Aside from spraying them (see the link), wash everything down and clean out the outdoor garbage cans and trash receptacles.

An interesting thing happens to yellowjackets in the fall. They seem to go insane and start murdering each other in their nest until there's a mass carnage and they're all dead. The eggs are already laid, though, and the next generation emerges in the same nest again the next summer.

Still, it always gives me the creeps to think about what's going on down there in the nest on some particular early fall evening.

 

[R. Richard]

LOL, 300 feet and change (that's the answer you get from another dumb American).

Actually 328 feet and change. Lest you think I am being picky, I used to run the 100 meter dash. The time it takes to cover the last 28 feet is what keeps me from being an Olympic chapmion!

 

[R. Richard]

An interesting thing happens to yellowjackets in the fall. They seem to go insane and start murdering each other in their nest until there's a mass carnage and they're all dead. The eggs are already laid, though, and the next generation emerges in the same nest again the next summer.

Still, it always gives me the creeps to think about what's going on down there in the nest on some particular early fall evening.

Dr_M:
You have the solution here! All we need to do is start the murdering earlier, before the eggs are laid, and yellow jackets cease to be a problem.