# Wasps!!!



## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

OMG! There's a paper wasp's nest inside the hot tub surround and another one attached to the underside of the lid. I saw almost 100 of them flying around the back yard when I noticed them flying inside the wood slats. I'd pick up some wasp killer but I can't risk being stung!


----------



## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

do it at night haunti when they are most likely all together ..the spray should have a pretty good range so you shouldnt have to be that close ...
good luck


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Are they wasps or yellow jackets? YJs are carnivores - you can wire a small piece of bacon to a flat stick and lay it across a small tray of cooking oil. The bacon is on the underside of the stick, just above the level of the oil. When the YJs come for the bacon they'll get oily, fall into the tray and die. Cheap, and no pesticides involved. Wasps, however, may ignore the bacon.


----------



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

NOICE Otaku! Never thought of doing that. I tried getting rid of the yellow jackets we had. Early spring while it was still cold, soaked their nests, knocked them all down, swept them into pile, added a little lighter fluid and threw a few wasps on da barbie. But alas, all new ones moved into the same area.

-TM


----------



## TearyThunder (Jul 1, 2006)

Don't send them my way, I'm allergic


----------



## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

They could be yellow jackets but I thought the traps I'd put out would have attracted them.
I'm allergic too TT which is why I can't risk pissing them off.


----------



## Bloodhound (Oct 16, 2007)

I hate those little buggers! Friday I grabbed a book from a table in the garden and the next thing I knew I was dancing around grabbing at the back of my knee and thinking what the hell? Yep, stung by a wasp! Thankfully I am not allergic, but it sure as heck burned for awhile.


----------



## slightlymad (May 25, 2006)

I use scrubbing bubbles to keep them down


----------



## HalloweenZombie (Jul 22, 2007)

White Anglo-Saxon Protestants can be such a nuisance!


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Terrormaster said:


> NOICE Otaku! Never thought of doing that. I tried getting rid of the yellow jackets we had. Early spring while it was still cold, soaked their nests, knocked them all down, swept them into pile, added a little lighter fluid and threw a few wasps on da barbie. But alas, all new ones moved into the same area.
> 
> -TM


When I was a kid in Indiana, by brother and I would go get crappies and crawdads out of the nearby creek. We used bacon for bait, and we always hung a small slice on a tree branch about 100 feet from where we fished. We'd do this about a half-hour before we started fishing. By that time all jackets in the area were eating the bacon slice and wouldn't bother us.


----------



## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

*shudder* You must be getting all the wasps and YJ we aren't getting.

Try a wasp catcher....just a mason jar, with plastic wrap over it, with water mixed with sugar or honey in it. Poke a hole JUST big enough for them to get in, then put the lid thingie on (but not the very top of it). They'll get in, but can't get out, and will drown.

We have an abundance of moths (the nectar eating kind) and bees (the cute fuzzy kind). So yay! At least we don't have to worry about our plants being fertilized properly. 

These are the moths we're getting:










They're about the size of my man's thumb (he's 6'5" and a big guy, so you can guesstimate how big they are).


----------



## TearyThunder (Jul 1, 2006)

HH be careful since you are allergic too. I don't want to hear they got you! Keep us updated so we know you (and the kids) are ok.


----------



## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

You may do best to just call an exterminator. Not really worth the risk of getting stung, particularly if allergies are an issue. **** them off and you've got a major problem if the whole hive decides to go on the defensive. We had an underground nest which I tried to obliterate at night. Had some industrial type spray. Went out with a flashlight and there was only minimal activity at the hive entrance. As soon as I hit it with the spray, there were dozens that came flying out. I got tagged three times. I'm not allergic but it hurt like hell.


----------



## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

Otaku said:


> Are they wasps or yellow jackets? YJs are carnivores - you can wire a small piece of bacon to a flat stick and lay it across a small tray of cooking oil. The bacon is on the underside of the stick, just above the level of the oil. When the YJs come for the bacon they'll get oily, fall into the tray and die. Cheap, and no pesticides involved. Wasps, however, may ignore the bacon.


IT'S BACON!!!!!!
:googly:.


----------



## Catbert (Jul 20, 2007)

Funny, I don't think I've ever been stung by bee, wasp, or yellow jacket.
Guess I'm lucky.


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Actually the best time is in the morning just before the sun comes up. The temperature has had time to cool down over night and wasps/yellow jackets are usually not active when it's cool.

As others stated please be very careful, considering your allergies.


----------



## slimy (Jul 12, 2006)

We here on Hauntforum, have a " do everything yourself" attitude. This is one case where that just might get you in trouble. 

Yes, exterminators are expensive, but so are antihistamines, antibiotics, and doctor visits. Don't get me started on pain and suffering. 

Call a professional . It will be worth it in the long run.


----------



## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

I got rid of one nest that was attached to the underside of the hot tub lid. I really needed to add water to the tub so I opened it and whacked the nest off with a long broom.


----------



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

You're braver than I messing with a whole nest... For a guy I'll be the first to admit I have a bee/wasp phobia. Before my daughter was born I'd run and freak out. But I've since learned to suck it up and brave it in order to defend my daughter. 

Usually when they come back I don't mess with them. There's not as many since I eliminated most of their nests in the early cooler spring. But from time to time there's one or two that get stuck in my enclosed rear porch. I don't like using poisons in there because my daughter comes into contact with much of the stuff there. So I grab a spray bottle loaded with water set to stream in one hand and a fly swatter in the other. I soak their wings then wack them while they're incapacitated... NOTE: this only works in an enclosed area with one or two of them tops - don't get outnumbered in small confines, especially with allergies!

-TM


----------



## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Be careful Haunti. A full wasp nest is not a piniata...unless the treats you are seeking are hundreds of pissed off wasps  

I once had a nest beneath a chair I kept on my porch. I got a spray to deal with them during low activity times for wasps and it worked without incident, but I'm with the others in suggesting you call an exterminator.


----------



## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

Thanks all.
Calling an exterminator is the last thing I'll attempt. Since I was laid off I don't have money for unexpected expenditures.


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Seriously, try the bacon-and-oil-trap thing. Set it up and walk away, come back later to see how many dead bugs you have. It doesn't matter where you place it, they'll find that bacon!


----------



## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

Otaku said:


> Seriously, try the bacon-and-oil-trap thing.


But...but....it's BACON!!!!















It could attract me...


----------



## Bloodhound (Oct 16, 2007)

*sniff* *sniff* bacon, bacon smell good, me want good smell.


----------

