Where are all the wasps?

Ricky91t

This year is really strange.Last year i was constantly getting wasps out of the house,quiet enjoyed them sitting on my hand and then taking off was nice to see they were ok.But this year iv seen none!One came into the car but that was in another town.Usually we'd see a good few through the summer.Are they in decline?Or do they just nest in different areas?

Thanks all

Judgement Day

It could be my fault I have been killing every wasp I've seen for about 40 years now. Apparently they eat aphids so I shouldn't kill them all but that's not enough for me and if the last wasp in the world comes near me .....!:)

Ricky91t

Judgement Day wrote: »

It could be my fault I have been killing every wasp I've seen for about 40 years now. Apparently they eat aphids so I shouldn't kill them all but that's not enough for me and if the last wasp in the world comes near me .....!:)

:mad:

Run_to_da_hills

ricky91t wrote: »

This year is really strange.Last year i was constantly getting wasps out of the house,quiet enjoyed them sitting on my hand and then taking off was nice to see they were ok.But this year iv seen none!One came into the car but that was in another town.Usually we'd see a good few through the summer.Are they in decline?Or do they just nest in different areas?

Thanks all

If you want to attract them back into the house simply place a saucer of marmalade on the inside window sill and leave a window open.

cowzerp

after reading this i noticed that too! i havent seen a wasp this year at all and im in dublin, your kerry.
very strange.

Ricky91t

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

If you want to attract them back into the house simply place a saucer of marmalade on the inside window sill and leave a window open.

oh no i dont want them in the house.Its just when i see them in the house i know they're around!


Good news is while i was outside today i heard a buzzing on closer inspection it was 2 wasps!I was really happy to see them and nice to know they are still around

steph1

I've noticed that too here in Mayo that they are not around as much. Compared to last year, every time I was out playing golf they were everywhere. Not a big fan I am terrified of getting stung.

Ricky91t

Never been stung and used to be terrified of them..Now iv got used to the fact if im nice to them they wont sting me

Judgement Day

Wake up and smell the coffee!!

The difference between wasps and bees is the former are nasty agressive buggers that will attack you for no reason - particularly at this time of year - whereas you have to be very unlucky to be stung by a bee. If you haven't noticed that by now......

Incidentally, you will be pleased to hear that since my posting about killing every wasp that I see that I have been under attack every time I venture into the garden. :):)

challengemaster

There's a few buzzing 'round athlone/moate (:pac: puntastic)

I somehow managed to kick one the other day, little fecker wouldnt go away, so I kicked it, and it flew 5~ feet and bounced off a window, then flew away.. I lol'd

artieanna

Their all drowned in the floods

seriously though they didn't get much chance to get out this year with all the rain...

Today was the first day I've seen bee's, wasps and butterflies about cause it was fine....

Green Hornet

Judgement Day wrote: »

The difference between wasps and bees is the former are nasty agressive buggers that will attack you for no reason - particularly at this time of year - whereas you have to be very unlucky to be stung by a bee. If you haven't noticed that by now......

Yeah. Those Kilkenny jersey jacketted wasps are bad eggs. They fly around with their stinger shooting in and out and dont give a damn if they sting you or not because they dont lose their stinger. As you say, a bee rarely stings as its a death sentance for them.

John Griffin

ricky91t wrote: »

Never been stung and used to be terrified of them..Now iv got used to the fact if im nice to them they wont sting me

I tried that approach when i was a kid and got stung. I had to go to hospital because i am allergic to them. I have been stung several times since. Each time, off to the feckin hospital or doctor.

Last time i got stung on the thigh while on a tea break at work, never even saw it until it was too late. It just landed on my leg and did me:mad:. Had to have my jeans cut off by the doctor:mad:
Its very very painful and they always do it for no reason, so now i kill them if they come near me, I will not rest in a room until it is dead or flies away. They make my life hell, I can't have a meal outdoors or sit in a beer garden in comfort. They are pure evil and i see and hear them before most people and my eyes seem to lock on to them like some sort of auto targeting device.:) They are feckin everywhere!!:mad:

Kill em all Judgement Day. Why can't they be like bees?:D:D

Ricky91t

Unlucky john griffin.
I was once chased by a queen wasp of some sort it was about 3-4 inches long and chased me..i could here it buzzing behind me that wasnt fun.But other than that im col with them.They dont bother me in the slightest

boneless

^^ Tough luck on being allergic to them. Thankfully I'm not. A couple of years back I was working on a dig in the city. Remember the good spell year before last? They appeared to be attracted to the hiviz vests. I was stung seven times in the space of ten minutes... :eek:

I haven't seen many so far this year either.

Nothingcompares

Judgement Day wrote: »

Wake up and smell the coffee!!

The difference between wasps and bees is the former are nasty agressive buggers that will attack you for no reason - particularly at this time of year - whereas you have to be very unlucky to be stung by a bee. If you haven't noticed that by now......

Incidentally, you will be pleased to hear that since my posting about killing every wasp that I see that I have been under attack every time I venture into the garden. :):)

Actually.

It's probably the fact there are more wasps than honey bees in your garden/vicinity. bumble bees, granted, rarely ever sting but honey bees are little ****ers.

testicle

There's heaps of the feckers round these parts.

Run_to_da_hills

Nothingcompares wrote: »

Actually.

It's probably the fact there are more wasps than honey bees in your garden/vicinity. bumble bees, granted, rarely ever sting but honey bees are little ****ers.

My first sting as a child was from a bumble bee, normal bees don't sting unless antagonised i.e.. If you go poking at them you are looking for trouble, wasps on the other hand will sting for no reason. I.E if you are eating a jam doughnut and one lands on you, you flick it away it will more than likely go for you. Bees never bother you over food.

stevoman

i have to say where i am we are inindated with wasps everywhere this time of year and this year espeically for some reason. one thing that has crossed my mind though is that i havnt seen a honey bee around the place.

Sam Kade

ricky91t wrote: »

This year is really strange.Last year i was constantly getting wasps out of the house,quiet enjoyed them sitting on my hand and then taking off was nice to see they were ok.But this year iv seen none!One came into the car but that was in another town.Usually we'd see a good few through the summer.Are they in decline?Or do they just nest in different areas?

Thanks all

I only saw one doctor (horse fly) around this year and I killed him.

gversey

They were all up watching the horse show in Shankill yesterday, seen a child get stung and heard four others got stung too..

learnerplates

ricky91t wrote: »

This year is really strange.Last year i was constantly getting wasps out of the house,quiet enjoyed them sitting on my hand and then taking off was nice to see they were ok.But this year iv seen none!One came into the car but that was in another town.Usually we'd see a good few through the summer.Are they in decline?Or do they just nest in different areas?

Thanks all

there all at my house, small lads, nesting in a shed wall, any idea how to get rid of them? Let me know if you want to take them off my hands

meathstevie

You can come and collected a couple of thousand around here as well.

Noopti

Only seen 2 this year so far, thankfully.

Honey Bees are grand, Wasps are agressive little feckers, especially around this time of year.

John Griffin

learnerplates wrote: »

there all at my house, small lads, nesting in a shed wall, any idea how to get rid of them? Let me know if you want to take them off my hands

I doubt anybody is going to rehome them for you.:D

I've been told that spraying or pouring petrol over the nest
or at the entrance will kill them. You don't need to light it, it's the fumes that kill them. Although I would be so tempted to light it.:D Do it at night when they are all in the nest and not in attack mode, the worse the weather the less chance you have of being stung.

You could also use a blow torch and burn them out at night, I've seen a lad do this very effectively. Depends where they are i suppose.

Be careful!!

boneless

John Griffin wrote: »

I doubt anybody is going to rehome them for you.:D

I've been told that spraying or pouring petrol over the nest
or at the entrance will kill them. You don't need to light it, it's the fumes that kill them. Although I would be so tempted to light it.:D Do it at night when they are all in the nest and not in attack mode, the worse the weather the less chance you have of being stung.

You could also use a blow torch and burn them out at night, I've seen a lad do this very effectively. Depends where they are i suppose.

Be careful!!

I don't condone this method in any way. Wasps play a role in nature. As far as I know, they very rarely return to a nest in the next season. I always try the live and let live approach.

learnerplates

Yes that would be my approach too, smoke them out or whatever the experts do. I presume they would move on to somewhere else. Anyway I won't be going anywhere near them myself

John Griffin

boneless wrote: »

I don't condone this method in any way. Wasps play a role in nature. As far as I know, they very rarely return to a nest in the next season. I always try the live and let live approach.

Normally i would totally agree with you, we usually sing from the same hymn sheet. If it was bees i'd say leave them alone. But wasps are a different story. If they are not causing any harm and a person can live with them then fine. But wasps do attack and can be very dangerous and it could mean that this shed is totally unusable while they are there.
The live and let live approach is very fine but do the wasps know about it? If there are children nearby then I'd say definitely get rid of them.

Spiderman80884

I have a nest of the fëckers under the deck out the back garden. Last year I had a nest in one of the sleepers out the back garden. And the year before I had them in my attic.

Today I went down to one of the DIY stores and armed myself with Wasp Killer Powder and Foaming Wasp Nest Destroyer and am about to go out to ambush the lot of them.

I have two issues though: (1) What do they mean by protective clothing? i.e. is it that I need to be completely covered head to toe with no flesh available for them to target or do I need 'actual' protective clothing? and (2) It doesn't say it on either product so I'm unsure if either of them are 'pet proof' as I don't want to kill the dog off in the process. Anybody?

John Griffin

Spiderman80884 wrote: »

Today I went down to one of the DIY stores and armed myself with Wasp Killer Powder and Foaming Wasp Nest Destroyer and am about to go out to ambush the lot of them.

I have two issues though: (1) What do they mean by protective clothing? i.e. is it that I need to be completely covered head to toe with no flesh available for them to target or do I need 'actual' protective clothing? and (2) It doesn't say it on either product so I'm unsure if either of them are 'pet proof' as I don't want to kill the dog off in the process. Anybody?

A wasp will sting through a pair of denim jeans. I think if you want to be totally safe you'll need a bee keepers suit. Do not go near them in daylight, they will destroy you!! A wet night is the best time to attack, no problem gettin a wet night at the moment:)
Don't know how it will affect the dog.

nacho libre

Most of the wasps have left the country because they are sick of the wet weather.
I've never been stung by a Wasp in my life.

edit i've just been stung:pac:

AlanSparrowhawk

nacho libre wrote: »

Most of the wasps have left the country because they are sick of the wet weather.
I've never been stung by a Wasp in my life.

edit i've just been stung:pac:

what? like they all got on board a ryan air flight and flew to warmer climes? or they flew themselves. seriously, something needs to be done about random eejits posting nonsense on this forum.

Judgement Day

Sure isn't that half the fun of the boards? Where would be without the random eejits????? :D:D:D

boneless

AlanSparrowhawk wrote: »

what? like they all got on board a ryan air flight and flew to warmer climes? or they flew themselves. seriously, something needs to be done about random eejits posting nonsense on this forum.

I was considering infracting you for this post but let it go. Please refrain from personalising posts in future.

Oh, and I've just been stung too...:P

Nerin

all the wasps are in the storage areas of certain supermarkets tbh. gtfo my minerals!!!

The Hill Billy

Plenty of wasps up my way. There's a constant stream of them through the house - coming in the back window, flying around the kitchen & then we shoo them out the front window. There's hardly a minute during the day when there aren't two or three of them in the kitchen.

Spiderman80884

John Griffin wrote: »

A wasp will sting through a pair of denim jeans. I think if you want to be totally safe you'll need a bee keepers suit. Do not go near them in daylight, they will destroy you!! A wet night is the best time to attack, no problem gettin a wet night at the moment:)
Don't know how it will affect the dog.

Update: I sent the spray in after them one night, there was still some movement coming and goings on etc. for a couple of days, but nothing since. I think I've destroyed the evil den!! Dog and all came out without so much as a scrape!

Archeron

I normally have geansai loads of wasps all year road making me nervous, but this year, I've seen about 12. The funny thing is that they have that drunken wobbly look to them since I first seen one a couple of months ago.

I thought that normally just happened when they were dying out at this time of year.

Nothingcompares

let's not forget boys and girls that due ot the weather humans aren't out in the garden/fields as much as last year and therefore less likely to bump into a wasp.

Agent Smith

you want wasps?

go to hp in leixlip, we have ****ing millions of the bastards

PhotoMe

I've seen more wasps this year in my home than I have in all previous years combined. Can't get rid of them. I've checked around and can't find any nest, thankfully.

Break4News

I had a mob of wasps living under the eves above a big window. The activity began in June and gradually increased. By early August, despite my hope that they would move on without getting too aggressive, and that they would appreciate the free lodgings they had for a few months without any interference, they were taking over the yard. The dogs could not sit in peace without the pesky wasps teasing them. I made a mixture of neem oil and washing up liquid and sprayed it all around the area they were squatting in. I could see they did not like the aroma, but the brats found another way in to their colony.

It came to the stage where I could not open a door or window but they were coming indoors. So as a last resort I got some cheap honey and mixed it with pure neem oil. I put this goo in a fairly flat plastic container, placed it on some wood with coat hanger wire attached and hung it under the eves right where the wasps were going in and out.

A few went for the goo and drowned, the rest decided to evacuate the building and move to another location.

There were plenty of Wasps in Kilkenny this year.

sorella

Rich abundance in Donegal too; we sell jam at markets and we have tried giving one away free with every jar.

Scared a lot of customers off :mad:

But the wasp dance is intriguing to watch; arms waving madly, legs in the air...

I started feeling sorry for them when the cold weather came and put out honey and jam on a windowledge; leaving the window open was a big mistake, but watching them eat was fascinating.

One even today.