Moving a hive

Fiskar

Wasps have built a hive in one of our large garden pots. It totally prevents us using our back patio and has to be moved.
This morning donned in Tyvek, goggles, face mask and gloves I got it onto a movable base and want to move it 40 m to the front garden. I got as far as onto the base before the swarm came out!
Regardless, it has to be moved and today. my thoughts are that I should have stuffed the hive entry with a plastic bag and moved it.
Any ideas to calm these critters down and to move the pot and hive away?

DK man

Are u sure they are wasps? Sometimes people confuse wasps with bees - similar size but bees are darker... If they are bees a beekeeper will come and take them away free of charge and u might get a pot or two of honey.... If u move a bees hive the bees will just go back to their original site.

I use a water sprayer to subdue wasps before I kill them - they usually fall down and I crunch them. Or a flame weeder which are sold about twice a year in aldi / lidl. But I'd be very careful getting too close to a wasp colony without a bee suit as they will come out an viciously attack....

Definitely stuff the entrance if u can

Fiskar

Cheers DK Man. Missus says their wasps. Anyway they calmed down so I stuffed the hole and went for a run with the tub. Got 25 metres before the wadding fell out of the entrance and they took off after me. About half (over a hundred) are trying to find a new home at the BBQ where that tub originally was. Have to move the tub later with the other half or more of them to a final point 15 meters away.
Going to hoover up the BBQ wasps as I don't want them using BBQ or Chimea as a new home. Very messy. Missus is going wild, I call it wilful blindness that it was left to grow to this size of problem.

Fiskar

Well I have moved the pot and that part is sorted. Then i tried to address the 100 or so at the original site with a hoover but that did not work. Tried the water hose and spray nozzle to some success, killing 15 to 20. Some are under the BBQ cover where 5 were killed. A good 40 of them got in under a paving stone that I have taken away from the area. It is unreal.
I need to clear this area completely so may have to use the old jam jars with some jam in them.
Will they move off somewhere or try and build a hive in the shrubs?

brianmc

If they are wasps then the colony will die out over the next few weeks anyway and be abandoned. Wasps don't keep together in a colony over winter.

Also, I'm not sure that the jar of jam is going to be a great approach because at this time of year, wasps go looking for sources of sugar... I think a jar of jam is more likely to simply attract more wasps to feed in the area than kill off the handful that are still hanging around the original site. You posted two days ago... the stray wasps around the original site are probably dieing off already without the nest. If not, a couple of cool nights will do it.

Fiskar

Not sure where this is going but as an update, the pot with the hive is at the front with over half the swarm still there, did a nudge of the pot and a hoard came out.
Back on the patio the battle is being fought. Yesterday evening not content they swarmed under my BBQ, so in the ensuing battle another 30 perished. Must be over 80 in total flattened. Got thinking they were hiding so sure enough under a paving slab that the hive pot was on were another 40 wasps, finished them off. That left about 4 or 5 flying around last night.
However today as the young lad was cleaning the gutter for me to paint the wall later he noticed they were still very much around.
I found when looking at the situation this evening that right beside the pot is Hydrania plant in flower, they seem to be drawn to it so wetted it down and flattened a few more, in front of that is a tile for the BBQ gas bottle, here another 30 were hiding so wetted them and flattened them.
Most worrying though was when cleaning the gutter with the young lad he noticed they were on the roof of the extension , this is most concerning as I saw at least 3 or 4 make there way under the ridge tiles, tried wetting the area and banging the ridge tile but none came out.
Not at all happy at this, so the hydrangea is cut away, too near the patio and an obvious draw for wasps.
Need a pesticide for the roof tiles as I don't want a mess in my attic. Any recommendations? I will go spare if they are still around tomorrow.

brianmc

Fiskar wrote: »

Not sure where this is going but as an update, the pot with the hive is at the front with over half the swarm still there, did a nudge of the pot and a hoard came out.
Back on the patio the battle is being fought. Yesterday evening not content they swarmed under my BBQ, so in the ensuing battle another 30 perished. Must be over 80 in total flattened. Got thinking they were hiding so sure enough under a paving slab that the hive pot was on were another 40 wasps, finished them off. That left about 4 or 5 flying around last night.
However today as the young lad was cleaning the gutter for me to paint the wall later he noticed they were still very much around.
I found when looking at the situation this evening that right beside the pot is Hydrania plant in flower, they seem to be drawn to it so wetted it down and flattened a few more, in front of that is a tile for the BBQ gas bottle, here another 30 were hiding so wetted them and flattened them.
Most worrying though was when cleaning the gutter with the young lad he noticed they were on the roof of the extension , this is most concerning as I saw at least 3 or 4 make there way under the ridge tiles, tried wetting the area and banging the ridge tile but none came out.
Not at all happy at this, so the hydrangea is cut away, too near the patio and an obvious draw for wasps.
Need a pesticide for the roof tiles as I don't want a mess in my attic. Any recommendations? I will go spare if they are still around tomorrow.

It sounds like you've gone a bit nuts to be honest.

Are these definitely wasps? Post a photo.

The reason they keep going back to the barbecue is because that's where home was. They leave the nest, fly off to do whatever and then return to where they thought the nest should be but they can't find it and end up hanging around.

Post a picture of them to confirm what they are and someone will tell you what to do next.

Fiskar

picture attached

Fiskar

A bit quieter this evening, activity is at the front where the hive was moved. If they are bees then I'm after the honey next!

Managed to finish my painting of the house in piece and quiet too.

wexfordman2

Fiskar wrote: »

picture attached

There will be no honey I'm afraid.....wasps

brianmc

wexfordman2 wrote: »

There will be no honey I'm afraid.....wasps

Yep.

I guess since it's quiet around the barbecue there's nothing left to do.

If they are still a problem... you've probably crippled the colony at this stage by moving it and it may be simplest to squirt some sort of ant powder or similar into the entrance of the nest and finish them off cleanly. Try not to though... they may still successfully raise some new queens for next year.

If they're not an issue, they will abandon the nest over the next few weeks anyway before the winter sets in.

Fiskar

The colony are alive and well in the hive at the front garden. Ridge tile wasps are annoying me but the cold will kill them off.

What pray tell is in the hive if there is no honey?

brianmc

Fiskar wrote: »

The colony are alive and well in the hive at the front garden. Ridge tile wasps are annoying me but the cold will kill them off.

What pray tell is in the hive if there is no honey?

What's in a wasps' nest?

A queen wasp laying wasp eggs...

Wasp larvae and pupae that have hatched from the eggs...

Lots of other wasps looking after the larvae...