Wasps nest in my garden

congo_90

Hey all,
While cutting the grass today I decided to tend to a blackcurrant bush which needed tieing up. While there I noticed a huge amount of wasps around it!
Naturally I hate the lil f*ckers and I want my blackcurrants!

What is my best way to rid of them? I can't get anywhere close to em and have to wait till sundown to put the mower away.
I did have a wasps nest in the shed before and I got rid of them using a spray. Any ideas if this would be safe to use on the bush too?

Thanks.. I'm getting kinda desperate

Carlow52

u need to locate the nest, they will all be home after dark so u need to decide how to get rid of them: as we dont do advice here we cant suggest.



I doubt if the nest is in the bush.

congo_90

A quick observation shows em all around the bottom of the bush hanging around the currants that have fallen off the bush. Could they be attracted to the fruit?
If this is the case its just a matter of clearing the old fruit up.
This problem is kinda serious as I'm looking after my bros dog for a while.

Mimikyu

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congo_90

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Not one for hanging around too long to count each one due to them flying around me I'd estimate 20+

@carlow52, I can't seem to reply to your pm but thanks for the advice re: white spirits. I've to be careful though as the bush may not tolerate parafin etc

r3nu4l

Wasps are very attracted to sugary fruits, and if that fruit has begun to ferment then they'll be even more attracted. Ever seen an apple that has fallen from a tree? They are usually full of wasps

Wasps can and do nest in trees and some woody bushes but they usually prefer houses, garages, sheds and attics in urban environments.

If you really do want rid of them and there is actually a nest there, then call a pest control company.

However, if there isn't a nest, then just go out later in the evening or at night and remove any fallen fruit and cover over the ground with some soil to try and reduce the number of wasps.

Rujib1

Had them recently in dog kennel. Nest neatly built inside the kennel, at the apex of the roof. They used the air vent at the opt to enter and exit the nest.

One extension lead later with my trusty vacuum hoover connected and carefully placed over the air vent in the kennel. Press start and waps all bagged up in 15 seconds flat :cool:

I am now offering a mobile service if anybody interested :rolleyes:

R1

beer enigma

Rujib1 wrote: »

Had them recently in dog kennel. Nest neatly built inside the kennel, at the apex of the roof. They used the air vent at the opt to enter and exit the nest.

One extension lead later with my trusty vacuum hoover connected and carefully placed over the air vent in the kennel. Press start and waps all bagged up in 15 seconds flat :cool:

I am now offering a mobile service if anybody interested :rolleyes:

R1

You should be taken on as a scriptwriter for the Simpsons Doh !

Flying Abruptly

r3nu4l wrote: »

Wasps are very attracted to sugary fruits, and if that fruit has begun to ferment then they'll be even more attracted. Ever seen an apple that has fallen from a tree? They are usually full of wasps

Wasps can and do nest in trees and some woody bushes but they usually prefer houses, garages, sheds and attics in urban environments.

If you really do want rid of them and there is actually a nest there, then call a pest control company.

However, if there isn't a nest, then just go out later in the evening or at night and remove any fallen fruit and cover over the ground with some soil to try and reduce the number of wasps.

I had same problem with an apple tree, have never seen so many wasps in one place. They seemed more attracted to the apples on the ground than in the tree so me and a neighbour used a long plank of wood to sweep all the apples on the ground away from the tree and into the hedge. Worked a treat. Now I just collect any apples that fall to prevent it from happening again.
EDIT: They didnt come back for fruit still on the tree

congo_90

Strange because I also have an apple tree yet they only seem to have shown up this year

I also have a shed where a few years ago they did nest but I got on top of it. I'll try remove the fruit today or tomorrow and shift the soil

r3nu4l

congo_90 wrote: »

Strange because I also have an apple tree yet they only seem to have shown up this year

This just means that up until this year they either:

1. had a better food source closer to their nest
2. have built a nest nearer to your apple tree this year

Generally speaking wasps will only fly a couple of hundred metres or so from their nest.

congo_90

Pesky wasps is all I'll say! I hate them..*shudders*
They're hanging around the fruit still on the bush too :mad: my fruit!

decies

Had a wasps nest in hedge two months ago.Myself and neighbour went out with wasp spray and a rake.He sprayed at the nest they flew up in the air and off away,then i knocked nest out of hedge with rake and destroyed it.
Job done.

congo_90

decies wrote: »

Had a wasps nest in hedge two months ago.Myself and neighbour went out with wasp spray and a rake.He sprayed at the nest they flew up in the air and off away,then i knocked nest out of hedge with rake and destroyed it.
Job done.

Interesting point but to be honest wasps are the one thing I can absolutly say I cannot stand being around for more than a few seconds! It's not a straight cut case anymore of just lashing petrol down and a match.

The density of the blackcurrant bush would make a perfect shelter for them and to think I was out in a tshirt handling it while tieing up some other plants! :eek:

The rake still may be a handy one for finding out if the nest is in the bush.

r3nu4l

congo_90 wrote: »

The rake still may be a handy one for finding out if the nest is in the bush.

I'd honestly caution against using anything other than visual inspection to investigate the presence of a nest. Using a rake or stick could knock or damage the nest and result in a swarm of very angry little critters indeed That's not the time to discover your wasp-sting allergy!

Sonnenblumen

Here's a great and low cost way.

Recently destroyed a very large wasp colony (x100's) by inserting two burning firelighters (each fixed to a nail attached to the end of the a bamboo cane).

Best to wait until dusk, have spray at the ready for any pesky late arrivals. The firelighters create plewnty of smoke underground and eventually the hive does burn quite efficiently.

In my case the colony was nestled undergound between an old decaying tree stump and two large boulders but managed to get it all out (almost 0.5m wide) took two days to eradicate everything.

poppyfields

That firelighter trick is a great idea. Don't know that it would work too well on our thatched cottage!

We've had to get rid of 4 wasps nests in the last week, that were nesting in our thatch. The final straw came when they stung the one year old on the back side. We used powder and sealed up the holes, they dragged it back into the nest.

old boy

2 answeres, 1st is a pressurised container which you use to spray around the nest or where it is placed so as to seal them in, 2nd if the nest is easily acessible or in the ground pour some creasote into it. qed

congo_90

So to clear things up there is no known nest in my garden. I've established its the fruit they're after. Teh ripe stuff not the un ripened grr! anyways bottom line is apart from remove old fruit there is not much more i can do but line the ground with miniture landmines hehe

old boy

congo_90 wrote: »

So to clear things up there is no known nest in my garden. I've established its the fruit they're after. Teh ripe stuff not the un ripened grr! anyways bottom line is apart from remove old fruit there is not much more i can do but line the ground with miniture landmines hehe

hire a detective to find the nest for you, then post here for ideas on how to get rid of them,

Manuel

Apologies for straying a little from the subject, but lately when I approach my compost bin at the bottom of the garden, the rim is lined with wasps. Initially I tried to pretend they weren't there and thought I'd just open the lid, empty my cuttings and replace the lid fairly sprightly. But they turned out to be an angry little bunch of wasps and I had to bid a hasty retreat ....

My question is, if I only approach my compost bin after dusk/dark, will the buggers have returned to barracks by then?

Sonnenblumen

Manuel

I suspect unless you've recently added a lot of fruit to the composter, there is probably a hive in there!

Manuel

Sonnenblumen, I suppose deep down I was afraid someone might say that! So if that's the case, will a winter with the lid off kill off the nest and occupants, or will I need to be more proactive?

congo_90

Manuel wrote: »

Sonnenblumen, I suppose deep down I was afraid someone might say that! So if that's the case, will a winter with the lid off kill off the nest and occupants, or will I need to be more proactive?

I think you may need to get some spray... Having said that the nest could be deep in your bin which may pose a problem of getting it.

As for my wasp problem,
I have decided to leave the buggers alone and remove the fallen fruit. They have since began dispersing... Thanks anyways for all the advice.. Some more interesting than others including a hoover.. (hmm)

Sonnenblumen

Manuel wrote: »

Sonnenblumen, I suppose deep down I was afraid someone might say that! So if that's the case, will a winter with the lid off kill off the nest and occupants, or will I need to be more proactive?

If the hive (most likely) is deep within composter, removing the lid will do little more than be a slight inconvenience for the hive. What material/construction is your composter?

If plastic, you could run hosepipe and try to flush/drown the buggers. If it is a plastic and assembled, you could try to dismantle it.

If of a more robust nature, you could smoke them out, or simply pour in hot water and spray as they disperse. At some point you will have to empty the unit and destroy colony. This should be done as darkness approaches and have a spray at the ready. A smoking rag can also be a useful deterrent.

Composters are very popular nesting sites for wasps/ants.

dh0661

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Composters are very popular nesting sites for wasps/ants.

Are ants a problem in a composter? - and would ants be a problem if I want to use my compost in flower beds etc?

Sonnenblumen

no not really a problem for garden but some might consider the ants have a more useful role in the garden.

dh0661

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

no not really a problem for garden but some might consider the ants have a more useful role in the garden.

Enlighten me please, I have only recently discovered (through these boards) that the little black beetles I have been squashing for years actually eat snail/slug eggs.

I have no problem with ants and actually sit a watch them move around in their busy way, but if I thought that they were harming plants in some way I might have another opinion.

bmaxi

dh0661 wrote: »

Enlighten me please, I have only recently discovered (through these boards) that the little black beetles I have been squashing for years actually eat snail/slug eggs.

I have no problem with ants and actually sit a watch them move around in their busy way, but if I thought that they were harming plants in some way I might have another opinion.

Ants actually "farm" aphids, so I suppose they are technically remotely, harming plants.
I suppose nothing in nature is either totally guilty or totally blameless, depending on your point of view.
Just consider the cute little bunny rabbit or deer that most people find adorable and then discuss them with a farmer or market gardener.

maybelater

I found that wasps had burrowed into the ground in my front lawn recently. I got a powder in the local diy store and dosed it late at night. Did the trick.

Lon.C

Wait till evening.Use a powerwasher on the bush. This should blow any nest out of the bush. And if there is no nest,it will at least knock off the ripe fruit which is attracting them.