........of the wasps. We've just had a wasps nest destroyed and the man from
the council said "good job too". Apparently what we had trying to nest in
the eaves of the tea room kitchen, were German wasps. I don't think I've
ever heard of them but according to him they're smaller, darker than our
natives and very very vicious. He said that while the well-mannered English
wasp will mostly ignore you if you don't bother it, these will positively
attack you if you're near them.
Anyone else had any experience of these wasps?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Sacha wrote:

Anyone else had any experience of these wasps?

They have been in the American colonies for a good 30 years; I learned
about them at a beekeeping short course close to 20 years ago. At that
time they said the majority (I forget the percentage) of wasps trapped at a
McDonald's trash bin were Vespula Germanica. And as you say, they are more
aggressive than the native ones (which were likely British imports), as
well as liking the same junk food we do.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

On 10/7/08 15:55, in article ,
"Gary Woods" wrote:

Sacha wrote:

Anyone else had any experience of these wasps?

They have been in the American colonies for a good 30 years; I learned
about them at a beekeeping short course close to 20 years ago. At that
time they said the majority (I forget the percentage) of wasps trapped at a
McDonald's trash bin were Vespula Germanica. And as you say, they are more
aggressive than the native ones (which were likely British imports), as
well as liking the same junk food we do.


Thanks, Gary. I've read a bit about them since and one theory - if it is a
theory - is that they have twice the venom of our domestic variety! I am
very relieved ours have been despatched. Not only would we rather staff and
customers don't get stung, the eaves of that area are adjacent to one of our
spare bedrooms - the one mother, father and babies usually use when they're
here!


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

The message
from Sacha contains these words:

........of the wasps. We've just had a wasps nest destroyed and the
man from
the council said "good job too". Apparently what we had trying to nest in
the eaves of the tea room kitchen, were German wasps. I don't think I've
ever heard of them but according to him they're smaller, darker than our
natives and very very vicious. He said that while the well-mannered English
wasp will mostly ignore you if you don't bother it, these will positively
attack you if you're near them.
Anyone else had any experience of these wasps?

Yes, they are bad news. There was one area of the estate I do a bit of
work on sometimes where a colony started, and I used to carry a large
springy fly-swatter. I think I would have won Wombledom that year.

Found the nest and one night, tipped a quantity of shotgun powder into
it through a funnel, lit a fuse to it, and WHOOOMPH! that was that.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

On 10/7/08 17:35, in article ,
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote:

The message
from Sacha contains these words:

........of the wasps. We've just had a wasps nest destroyed and the
man from
the council said "good job too". Apparently what we had trying to nest in
the eaves of the tea room kitchen, were German wasps. I don't think I've
ever heard of them but according to him they're smaller, darker than our
natives and very very vicious. He said that while the well-mannered English
wasp will mostly ignore you if you don't bother it, these will positively
attack you if you're near them.
Anyone else had any experience of these wasps?

Yes, they are bad news. There was one area of the estate I do a bit of
work on sometimes where a colony started, and I used to carry a large
springy fly-swatter. I think I would have won Wombledom that year.

Found the nest and one night, tipped a quantity of shotgun powder into
it through a funnel, lit a fuse to it, and WHOOOMPH! that was that.

Why do I get the impression you enjoyed yourself *enormously*? ;-) The
more I here of these things, the more relieved I am that they've gone to the
wasp nest in the sky!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Sacha wrote:
On 10/7/08 17:35, in article ,
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote:

The message
from Sacha contains these words:

........of the wasps. We've just had a wasps nest destroyed and the
man from
the council said "good job too". Apparently what we had trying to nest in
the eaves of the tea room kitchen, were German wasps. I don't think I've
ever heard of them but according to him they're smaller, darker than our
natives and very very vicious. He said that while the well-mannered English
wasp will mostly ignore you if you don't bother it, these will positively
attack you if you're near them.
Anyone else had any experience of these wasps?
Yes, they are bad news. There was one area of the estate I do a bit of
work on sometimes where a colony started, and I used to carry a large
springy fly-swatter. I think I would have won Wombledom that year.

Found the nest and one night, tipped a quantity of shotgun powder into
it through a funnel, lit a fuse to it, and WHOOOMPH! that was that.

Why do I get the impression you enjoyed yourself *enormously*? ;-) The
more I here of these things, the more relieved I am that they've gone to the
wasp nest in the sky!
I never worried about wasps until a few years ago when I got stung
several times. The next time the reaction was terrible, so now I am very
wary. As a bit of an aside I seem to have a wasp nest in an abandoned
mole/mouse hole at the edge of my lawn. Is this normal, all other wasp
nests I have seen are outside and consist of a "paper" ball?

On 10/7/08 18:42, in article , "Broadback"
wrote:

Sacha wrote:
On 10/7/08 17:35, in article ,
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote:

The message
from Sacha contains these words:

........of the wasps. We've just had a wasps nest destroyed and the
man from
the council said "good job too". Apparently what we had trying to nest in
the eaves of the tea room kitchen, were German wasps. I don't think I've
ever heard of them but according to him they're smaller, darker than our
natives and very very vicious. He said that while the well-mannered
English
wasp will mostly ignore you if you don't bother it, these will positively
attack you if you're near them.
Anyone else had any experience of these wasps?
Yes, they are bad news. There was one area of the estate I do a bit of
work on sometimes where a colony started, and I used to carry a large
springy fly-swatter. I think I would have won Wombledom that year.

Found the nest and one night, tipped a quantity of shotgun powder into
it through a funnel, lit a fuse to it, and WHOOOMPH! that was that.

Why do I get the impression you enjoyed yourself *enormously*? ;-) The
more I here of these things, the more relieved I am that they've gone to the
wasp nest in the sky!
I never worried about wasps until a few years ago when I got stung
several times. The next time the reaction was terrible, so now I am very
wary. As a bit of an aside I seem to have a wasp nest in an abandoned
mole/mouse hole at the edge of my lawn. Is this normal, all other wasp
nests I have seen are outside and consist of a "paper" ball?

I think you are right to be wary. I'm extremely allergic to bee stings and
now carry an Epipen with me. As to your wasps in the ground, a friend of
mine ended up in hospital while digging her garden one day. Her spade had
gone right into a wasp's nest. Whether it's actually usual, I don't know
but it happens.


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

"Broadback" wrote in message
...

As a bit of an aside I seem to have a wasp nest in an abandoned
mole/mouse hole at the edge of my lawn. Is this normal, all other wasp
nests I have seen are outside and consist of a "paper" ball?

It's normal for some types of social wasps to make nests in abandoned mouse
holes, excavating them to make the hole big enough. Bumble bees do the same.

Most social wasps prefer to build nests in sheltered places, the paper is
fragile and can be damaged by wind and rain.

Don't worry about the nest, the wasps will die off in a couple of months or
so and the nest won't be re-occupied. If you try to kill the wasps or dig
out the nest while it's still occupied you're asking for trouble.

Mary

On 10 Jul, 19:23, Sacha wrote:
On 10/7/08 18:42, in article , "Broadback"





wrote:
Sacha wrote:
On 10/7/08 17:35, in article ,
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote:

The message
from Sacha contains these words:

........of the wasps. *We've just had a wasps nest destroyed and the
man from
the council said "good job too". *Apparently what we had trying to nest in
the eaves of the tea room kitchen, were German wasps. *I don't think I've
ever heard of them but according to him they're smaller, darker than our
natives and very very vicious. *He said that while the well-mannered
English
wasp will mostly ignore you if you don't bother it, these will positively
attack you if you're near them.
Anyone else had any experience of these wasps?
Yes, they are bad news. There was one area of the estate I do a bit of
work on sometimes where a colony started, and I used to carry a large
springy fly-swatter. I think I would have won Wombledom that year.

Found the nest and one night, tipped a quantity of shotgun powder into
it through a funnel, lit a fuse to it, and WHOOOMPH! that was that.

Why do I get the impression you enjoyed yourself *enormously*? *;-) *The
more I here of these things, the more relieved I am that they've gone to the
wasp nest in the sky!
I never worried about wasps until a few years ago when I got stung
several times. The next time the reaction was terrible, so now I am very
wary. As a bit of an aside I seem to have a wasp nest in an abandoned
mole/mouse hole at the edge of my lawn. Is this normal, all other wasp
nests I have seen are outside and consist of a "paper" ball?

I think you are right to be wary. *I'm extremely allergic to bee stings and
now carry an Epipen with me. *As to your wasps in the ground, a friend of
mine ended up in hospital while digging her garden one day. *Her spade had
gone right into a wasp's nest. *Whether it's actually usual, I don't know
but it happens.

--
Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I used to be hypersensitive to wasps and over the years it was geting
worse and worse, I had 2 courses od desentization and the last course
(Pure venom) worked but I am still very wary of the little blighters.

This website might be of interest regarding Wasps of different kinds.
http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th4.htm
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

In message , Mary
Fisher writes

Don't worry about the nest, the wasps will die off in a couple of months or
so and the nest won't be re-occupied. If you try to kill the wasps or dig
out the nest while it's still occupied you're asking for trouble.

The council pest control man told me all that after he'd killed the
wasps in a corner of our loft. I called him because I was painting
the eaves of the house and they were buzzing in and out of a gap in the
woodwork as I worked. I'm not scared of wasps but the top of a
ladder is no place to be when they are constantly passing your head.!
--
Gordon H

"Gordon H" wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes

Don't worry about the nest, the wasps will die off in a couple of months
or
so and the nest won't be re-occupied. If you try to kill the wasps or dig
out the nest while it's still occupied you're asking for trouble.

The council pest control man told me all that after he'd killed the wasps
in a corner of our loft. I called him because I was painting the
eaves of the house and they were buzzing in and out of a gap in the
woodwork as I worked. I'm not scared of wasps but the top of a
ladder is no place to be when they are constantly passing your head.!

They're not interested in you though, unless you disturb the nest or touch
one.

Mary
--
Gordon H

"Stephen Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:31:09 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill
wrote:

I used to be hypersensitive to wasps and over the years it was geting
worse and worse, I had 2 courses od desentization and the last course
(Pure venom) worked but I am still very wary of the little blighters.

A colleague of mine had two emergencies because he was so sensitive.
He had to be desensitised. Before that the wasps seemed to chase him
just to annoy him.

'seemed to' !



How did they know he was sensitive? Do sensitive people smell
different?

No. But they don't sting for fun.

Mary

On Jul 11, 12:52 pm, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
"Stephen Wolstenholme" wrote in message

...

On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:31:09 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill
wrote:

I used to be hypersensitive to wasps and over the years it was geting
worse and worse, I had 2 courses od desentization and the last course
(Pure venom) worked but I am still very wary of the little blighters.

A colleague of mine had two emergencies because he was so sensitive.
He had to be desensitised. Before that the wasps seemed to chase him
just to annoy him.

'seemed to' !



How did they know he was sensitive? Do sensitive people smell
different?

No. But they don't sting for fun.

Mary

If I have problems with wasps-nests that I can't burn right away I
have 2 methods I use.
1. I put a vacuum cleaner right at the entrance and let it stay there
for a couple of hours. Banging the wall or whatever they are hiding
behind a few times.
Repeat after a week to kill the newly emerged wasps.
2 Here in Sweden we have a powder "Myrr" that are supposed to be used
against ants. I works against wasps too. I take a bit about 50 cm of
½" tubing. Fill it with a few cm3 of "Myrr". Put one end of the tube
at the entrance. Blow hard in the other end. DON'T INHALE with the
tube at or near your mouth. "Myrr" don't kill them but makes them
abdomen the nest, with all the eggs, larvae and pupas.

I general, try to kill as many wasps as possible, it is the homeless
wasps that are most annoying and and looking for sweets. Wasps that
have larvae to feed is more interested in animal food like aphids. So
if you burn the nest, do it late when everybody is at home......;-)

John

"rehn" wrote in message
...

I general, try to kill as many wasps as possible, it is the homeless
wasps that are most annoying and and looking for sweets.

That's not true, you don't understand the life cycle of wasps.

Mary

On Jul 11, 9:41 am, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
"Broadback" wrote in message

...

As a bit of an aside I seem to have a wasp nest in an abandoned
mole/mouse hole at the edge of my lawn. Is this normal, all other wasp
nests I have seen are outside and consist of a "paper" ball?

It's normal for some types of social wasps to make nests in abandoned mouse
holes, excavating them to make the hole big enough. Bumble bees do the same.

Most social wasps prefer to build nests in sheltered places, the paper is
fragile and can be damaged by wind and rain.

Don't worry about the nest, the wasps will die off in a couple of months or
so and the nest won't be re-occupied. If you try to kill the wasps or dig
out the nest while it's still occupied you're asking for trouble.

Mary

Mary, you may remember years ago, I was stung multiple times by wasps
that also chased me into the house and stung me through my clothes, I
ended up in the shower fully clothed with wasps dripping off me, in my
hair ugh, I still have the shivers. We had a wasps' nest in the bank
and our grandson was forever trying to catch them, also they were a
menace when he was eating fruit from the trees outside. I did a very
stupid thing, as I posted before, I took some advice to wait until
nightfall and pour down jeyes fluid into the hole. They swarmed out
after me, I have never been so frightened in my life, now I have an
absolute terror of them, one buzz and I am off.

Judith