Topic: Question about wasps

[Jeannine]

Last year the greenhouse was infested with small wasp nests, eventually when the cold came they died off and we cleared out the debris.

A new year...

I know hibernating queens will be on the lookout foir a new home and the greenhouse will be top of the list. We bumped off 3 looking just a few days ago..my question is this.

Once the queens start looking, is there a time frame on setting up house. eg if we can be diligent and pounce on them the minute we see them before they take hold,,is there a time when we can be sure there are no more to come, or will they continue to build nests all through this year.

Last year the greenhouse wasn't used till late summer so by the time I was given it, the wasps had really infested it and even going in caused them to take umbrage and fly around buzzing angrily..too many to safely work among.

XX Jeannine

[cornykev]

No answers from me Jeannine, but kill a few of the buggers for me.  ;)

[Jeannine]

Bad lad..I hate killing them but it was impossible fir me to use the greenhouse last year, I wish I could find an alternative. 

XX Jeannine

[valmarg]

Yes, one of lifes great imponderables.  Wasps get a dreadfully bad press.

During the next few months they are going to be the gardeners best friend, killing aphids and caterpillars to feed their larvae, which are voracious eaters.

It's not until the Autumn when the nests are dying and they become drowsy feeding on rotten fruit that they become a nuisance.

I always understood that they would not recolonise a previous year's nest.  But, if they found your greenhouse a good place, they may consider building another nest in there.

Much as I wouldn't want to destroy a nest, if it was in the greenhouse I would have considerable second thoughts. ;D

valmarg

[Robert_Brenchley]

You find the queens around during April and May in our climate - yours may be different - and after that nests are well established, with sufficient workers to care for their needs. Over here, we get around a thousand nests per square mile, and few people get stung in any given year. It's happened to me twice, over many years. If the wasps are flying across somewhere people pass, it may be worth killing them off; I don't. Otherwise, ignore them.

[Jeannine]

Thanks Robert, so if I can keep the greenhouse clear till June, I won't get anymore trying to establish..is that right..well if we are the same as the UK.

ormally I wouldn't bother but they just took over the greenhouse last year and it was impossible to work in there.

The nests are very small, they are about as big as a mid size tomato so there can't be many wasps in each nest but with 22 nests last year attached in the roof ,under the benches and everywhere else it was very difficult as when we went in they came at us from all directions.

I can't move vey fast and they were a bit scary after a while.

XX Jeannine

[picman]

Best wasp trap is an empty unwashed jam jar filled 3/4 with water, they cannot resist the sweet fruit and fall in the water. ( Fitting a lid with a 1" hole is the deluxe version ) 

[Jayb]

I bought a couple of Waspinators http://www.waspinator.co.uk/faq.html a couple of years ago due to having loads and loads of wasps in the garden, lots of damage to fruit  :(

I'm happy with mine but can't say if they do work for sure, although after hanging a couple of these up 2 years ago, I hardly saw a wasp for the rest of the summer. Last year again very low numbers, but I'm hardly being scientific, may just have been less about?
I like them and great as no chemicals or killing  :)

Pretty sure they are available in Canada.

[chriscross1966]

Why not just chuck a fumigation smoke in there just before you want to start using it?.... That way you get the predatory benefit when you want it and then get the GH back when they start binge drinking at the end of the summer

[Jeannine]

Can`t do the smoke thing,not allowed on our site, the false wasp nests don`t work, there was one in there all last year. Jam in a bottle works, but I might draw more in I think rather than catch the nesting ones.

I am secretly squirting them with direct hit bug spray when they venture in, again not allowed but not as obvious as the bomb.

Trouble is, If I miss going down there they can get settled before I can get them..

So far so good though and Robert says they should be settled
 somwhere  before too much longer. Last year we had them from April to November.

XX Jeannine

[flutemaster]

hi
please see my reply to other persons wasp problem

flutemaster

[Jeannine]

We are fine, we get them before they get chance to build anything much so far we are still in charge and OK

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

It takes few days for queen to build the starter ball where she lays her first few eggs..at this stage it is easy to distroy them by just wiping them off..most of the time the queen is not not in it anyway, but harvesting building material for the nest. And like Robert said, after few weeks her effords are becoming bit late to start again.
Saying that..it will be quite likely that they will not even come to your GH this year.. ;D Its one of those 'things', one year you get them around all the time and next you don't even see one single wasp.. ::)