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A couple of years ago I decided to have a go at Autumn berries, strawberries, raspberries and Blackberries to be precise. This is the first year that I have had a decent return but I am really annoyed. The place is awash with wasps, they are literally emtying the inside of my strawberries leaving a horrible mess. My raspeberries and blackberries are being destroyed as they ripen. What can I possibly do about this, all my hard work is being destroyed by these utterly useless creatures. I was so looking forward to an Autumn of lovely fruit as it is SO expensive in the shops at this time of year.....................I'm livid writing this.

Anthony. >:(

Hello Anthony.........how very annoying. The only thing I can suggest is very fine netting or preferably mesh that keeps the wasps out. The only way to manage this year is to cover your fruit late evening after the wasps have gone back to the nest, or be well prepared for next year.

I hope you manage to save something for yourselves, I dont know if anyone else has a better idea.

As I mentioned on another post I am investing in a polytunnel for next year. I have had it with battling with the Irish weather anyway. That should go some way to protect my crops from creatures like birds,mice,rabbits and WASPS.

Anthony.

Hi aob9, make a couple of wasp traps out of old jam jars or buy a couple from you local garden centre.
I bought one about three years ago, each summer I empty the lower chamber and refill it with a can or two of cheap cola.
once the wasps go into the trap, they are not available to return, so the amount reduces every day, or trace the nest and destroy it

Cheers, thanks for that. There must be a fairly large nest close by. You're right I have to take them on before they start on my apples. I remember seeing a friends Bramley crop getting gutted by wasps a few years ago.

Anthony

Hi Anthony,

Why not build a bit of a fruit cage? - but inseatd of using regular graden netting, use the debris netting that scafolders use to cover buildings. Its much finer than normal garden netting and would stop wasps etc I'd imagine - you can get a roll of 2m x 50m on ebay for £29 inculding postage: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Debris-Netting-Scaffolding-2m-x-50m_W0QQitemZ290250171058QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item290250171058&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

good luck!
Sheddie

Wasps can get through a pretty small hole, so you need something pretty fine if they really want to get through.

Came on here tonight looking for an answer to the very same problem.  Put 'wasp' in the search and 1st response back was this !

This site is a mine of useful info !

Wasps are not useless... they hoover up loads of pests like caterpillars and are doing a stirling job on the scale insects on my lemon... they do hang around damaged fruit... but don't start it. They don't have the teeth! They will follow up damage on rotting fruit and are a nuisance when I am trying to crop my mulberry. My neighbour has a large wasps nest in her raspberry canes and they are doing a great job, but not stopping either of us cropping our raps!  :-\

saddad,

Are you saying then that something else is getting to my strawbs (slugs perhaps?) and the wasps are just tucking in afterwards?

Quote from: Kendy on August 08, 2008, 19:03:55
Are you saying then that something else is getting to my strawbs (slugs perhaps?) and the wasps are just tucking in afterwards?

If your fruit is not under cover, the biggest culprit for damaging fruit is the blackbird family.

I agree with saddad, wasps are an extremely useful predator in Spring/Summer.  It's only in Autumn when they've outlived their usefulness, and the nest is about to be abandoned.  The wasps are about to die, and become drowsy, living on damaged fruit.

I never thought they were pollinators, but just lately I've seen them on the the raspberry flowers.

Saddad, a few years ago we had one of the big ball wasps nests in the garden.  What a fantastic construction.

valmarg

Mine are under netting so it can't be birds getting in 1st. 

Went up tonight and put some more straw under the fruits to lift them higher off the ground although noticed that some of the damaged ones are hanging on the plants so can't be slugs - unless they jump ! :)  Found a couple of berries inhabited by 2 or 3 wasps (sorry to say they were exterminated!)

Going to try the jam jar tip.

Quote from: Kendy on August 08, 2008, 21:39:35
Mine are under netting so it can't be birds getting in 1st. 

And the voice of experience says 'don't you believe it'.  You may think you have the most secure netting, NO WAY they can get in there.  Believe me they can, and do.

valmarg

we have blackbirds that sit on the net to weight it down to get to the fruit  ;D

I agree manics, no amount of netting is going to deter the determined blackbird. ;D

valmarg

Sorry but I like wasps... These beauties hurt a bit though!

But really I had the wasps tattoo'd because Vespa means Wasp and we have one each... Sorry tosend the thread off on a tangent.

Quote from: Crash on August 08, 2008, 23:10:14


Sorry but I like wasps... These beauties hurt a bit though!

But really I had the wasps tattoo'd because Vespa means Wasp and we have one each... Sorry tosend the thread off on a tangent.

Eh???  How off topic can one go?

Gx

Er... that's a nice set of moobs you're growing there crash...

looks like a pair of eyes with bushy eyebrows upside down.............

course wasps are useful - bees make honey, and wasps make MARMALADE

Here is how to make another type of wasp trap. 

Take a plastic bottle without the screw cap and cut it into two about one third of the way down.  Fill the bottom half with jam or rotting fruit and a little water.  Put the top bit back on upside down, wedged into the bottom half, then tie the trap to a fruit tree.