Bad bad bad bad wasp problem

[babygrant]

The kids and I can't even go outside because we have such a bad wasp problem. I can't count the number of times we have been stung just going from our front door to the car. The whole neighbourhood is like this. We have a compost pile but it's at the complete opposite corner of the yard as we play in. I really hate killing anything, but I bought a wasp trap where you put a bit of sugar water in the container and they can't get out. So anyone who hates killing of wasps...don't click the link....but this is how many wasps I got over a 4 hour period. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v1...rent=WASPS.jpg This trap has made it so we can play in the boys sandbox because the wasps that were by the sandbox go a little ways away from us to go into the trap. Anything else I can do?

[mumkimum]

Holy heck, that's a lot of 'em!

(are those actually yellow jackets? instead of wasps? I'm never totally clear on that, but I think you trap them the same way anyway).

Other than destroying their nest or whatever (if you even know where it is) I'd just put up more traps like you have. We had a yellow jacket problem (getting in our house!) last summer. But dp insisted on getting some spray for where they were getting in & I know of nothing 'gentler' than poison like that that works well.

[babygrant]

Originally Posted by mumkimum

Holy heck, that's a lot of 'em!

(are those actually yellow jackets? instead of wasps? I'm never totally clear on that, but I think you trap them the same way anyway).

Other than destroying their nest or whatever (if you even know where it is) I'd just put up more traps like you have. We had a yellow jacket problem (getting in our house!) last summer. But dp insisted on getting some spray for where they were getting in & I know of nothing 'gentler' than poison like that that works well.

Yeah they are getting in the house too. And we USED to hang out laundry to dry, but I took a load off the line and there was wasps in the pockets, tucked into creases of the clothing. It was horrible.

DH destroyed two nests that were on the top eaves of our house, we can't find anymore nests around our house though.

I dont THINK they are yellow jackets....but I could be wrong.

[beanma]

yeah, those are yellow jackets which are a kind of wasp.

yikes!

[Ambrose]

Originally Posted by babygrant

The kids and I can't even go outside because we have such a bad wasp problem. I can't count the number of times we have been stung just going from our front door to the car. The whole neighbourhood is like this. We have a compost pile but it's at the complete opposite corner of the yard as we play in. I really hate killing anything, but I bought a wasp trap where you put a bit of sugar water in the container and they can't get out. So anyone who hates killing of wasps...don't click the link....but this is how many wasps I got over a 4 hour period. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v1...rent=WASPS.jpg This trap has made it so we can play in the boys sandbox because the wasps that were by the sandbox go a little ways away from us to go into the trap. Anything else I can do?

OMG!!! That is an INSANE amount of wasps! My husband would die if he came to visit you!

Have you spoken with any neighbors about their methods of disposal of those nasty little things?


Here's something I found...

http://agnic.msu.edu/hgpubs/modus/morefile/hg122_78.pdf

Hornets, yellow jackets, Polistes, mud daubers, and the cicada killer all are wasps:

The kind of insecticide application needed to kill wasps depends on where the nest is located. Effective insecticides include carbaryl, fenthion, propoxur, lindane, malathion, and methyoxychlor. Follow directions on the insecticide container.

I dunno- I might be tempted to use the nasty pesticide stuff by the looks of your capture thing.

[MilkyMcGee]

Those very well could be Yellow Jackets, but I just refer to them as wasps.

That's a lot of wasps.

Have you looked for their nest? Start looking underneath the eaves of the house and under branches of trees. You'll find it. Spray it with outdoor raid and run like hell.

It'd be nice to play the 'natural' game on this one, but being stung on the way to the car when you're not doing ANYTHING to them is not a great sign. Keep up with the traps, too.

[beanma]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowjacket

they typically nest in the ground around here.

[Ambrose]

Another thing I found... more natural...

http://www.eartheasy.com/live_natwasp_control.htm

Remove food sources. In spring and early summer, wasps are attracted to protein foods. Any food left outdoors, such as pet food, picnic scraps, open garbage containers or uncovered compost piles should be removed or covered. Wasps imprint food sources, and will continue to search an area for some time after the food has been removed.
In late summer and early fall, the wasp food preference turns to the sweet. Their behavior is also more aggressive. Open cans of pop, fruit juice, fallen apples beneath fruit trees and other sweet food sources will attract wasps. Be sure to cover drinks and open food containers, keep a lid on the compost and avoid walking barefoot near fruit trees. Remove any fallen fruit rotting on the ground.

Make a simple Water Trap
Use a razor knife to cut the top from a 2-liter plastic pop bottle. Cut just above the shoulder of the bottle. Discard the screw top. Fill with water about halfway. Coat the neck with jam, invert it and set back on the bottle. Use two small pieces
of tape to hold it in place.

Wasps will go down the funnel to get the jam, but will find it difficult to get out. Most will drop into the water and drown.

[mumkimum]

Some advice we got from a pest company was to (before treating with anything if you do that) seal up any places inside your house they could/do get in. DON'T seal up from the outside (or else they're trapped inside your house in case they're nesting in your siding or something like that. yikes!)

We rigged up some spots of our basement with styrafoam we had around, cardboard, duct tape cause they were getting into our heating vents and would appear all sorts of places in the house and then fly around all crazy (really freaky, esp. with our new baby around at the time.). We were also told that yellow jackets move their nests each year, so ?? may be good news?? We haven't seen anywhere near the amount we did last year. And they do all die at the end of the summer, so around now would be a good time to do something 'more serious' to help prevent something next year, if that's something you wanna do.

[Rebecca]

Those are hornets, not yellow jackets. They are predators like yellow jackets but tend to make paper nests under eaves and gutters, inside sheds, in plastic toys, play structures or clothesline supports with holes (ask me how I know about that) and in attics if they can get in. They look for places that are sheltered from rain and build a round nest that looks like a honeycomb of holes (where they raise their larvae), not the big paper nests that wasps make that look like lampshades. They eat bugs but also trash, rotting fruit and flesh, and anything else they can find (keep your soda cans covered if you're having a picnic unless you want to get stung on the lip). Yellow Jackets dont have a body segment and tend to build nests underground, in/under cracks in pavement, under piles of old brush (making a hike very dangerous if you don't know where they're lurking). They're fiercely protective of their nests and will swarm and chase you. These aren't bees that pollinate crops, so no worries there.

Call an exterminator. Not only can those hornets cause damage to your home, but getting stung repeatedly isn't good for anyone. You CAN develop an allergy to repeated exposures. I did. The poison they use is only a concern when it's still wet. It's usually pyrethrin based (from chrysanthemums) IIRC.

[PeacefulSeams]

I can sympathize with you. We had a horrid hornet problem. They made their nests right above my front door, over the garage and by my windows. I tired everything I could think of and eventually just had the exterminator out to fix it. I really didn't want to use that nasty pesticide, but I didn't want my son to get stung. They are all gone for now.....but I'm sure they will be back.

[Lisa Lubner]

Whatever you do, DON'T squish them.

[annekevdbroek]

I am allergic to wasp/hornet/things that sting and completely freak out when I encounter stinging things. I also have an organic garden... The ONLY thing I'll bend the no-pesticides rule for are aggressive stinging insects. Call a bug-control/exterminator company and get them out to treat your yard. Multiple stings can be very dangerous for a young child or any allergic adult. I got cellulitus (skin infection, very serious) from a sting 3 years ago....

[Throkmorton]

I feel your pain. The wasps here are especially bad this year (you should see the bakery tent at Farmer's market!)
It's a pain because they feed on sweet corn, and have damaged quite a bit of the crop.

We makie traps from pop bottles where you cut the top off, flip it upside down like a funnel, duct tape it in place and fill it with sugar water/cheap wine/leftover flat pop. We also ended up spraying a nest which was concealed in the plastic slide in the back yard.

[Ambrose]

Originally Posted by Lisa Lubner

Whatever you do, DON'T squish them.

Why not? (Honestly... does something happen if you squish them?)

[Throkmorton]

wasps will release a pheromone if you squich them, signaling the rest of their hive to swarm at the attacker.

[mumkimum]

Originally Posted by Throkmorton

wasps will release a pheromone if you squich them, signaling the rest of their hive to swarm at the attacker.

:

(now huddling in terror at my computer, I will never forget this new tidbit of information! and will never squish a wasp or anything vaguely similar)

[Ceinwen]

wasps will release a pheromone if you squich them, signaling the rest of their hive to swarm at the attacker.

Oh lovely. :

I detest flying, stinging insects with the passion of a million suns.

[nattybo]

4 hours Yikes! that is a really bad wasp problem.

To end any confusion: wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, paper wasps are all in the same insect family of Vespidae. THey are all wasps or hornets, whatever you want to call them. They all eat the same things (like caterpillars, beetle larvae, fruit juices, nectar). Regardless of their common name, they all sting very painfully and people can and do develop allergies when stung too many times.

Those look (distinct bands of bright yellow and black) and sound (from the aggressive behavior) like yellow jackets to me. Attacking you and your kids when heading to your car is typical of yellow jackets. If you want, you can look at the face of one of the dead ones you have and look for 3 yellow dots. Does it look like this? **warning big, scary bug picture***http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:V...ermanica01.jpg The 3 dots mean you have german wasps.

Paper wasps (the ones that build hanging little do-dads under eves and overhangs, inside tubes like car tail pipes and clothes line holders, etc.) tend not to be aggresive towards people...unless you are bothering their nest...like hanging laundy on "their" nest.

The german wasp and the yellow jackets both typically nest in the ground. Both are very aggresive. Both sting repeatably. If you do not want to use pesticides, find their nest (in the ground) during the day. It will be easy to spot b/c there will be many wasps heading in one direction. Then at night, completely and firmly cover the nest opening with a transparent bowl. The wasps will not excavate a new tunnel to escape and will eventually starve to death.

I recently had two yellow jacket nests in my yard. They were both on the SE side of my house (shaded from the afternoon sun a factor?). Both openings were set at the base of wooden flower beds.
hth

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

yikes!!!!


my dh is extremely allergic, and i would be calling exterminators like crazy if i saw this in my yard after only 4 hrs...


where'd you get the trap btw?