For single occupancy....??

Posted by: Geoff P on 27 April 2008

....OR is this the start of a new housing complex?

Should I tell him he has'nt got planning permission and help him demolish it....OR....just continue my watching brief since the garden shed is already brown belt.

regards
Geoff

Posted on: 27 April 2008 by count.d

Yuk! Start of a new estate.

I made a bird box with a camera inside and last year once the Blue Tits had finished with it, wasps moved in and built a nest. It was fascinating but disgusting at the same time.

I don't like wasps at all.

Posted on: 27 April 2008 by Steve2701

Willing to bet he will be a she and from where i'm sat at least 5 sleeping compartments can be seen...
Methinks sevaral more will be joining the party real soon.

Posted on: 27 April 2008 by Chris Kelly

That should give you a buzz, Geoff. (I'll get me coat)

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by Geoff P

quote:
Willing to bet he will be a she and from where i'm sat at least 5 sleeping compartments can be seen...

Yep...that's what I reckon.

I am inclined to be brutal and destroy this
lovely little work of natural art now to avoid having a rather dangerous eddifice in the future.

....plus this is not a small wasp...any bigger and would be thinking Hornet.

Now if it was Bees it would be different

regards
Geoff

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by domfjbrown

quote:
Originally posted by Geoff P:
I am inclined to be brutal and destroy this
lovely little work of natural art now to avoid having a rather dangerous eddifice in the future.

Deodorant spray and lighter instantly springs to mind... Wasps are nasty vicious little bastards and should be wiped out; what purpose do they actually serve anyway?

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by Cymbiosis

quote:
Originally posted by Geoff P:
quote:
Willing to bet he will be a she and from where i'm sat at least 5 sleeping compartments can be seen...
Yep...that's what I reckon.

I am inclined to be brutal and destroy this
lovely little work of natural art now to avoid having a rather dangerous eddifice in the future.

regards
Geoff

Yes without doubt it's a she (Queen) - Be brutal now. She's chewing up your shead to make the pulp - raw material for the nest construction. Plus as time goes by, into the summer, you'll find lot's of stressed offspring every time you go into your shead. Unlike bees, they don't die once they have stung you, so quite often they are up for having a go at any perceived threat - You!

Wasps and Hornets make bad neighbours, therefore the only course for you to take is eviction/destruction - No mercy!

Kind regards,

Peter

P.S.

quote:
Deodorant spray and lighter instantly springs to mind... Wasps are nasty vicious little bastards and should be wiped out; what purpose do they actually serve anyway?

I did this too, as a kid..... great fun but rather dangerous as I sit here thinking about it!

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by JWM

quote:
Originally posted by domfjbrown:
Deodorant spray and lighter ...

Have you watched 007 once too often? (Live and Let Die, snake, aerosol and cigar)

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by djftw

My grandfathers preferred method for ones in the ground was a mixture of petrol and diesel, not a good idea in a shed though. My brother and I once destroyed a huge one in a boarded up window in one of our outbuildings with the foam you can buy. Stank for about a month, and having to pry the board off without getting stung was a bit tricky, but it seemed pretty effective.

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by tonym

quote:
Originally posted by domfjbrown:
quote:
Originally posted by Geoff P:
I am inclined to be brutal and destroy this
lovely little work of natural art now to avoid having a rather dangerous eddifice in the future.

Deodorant spray and lighter instantly springs to mind... Wasps are nasty vicious little bastards and should be wiped out; what purpose do they actually serve anyway?

Well, as the result of people wiping out large numbers of the wasp population we ended up with Dutch elm disease. The wasps apparently fed on the small insect carriers of the disease.

In the last couple of days we've been getting a few dozy wasps in our bedroom. The dog was sniffing at one so I managed to rescue it from being eaten, and the dog from getting a nasty shock, by gently gathering the little creature up in a tissue and conveying it lovingly to the open window for a release back into the garden.

Then the ungrateful bastard stung me! Squashed it to a pulp so I did.

We've got a hornet's nest up in the end gable of the house. Fascinating creatures. We've yet to be stung so I've left them in peace.

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by djftw

quote:
Well, as the result of people wiping out large numbers of the wasp population we ended up with Dutch elm disease. The wasps apparently fed on the small insect carriers of the disease.

I think that had more to do with the use of industrial pesticides in farming than people not liking them squatting in their buildings and potentially sending their children into possibly fatal anaphylactic shock (my sisters are both very allergic to stings, my brother and I are not in the slightest, strange that!).

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by Geoff P

Well I had pretty much decided it had to be destroyed right away...but just thought I would see what the vote was.

Thanks guys....I think I will keep away from fire oriented destuction since as you can see the shed would burn beautifully.

regards
Geoff

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by djftw

The foam works well, but I would keep the area ventilated and cover your mouth and nose with a hanky or something.

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by tonym

But they're God's children Geoff! Stay your hand!

Get the wife to do it in case you get stung.

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by JWM

Yes, I can picture it now, you getting SWMBO to step into the firing line ...

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by Bob McC

I would suggest that wasps found in houses roundabout now haven't come in but hibernated in the house and just woken up!

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by tonym

I think you're right bob. No sign of a nest or anything.

quote:
Yes, I can picture it now, you getting SWMBO to step into the firing line...

Sadly, not a likely scenario with you-know-who James!

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by Cymbiosis

quote:
Originally posted by tonym:

Well, as the result of people wiping out large numbers of the wasp population we ended up with Dutch elm disease. The wasps apparently fed on the small insect carriers of the disease.

Wasps might have slowed it's progress down a bit, but the Elm Bark beetle was imported from Canada I think?

within and underneath the bark of infected logs, so for much of the time wasps would have struggled to get at them. The disease had been in Europe for a while (hence Dutch), but a much tougher fungal strain carried on these beetles was accidentally imported in the late 1960's when controls on importation of such products were more relaxed than today. This is the fungal strain that decimated our trees.

Yet again, we manage to screw up our environment!

The reason why the trees die is because of the fungus the beetle carries on it's body and beetles can only attack larger saplings and trees (as they need something to burrow into) and that's why you'll see Elm hedgerows all over the UK but not anything more mature..... Unless you live in Brighton of course where, unusually a forward thinking council decided to vaccinate and monitor all Elm trees in the area. Even to this day, reports of a new infection are dealt with quickly and the offending branch or whole tree is removed and then burnt!

Mine of useless information....me.

Anyway Geoff, no flame throwers needed yet. - I suggest using scissors to cut it off or a wooden mallet for a rather more direct approach as there is probably only one adult or maybe two/three at most to deal with at the moment - Have fun

KR

Peter

Posted on: 28 April 2008 by PJT

quote:
Originally posted by Cymbiosis:
quote:
Originally posted by tonym:

Well, as the result of people wiping out large numbers of the wasp population we ended up with Dutch elm disease. The wasps apparently fed on the small insect carriers of the disease.

Wasps might have slowed it's progress down a bit, but the Elm Bark beetle was imported from Canada I think? within and underneath the bark of infected logs, so for much of the time wasps would have struggled to get at them. The disease had been in Europe for a while (hence Dutch), but a much tougher fungal strain carried on these beetles was accidentally imported in the late 1960's when controls on importation of such products were more relaxed than today. This is the fungal strain that decimated our trees.

Yet again, we manage to screw up our environment!

The reason why the trees die is because of the fungus the beetle carries on it's body and beetles can only attack larger saplings and trees (as they need something to burrow into) and that's why you'll see Elm hedgerows all over the UK but not anything more mature..... Unless you live in Brighton of course where, unusually a forward thinking council decided to vaccinate and monitor all Elm trees in the area. Even to this day, reports of a new infection are dealt with quickly and the offending branch or whole tree is removed and then burnt!

Mine of useless information....me.

Anyway Geoff, no flame throwers needed yet. - I suggest using scissors to cut it off or a wooden mallet for a rather more direct approach as there is probably only one adult or maybe two/three at most to deal with at the moment - Have fun

KR

Peter

Yeah - squish it to a pulp...

Posted on: 29 April 2008 by domfjbrown

quote:
Originally posted by JWM:
quote:
Originally posted by domfjbrown:
Deodorant spray and lighter ...

Have you watched 007 once too often? (Live and Let Die, snake, aerosol and cigar)

That's where I first saw it, yep; as an impressionable young-teen I had to try it myself

The flamethrower effect is pretty safe unless everything in reach of the flame is highly flammable; I reckon so long as you have a bucket of water you'd be OK nuking that nest with some Linx and a Bik

You could always lure the queen out and THEN burn her while she's in flight - safest bet yet and totally deserved since wasps are evil little ****s.

One of the worst pains I've ever experienced (eclipsed only by the pain of me landing on the crossbar of a bike on my nuts (wish I'd gone over the handlebars!!!) was the pain of me landing bare-foot onto a wasp from about 3 feet up (jumped off of a landing jetty thing in a park in Eastbourne). Now THAT hurt! incidentally, both accidents happened in the summer of 1986...

Posted on: 29 April 2008 by JWM

When, last century, I was a babe sitting outside in the pram (yes, parents did that in those days), I was stung five times on the face by wasps. Funnily I can cope with them quite happily - but not a nest.

Posted on: 29 April 2008 by Geoff P

quote:
I was stung five times on the face by wasps.

JWM was that in one session

or five different times.....whichever not at all nice.

I was stung when as a kid jumping up and down in a netball game on a local beach. The only consolation was that the little bastard was trapped and squashed in the process.

The nest has been demolished this morning, but the wasp(s) were not at home at the time so it will be interesting to see if they try again.

regards
Geoff

Posted on: 29 April 2008 by JWM

Unfortunately, all at once (must have been quite dangerous really). Fortunately I have absolutely no recollection of it, neither have I been traumatised.

Posted on: 29 April 2008 by Richard S

If you really want an imaginative solution try;

Posted on: 30 April 2008 by Howlinhounddog

Oh no, and I've just stopped having nightmares over that bloody book too

Posted on: 30 April 2008 by count.d

quote:
The nest has been demolished this morning, but the wasp(s) were not at home at the time so it will be interesting to see if they try again

I bet they do!

With my bird camera box, I poked a cane through the hole into the nest and tried to destroy it. I then watched on the camera to see what went on inside. The Wasps never came out once, but started repairing the nest immediately. Not one came out! I did this twice on separate occasions. I must grow up.