Wasps

[Borr 4,498]

They're driving me nuts , I've killed a fair few , must be a good year for them I guess.....except for the ones I've nailed.

[Meece 1,957]

Nahh.  Just wasps. They are nearby and youve got something that they want. I take them at every opportunity before they get me.   Evening is the best time to find them because they are going home.  during the day, Put a small  It of jam on a bit of card board.  They'll find it and see which way they go.  Move the jam in that direction.  Follow and move.  Follow and move.   The closer you get to their nest there'll be more. Be careful you don't stand on the nest, there might be more than one.  Have a cut stick or three a couple of foot long with a bit it white tape on it to mark the position of the hole at night.  When its dark go back with a decent torch so that you don't stand on the nest etc. ON YOUR OWN... NO DOGS... NO KIDS.  QUIET LIKE.  I have a SMALL plastic pop bottle securely fixed on the end of a pole/stick about 6 ft long with unleaded in it.  This pole allows you to keep back away from the hole and pour the unleaded down the hole.  THEN SLOWLY RETREAT.   DO NOT SET FIRE TO IT AND CATCH THE COUNTRYSIDE ALIGHT......  next day bingo no wasps.  Back when I was a kid they used to use a teaspoon of calcium carbide. With a bit of turf over the hole  The white powder reacted with moisture in the soil or a bit of water to make acetylene gas.  Same result. I don't know where or if it is still available.   The stuff stunk horribly. 

Edited August 14, 2022 by Meece

[Meece 1,957]

One year I took 14 nests locally to our house . The kids got stung,  The wife got stung... twice on the same hand  but the line was crossed when there were 3 of the blighters burrowing into the spaniel fur to sting her. Can't have that sort of thing going on here. !!   Needs must when the devil drives and they'd signed their own warrant.

[Borr 4,498]

Used to cymag nests with an old keeper, he did a monster in an old trough once told me to spoon powder on it and he rang in with a bucket of water, most times just a spoon of powder next to hole and a pile of dead wasps....

[stumfelter 3,032]

I can remember when wasp grubs were a top bait on the Trent.

[Borr 4,498]

9 minutes ago, stumfelter said:

I can remember when wasp grubs were a top bait on the Trent.

They banned them along with blood worms in the 70s in matches because of cost to average working man....

[Borr 4,498]

Then they banned maggots in the Hampshire Avon because game fish tasted of ammonia lol...

[pesky1972 4,928]

Was at Perth races yesterday and there were hundreds of the little fcukers. Think it might be the worst year in a while for wasps

[pesky1972 4,928]

1 hour ago, Meece said:

Put a small  It of jam on a bit of card board.  They'll find it and see which way they go.  Move the jam in that direction.  Follow and move.  Follow and move. 

You’ll love these guys…, tracking giant hornets back to the nest by gluing a streamer to one, then following it home with a drone. 

 

[mackem 23,785]

 

[kanny 19,389]

I've  done a nest this evening  up in  the guttering soffit  ,fkin things 

[DIDO.1 20,867]

I've done half as many nests as this time last year. 

[Stavross 13,736]

3 hours ago, stumfelter said:

I can remember when wasp grubs were a top bait on the Trent.

We used to go looking for wasp nests over the fields behind my mam’s house when I was a kid, I was a member of a small angling club that had matches every other Saturday, the prize money was about 20 quid and a apple pie or some other food we used to smuggle grubs and joker in, won a few between me and my mate and 20 quid was a small fortune to us in the early 90’s