Wasps!

[Sanchisimo]

Just a quick hello and to post my first question. We have an old restored house in the countryside here up in the mountains in Andalucía and every summer we are fairly well plagued with wasps. We don't have great big nests which can be eradicated easily but hundreds of little ones - often found under almost every roof tile.

Has anyone found a good solution to at least reduce the local population? A product called 'No More Bugs' seemed to work for the pool but any thoughts about where people are eating outside or for dealing with loads of small nests?

Thanks in anticipation....

[pambon]

Hi and welcome!

In our neck of the woods they burn the nests.......

I had a problem with hornets digging (hopefully) nests in the woodwork of window/shutter frames and soft wood indoor furniture. Have managed to eliminate most of them when they arrive with a fairly strong fly killer spray in HUGE doses!

[Don Ciccio]

On our side they make individual ones for themselves out of mud and spittle. We wash them away every few weeks and they fly off elsewhere.

[Sanchisimo]

That's what I feared. Having to clamber up on the roof with a can of insecticide and spray under every tile. The nests here are no bigger than a walnut - what they lack in size, they make up in numbers. Most people are usually fine about them but we have had some people who couldn't venture outside.

Thanks for the reply and am eager to hear how other southern European people cope.

[pambon]

We have also had a few nests made in mud and spittle (do wasps have spit?!) but so few as to not be a nuisance, thankfully.

It's the hornets looking for soft wood that are the nuisance here!

[Chianti]

We have wasps every year but keep a careful eye before their nests become large and use the special spray at sunset or at night when we discover where their nests are located. You can't do that on a roof. They don't like smoke, so burning a small fire near your guests might keep them away.

I found wasps tunnelling in a dry stone wall at the bottom of the garden so used the spray in between the stones. It didn't work because their nest was behind a stone so I threw moth balls in all the gaps and filled them with earth and have had no troubles since.

Wasps use water to build their nests, so keeping away from it helps, but not possible if your guests want to swim.

[CSE]

In Spain try Zum.
It is very affective spray; but beware the warning labels do not illustrate how dangerous it can be to humans too. I was very ill after using the spray a few years ago. Spent 10 days in bed!
Now I take precautions when using the spray and cover up well and use a mask

[Chianti]

The sprays are excellent but only for nests, unfortunately you can't really use it for every wasp which passes because it's highly toxic and expensive. When using it I cover up from head to foot, eyes, nose the lot. I would also ensure that guests have no access to any such products.

[Jimbo]

Our local wasps (with a leaner and hungrier appearence than the familiar yellow stripy ones that munch the jam at tea-time) make golfball-sized paper nests everywhere at this time of year. Post boxes, inside car doors, window frames and - their particular favourites - inside parasols and sunloungers. They are very aggressive if you threaten their nests (understandably) and we have to keep puffing away with the spray to save guests from being stung.

Hornets, by contrast, build huge nests in trees and roof spaces here but, although they look terrifying, are (compared to wasps) much gentler beasts around humans and are excellent predators of garden pests. That being said, the Asian hornet which destroys bee nests, is a growing problem.

Jim

[Sanchisimo]

Thanks. I think it is Zum that I need and it is the wasps that build small nests that we have. So, up on the roof dressed in my spacesuit for a quick squirt under every tile. I shall let you know how we get on as the season warms up.

[Chianti]

You're going to be very vulnerable on your roof when you spray. Make sure you have your mobile with you & someone is watching below. I would ensure that your neck if protected too and that they can't get to you via the bottom of your trouser legs or up your cuffs. Wasps sleep at night, but obviously you can't do it in the dark, it's best done as the sun is rising or setting.

Personally I think what you are about to do is best left to the professionals as it's highly dangerous. If you're attacked by agressive wasps you could end up in hospital or worse. It's only going to stop them for a short while, so you're likely to have to repeat the task a number of times throughout the season.

[fincafern]

We have meat "eating" wasps, not particularly aggressive but annoying and they love water, especially in high summer heat.
They are really bothersome when you want a BBQ but we picked up a tip on our travels years ago to deal with them and pass this on to our guests. It will sound silly but it does work.

Half an hour before you light the BBQ, lay a "wasp picnic"- a few scraps of raw meat or cooked on a plastic plate( a little sliced ham works well) and a bowl of water - place it away from the BBQ.
They will come to investigate when the smell the meat cooking but will go for their picnic as opposed to your food on the table
Another good trick is to have a separate water source permanently near your pool - shallow preferably - an ornamental fountain or something - they will go there out of preference.

Friends have adopted this practice for outdoor parties too and it is a standing joke to ask - have you made the wasp picnic ?

[Chianti]

fincafern those are the best ideas, which reminded me that many here hang plastic bottles on their trees with holes in them. I can't remember, but think they put sugary water in them to temp the wasps. I'm sure instructions can be found with a Google search. Unfortunately ours are the aggresive sort which are dangerous.

It's also a good idea to identify the type of wasp in any garden. We also have deadly hornets.