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Home > Archive > Building and Construction > August 2006 > Wasps a problem for anyone?
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Wasps a problem for anyone?
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| Jeff and Jennifer Cook 2006-07-23, 5:25 pm |
| Hi,
We are just finishing the inside of our home and I see wasps flying into the
peak of our home between the brick and the facia.
The wasp nest is not visible from the outside. The attic is blown with
insulation and I have not been up there yet.
I am thinking of setting traps outside to draw them out and see how many I
get, before spraying the outside entrance to the house. I do not want them
finding new exits into the interior of the home. Any ideas?
j
| |
| clintonG 2006-07-23, 5:25 pm |
| I went up on a ladder with a couple of cans of sprayed foam insulation and
sealed their entry into the wall cavity where they try to nest. No matter
how careful when applying the foam the stuff will expand from under the trim
boards and look like a real sloppy caulk job. Being as careful as possible
when spraying of course I just let the foam expand and dry and then went
back up the ladder with a spackle knife and a wire brush. I ran the edge of
the spackle knife up under the bottom edge of the trim boards to slice the
expanded foam and the wire brush to clean up the excess giving a clean
finished seal. Some of the foams will probably take paint but when I sealed
mine -- more than five years ago in a northern climate -- I just left well
enough alone as I got tired of climbing up and down the ladder and had
already painted the year before :-)
I maintain and keep things clean by spraying any attempt to nest on window
mullions and other places they will try to nest closer to the ground once
you seal off their efforts to nest up high which they prefer. I use the Raid
product for spray.
--
<%= Clinton Gallagher
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://www.metromilwaukee.com/clintongallagher/
"Jeff and Jennifer Cook" <jjjcook@charter.net> wrote in message
news:CuRwg.79$jK3.0@fe07.lga...
> Hi,
>
> We are just finishing the inside of our home and I see wasps flying into
> the peak of our home between the brick and the facia.
>
> The wasp nest is not visible from the outside. The attic is blown with
> insulation and I have not been up there yet.
>
> I am thinking of setting traps outside to draw them out and see how many I
> get, before spraying the outside entrance to the house. I do not want
> them finding new exits into the interior of the home. Any ideas?
>
> j
>
| |
| Nehmo Sergheyev 2006-07-24, 3:25 am |
|
Use a small-caliber rifle with a scope. Get 'em one at a time as they
exit.
--
(||) Nehmo (||)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff and Jennifer Cook wrote:
> We are just finishing the inside of our home and I see wasps flying into the
> peak of our home between the brick and the facia.
>
> The wasp nest is not visible from the outside. The attic is blown with
> insulation and I have not been up there yet.
>
> I am thinking of setting traps outside to draw them out and see how many I
> get, before spraying the outside entrance to the house. I do not want them
> finding new exits into the interior of the home. Any ideas?
| |
| hobosalesman@gmail.com 2006-07-24, 3:25 am |
| Jeff and Jennifer Cook wrote:
> Hi,
>
> We are just finishing the inside of our home and I see wasps flying into the
> peak of our home between the brick and the facia.
>
> The wasp nest is not visible from the outside. The attic is blown with
> insulation and I have not been up there yet.
>
> I am thinking of setting traps outside to draw them out and see how many I
> get, before spraying the outside entrance to the house. I do not want them
> finding new exits into the interior of the home. Any ideas?
Funny, I have exactly the same problem, right down to the blown
insulation and having not been up there yet. I've done a fair bit of
research on the critters recently.
Common wasps, yellow jackets, are attracted to meat or sugar depending
on what stage their larvae is in. There is a lot of info on making
traps with 2L pop bottles, dish soap, fruit juice, etc. Another trap
involves tying a fish over a bucket of soapy water, you can also buy
traps from hardware stores. Trapping is a waste of time though, unless
you just want to keep numbers down for an outdoor event or something.
If you really want them gone you need to get rid of the nest. However,
only the queen will survive the winter and she won't return to that
nest, so you could also just wait them out.
DON'T SEAL THEM OUT OF THEIR NEST. They will find a way through
anything you put in their path, if you seal their entrance they may
just chew through your walls and enter your house, it happens. You
cannot make them leave their nest, the only solution is either kill
them all or remove the nest.
Personally I won't use chemicals on my home, so I'm going to locate the
nest. At night, while wearing a lot of clothes, welding gloves, hats,
duct tape, etc, I'm going to climb up there and stuff the nest ina
pillow case, which I'll throw in a bucket of water.
Incidentally baking soda will make stings feel better. Also, while a
..22 would be a bad idea I've found that a brad nailer can be remarkably
accurate, but strangely hitting one doesn't even seem to bother it.
HS
| |
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|
<hobosalesman@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1153728741.103324.7340@s13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Jeff and Jennifer Cook wrote:
>
> Funny, I have exactly the same problem, right down to the blown
> insulation and having not been up there yet. I've done a fair bit of
> research on the critters recently.
>
> Common wasps, yellow jackets, are attracted to meat or sugar depending
> on what stage their larvae is in. There is a lot of info on making
> traps with 2L pop bottles, dish soap, fruit juice, etc. Another trap
> involves tying a fish over a bucket of soapy water, you can also buy
> traps from hardware stores. Trapping is a waste of time though, unless
> you just want to keep numbers down for an outdoor event or something.
> If you really want them gone you need to get rid of the nest. However,
> only the queen will survive the winter and she won't return to that
> nest, so you could also just wait them out.
>
> DON'T SEAL THEM OUT OF THEIR NEST. They will find a way through
> anything you put in their path, if you seal their entrance they may
> just chew through your walls and enter your house, it happens. You
> cannot make them leave their nest, the only solution is either kill
> them all or remove the nest.
>
> Personally I won't use chemicals on my home, so I'm going to locate the
> nest. At night, while wearing a lot of clothes, welding gloves, hats,
> duct tape, etc, I'm going to climb up there and stuff the nest ina
> pillow case, which I'll throw in a bucket of water.
>
> Incidentally baking soda will make stings feel better. Also, while a
> .22 would be a bad idea I've found that a brad nailer can be remarkably
> accurate, but strangely hitting one doesn't even seem to bother it.
>
> HS
>
It takes a year or so to get a good crop but, once you get a good stand of
mint growing around the house, you will hardly ever see wasps close to the
house again. Plus it gives off a nice fragrance.
--
J.C.
| |
| TakenEvent 2006-07-24, 5:25 pm |
|
"Jeff and Jennifer Cook" <jjjcook@charter.net> wrote in message
news:CuRwg.79$jK3.0@fe07.lga...
> Hi,
>
> We are just finishing the inside of our home and I see wasps flying into
the
> peak of our home between the brick and the facia.
>
> The wasp nest is not visible from the outside. The attic is blown with
> insulation and I have not been up there yet.
>
> I am thinking of setting traps outside to draw them out and see how many I
> get, before spraying the outside entrance to the house. I do not want
them
> finding new exits into the interior of the home. Any ideas?
>
I recently had to deal with this at my parents' house. They have recessed
cannister lights in their kitchen and had all sorts of nasties getting in
the living area of the house through them.
You're probably wasting your time trying to keep the wasps out of the house
entirely. Caulk everything you can and put screen in all attic vents
possible. Soffit vents can be a bit tricky.
What I did was screen off the lights with metal screens (up in the attic,
of course). It wasn't an easy job due to the location of the lights, but it
keeps the bugs where they don't bug people.
| |
| Bob Morrison 2006-07-25, 1:25 pm |
| In a previous post Jeff and Jennifer Cook wrote...
> I am thinking of setting traps outside to draw them out and see how many I
> get, before spraying the outside entrance to the house. I do not want them
> finding new exits into the interior of the home. Any ideas?
>
Our local newspaper published this idea:
Duct tape the nozzle of a wet-dry vacuum next to the entry point. Fill
the tank with water. Turn it on and let it run for a day or so. The wasps
will be sucked into the tank and will drown.
An afterthought: You could add a bit of vegetable oil as well just to make
sure that their wings get coated and they can't fly.
--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com
| |
| hobosalesman@gmail.com 2006-07-25, 5:25 pm |
| Bob Morrison wrote:
> An afterthought: You could add a bit of vegetable oil as well just to make
> sure that their wings get coated and they can't fly.
A bit of dish soap will work better.
| |
| Bob Morrison 2006-07-25, 5:25 pm |
| In a previous post hobosalesman@gmail.com wrote...
> A bit of dish soap will work better.
>
I agree!
--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com
| |
| clintonG 2006-07-25, 8:25 pm |
| But if virgin olive oil is used after they drown they can be spread out on a
cookie sheet and baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes making a nice crunchy
low fat delicacy. No carbs either :-)
<%= Clinton Gallagher
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://www.metromilwaukee.com/clintongallagher/
"Bob Morrison" <SpamFighter@junk.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1f3011da4be9b166989bd1@news.west.earthlink.net...
> In a previous post hobosalesman@gmail.com wrote...
>
> I agree!
>
> --
> Bob Morrison, PE, SE
> R L Morrison Engineering Co
> Structural & Civil Engineering
> Poulsbo WA
> bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com
| |
| JerryD\(upstateNY\) 2006-07-26, 9:25 am |
| I have used the vacuum cleaner idea many times.
I works like a charm.
Fasten it next to the entry at night but wait until mid-day to turn it on.
It will catch every wasp as they come back to the nest.
--
JerryD(upstateNY)
> Duct tape the nozzle of a wet-dry vacuum next to the entry point.
> Fill the tank with water. Turn it on and let it run for a day or so.
> The wasps will be sucked into the tank and will drown.
>
> An afterthought: You could add a bit of vegetable oil as well just to
> make sure that their wings get coated and they can't fly.
| |
| Bob Morrison 2006-07-26, 1:25 pm |
| In a previous post clintonG wrote...
> But if virgin olive oil is used after they drown they can be spread out on a
> cookie sheet and baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes making a nice crunchy
> low fat delicacy. No carbs either :-)
>
LOL!
--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com
| |
| Nehmo Sergheyev 2006-07-26, 8:25 pm |
|
JerryD(upstateNY) wrote:
> I have used the vacuum cleaner idea many times.
> I works like a charm.
Why are you guys so anti-wasp? Why not just leave the nest alone? Those
insects are part of the ecosystem, and running a regular vacuum (using
a universal motor) for hours on end will put the appliance beyond its
life expectancy.
If OP waits a bit, the season will change, and the wasps will disappear
on their own.
--
(||) Nehmo (||)
| |
| Al Bundy 2006-07-27, 3:25 am |
| Bob Morrison <SpamFighter@junk.com> wrote in
news:MPG.1f2fcdb4d60dd937989bcf@news.west.earthlink.net:
> In a previous post Jeff and Jennifer Cook wrote...
>
> Our local newspaper published this idea:
>
> Duct tape the nozzle of a wet-dry vacuum next to the entry point.
> Fill the tank with water. Turn it on and let it run for a day or so.
> The wasps will be sucked into the tank and will drown.
>
> An afterthought: You could add a bit of vegetable oil as well just to
> make sure that their wings get coated and they can't fly.
>
Rainbow vacuum.
| |
| Cathy Strong 2006-08-16, 9:25 am |
| Nehmo Sergheyev wrote:
> Use a small-caliber rifle with a scope. Get 'em one at a time as they
> exit.
>
He Can't do that! Lee Harvey Oswald died in 1963.
> (||) Nehmo (||)
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Jeff and Jennifer Cook wrote:
>
>
>
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