This year the wasps here are more numerous than I have ever seen. I was
looking forward to my first taste of apples this year, no way, the wasps
have had the lot. You risk life and limb picking the raspberries, they
are half way through my plums.

They have not started yet on my peaches. How do commercial growers
cope? Is there anything that can be done to protect fruit from the
blighters?
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"Broadback" wrote in message
...
This year the wasps here are more numerous than I have ever seen. I was
looking forward to my first taste of apples this year, no way, the wasps
have had the lot. You risk life and limb picking the raspberries, they
are half way through my plums.

They have not started yet on my peaches. How do commercial growers
cope? Is there anything that can be done to protect fruit from the
blighters?

Control is by destroying wasps nests.
Next door has had one done, and I have just had a go at the second because
the entrance was accesible from our side.
With all due deference to those who point out that wasps are a generally
good thing on balance, if they get to be a nuisance or a pest which destroys
fruit&veg then war must sometimes be declared.

In our case their entrance was near to our balcony, so every time we try to
eat or drink there we have uninvited guests, and they have also started to
invade the house.

RIP (I hope).

Unlikely to dent the main wasp population, just make one small area more
habitable.

Cheers
Dave R

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
This year the wasps here are more numerous than I have ever seen. I was
looking forward to my first taste of apples this year, no way, the wasps
have had the lot. You risk life and limb picking the raspberries, they
are half way through my plums.

They have not started yet on my peaches. How do commercial growers
cope? Is there anything that can be done to protect fruit from the
blighters?

Control is by destroying wasps nests.
Next door has had one done, and I have just had a go at the second because
the entrance was accesible from our side.
With all due deference to those who point out that wasps are a generally
good thing on balance, if they get to be a nuisance or a pest which destroys
fruit&veg then war must sometimes be declared.

In our case their entrance was near to our balcony, so every time we try to
eat or drink there we have uninvited guests, and they have also started to
invade the house.

RIP (I hope).

Unlikely to dent the main wasp population, just make one small area more
habitable.

Cheers
Dave R

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 21:16:47 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:

Control is by destroying wasps nests.
Next door has had one done, and I have just had a go at the second because
the entrance was accesible from our side.
With all due deference to those who point out that wasps are a generally
good thing on balance, if they get to be a nuisance or a pest which destroys
fruit&veg then war must sometimes be declared.

With extreme reluctance, I had to call in Pest Control to deal with 2
nests that were too close to our car-parking area. Most years, wasps
become troublesome and dangerous in late summer. Not so this year,
they started dive-bombing and threatening last week. Personally, I
suffer pain only from wasp stings, but any of my students may suffer
far worse and the thought of one going into anaphylaxic shock as a
result of a sting is far too serious to consider.
Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

In article , David W.E. Roberts
wrote:


Control is by destroying wasps nests.

I've been following a discussion about this on a beekeeping network (I
have a hive at the end of my Brixton garden. Wasps predate on bees).

It can be nasty if you break into a nest unprotected. An ingenious
solution is to leave a vacuum cleaner running sucking at the entrance.

Be careful when emptying the bag, though.

Lazarus

--
Remover the rock from the email address

In article , David W.E. Roberts
wrote:


Control is by destroying wasps nests.

I've been following a discussion about this on a beekeeping network (I
have a hive at the end of my Brixton garden. Wasps predate on bees).

It can be nasty if you break into a nest unprotected. An ingenious
solution is to leave a vacuum cleaner running sucking at the entrance.

Be careful when emptying the bag, though.

Lazarus

--
Remover the rock from the email address

On Mon, 02 Aug 2004 22:10:43 +0100, Lazarus Cooke
wrote:

In article , David W.E. Roberts
wrote:


Control is by destroying wasps nests.

I've been following a discussion about this on a beekeeping network (I
have a hive at the end of my Brixton garden. Wasps predate on bees).

Indeed they do.
I had a small colony of bees above my back door. These were a third
smaller than honey bees - and I was quite content to leave them
be...and then a few days later I spotted wasps coming out of the hive
entrance. No more bees.

I dosed them up with Nippon, and barely an hour later everything was
quiet.

Regards,




--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

On Mon, 02 Aug 2004 22:10:43 +0100, Lazarus Cooke
wrote:

In article , David W.E. Roberts
wrote:


Control is by destroying wasps nests.

I've been following a discussion about this on a beekeeping network (I
have a hive at the end of my Brixton garden. Wasps predate on bees).

Indeed they do.
I had a small colony of bees above my back door. These were a third
smaller than honey bees - and I was quite content to leave them
be...and then a few days later I spotted wasps coming out of the hive
entrance. No more bees.

I dosed them up with Nippon, and barely an hour later everything was
quiet.

Regards,




--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

I had a nest in a mouse hole in grass I had to cut, so tried 3 of the
"Sheds" to get Wasp Killer
B&Q only had a fly and wasp killer foam, instructions were to find the nest
then spray well with foam......I'm still looking for the fly's nest.
another told me they only sold wasp killer in season.that is from Sept.
onwards.
Finally got powder from Wilkinson
You squirt the powder into the hole and the wasps take it all the way in for
you. You can hit the hole from 4 or 5 ft away and if you do it at dusk then
the wasps have finished flying for the day.


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

I had a nest in a mouse hole in grass I had to cut, so tried 3 of the
"Sheds" to get Wasp Killer
B&Q only had a fly and wasp killer foam, instructions were to find the nest
then spray well with foam......I'm still looking for the fly's nest.
another told me they only sold wasp killer in season.that is from Sept.
onwards.
Finally got powder from Wilkinson
You squirt the powder into the hole and the wasps take it all the way in for
you. You can hit the hole from 4 or 5 ft away and if you do it at dusk then
the wasps have finished flying for the day.


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

They have not started yet on my peaches. How do commercial growers cope?
Is there anything that can be done to protect fruit from the blighters?

just a general point (and likely a contentious one at that): but i've never
come across a good reason for destroying wasps' nests. it's always seemed
to me like killing all the lions on the plain. they're important predators,
and you need to be somewhat witless to come to any harm around them.

i also find it hardly credible that they have taken *all* your apples ...
unless the tree is very small, that is. if you really want to defend your
crops, then any number of physical (and chemical) deterrents are readily
available.

--
Please do not reply by Email, as all
emails to this address are automatically deleted.

They have not started yet on my peaches. How do commercial growers cope?
Is there anything that can be done to protect fruit from the blighters?

just a general point (and likely a contentious one at that): but i've never
come across a good reason for destroying wasps' nests. it's always seemed
to me like killing all the lions on the plain. they're important predators,
and you need to be somewhat witless to come to any harm around them.

i also find it hardly credible that they have taken *all* your apples ...
unless the tree is very small, that is. if you really want to defend your
crops, then any number of physical (and chemical) deterrents are readily
available.

--
Please do not reply by Email, as all
emails to this address are automatically deleted.

"atwifa" wrote in message
...

if you really want to defend your
crops, then any number of physical (and chemical) deterrents are readily
available.

speaking of deterrents, are there any good ones that don't involve using
chemicals?

"atwifa" wrote in message
...

if you really want to defend your
crops, then any number of physical (and chemical) deterrents are readily
available.

speaking of deterrents, are there any good ones that don't involve using
chemicals?

atwifa wrote:

They have not started yet on my peaches. How do commercial growers cope?
Is there anything that can be done to protect fruit from the blighters?

just a general point (and likely a contentious one at that): but i've never
come across a good reason for destroying wasps' nests. it's always seemed
to me like killing all the lions on the plain. they're important predators,
and you need to be somewhat witless to come to any harm around them.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You reckon so? You're lucky. I've been stung without deliberate
provocation on a couple of occasions. Once when our dog was stung,
jumped sideways, and knocked me over near the nest (talk about bad
luck). Most recently when a wasp that crawled under my shirt collar
without my noticing took offence at the constriction when I moved.
Within ten minutes I was white and shaking so badly I had to sit down.
I'm not allergic to many things, but if I'm ever stung again I'm heading
straight for A&E. I tolerate -- just -- individual wasps in the garden,
but show no mercy to queens hunting for nest sites. A wasp in the house
is a dead wasp.

regards
sarah


--
NB. Note change of *usenet* email address:
'amitiel.demon.do.uk' will soon cease to function.
My other email address will remain valid.
Think of it as evolution in action :-)