Not Electronic,

[M0BSW]

I know this is not electronic, I just been stung by a bloody Wasp, bad tempered little *ucker, any what use are wasps ,I've never been told if they do any good, or should I just flatten them.

[dfmischler]

Are wasps beneficial or just dangerous and annoying?

I mostly try to leave them alone, but if they are in a really bad place then I'll kill them.  If you accidentally disturb them and they swarm on you try your best not to swat them: they might not sting if you let them fly away.  They do react to the smell of crushed wasps and will try to kill you once you smell like their dead sisters.

Greenhouse growers buy parasitic wasps, mainly from the aphidius genus, to control pests.

[M0BSW]

 Ok,
 you wouldn't think something so small could give you so much pain.

[george graves]

Side note - I've found that brake cleaner (the kind that comes in a can with a long straw that can shoot 10 feet) works much better then "wasp killer" in a can.  It's fry's their brains on contact.  And the ones that don't get hit, it seems to have a soothing effect on them.



I usually let them be, unless they build a nest somewhere people are.

[G7PSK]

It the time of year, the nests are finishing and the wasps are starving, a jam jar with a hole in the lid a quarter full of water and jam will help the problem, adult wasps hunt insects to feed the grubs which in turn feed the adults a sugary solution when the nests finnish for the winter and there are no more grubs the adults starve and so look for alternative food source, sweaty people are attractive to them or rather the sweat is as is sugar etc. The other year I put a strimmer through a wasp nest, I probably made Usain Bolt look slow at that point.

[M0BSW]

Side note - I've found that brake cleaner (the kind that comes in a can with a long straw that can shoot 10 feet) works much better then "wasp killer" in a can.  It's fry's their brains on contact.  And the ones that don't get hit, it seems to have a soothing effect on them.



I usually let them be, unless they build a nest somewhere people are.

that' sounds interesting. Hmmmmmmmm

[fluxcapacitor]

I use an electronic fly killer to kill flies similar to this one on amazon .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-ExecutionerTM-Mosquito-Swatter-Zapper/dp/B000MU2MJA/ref=pd_cp_lp_0/279-7970829-9728946

Some of the review coments are hilarious.

[AlfBaz]

They're clever little bastards. We have a few nests hanging from the eaves at our place, which I haven't gotten around to clearing. One of the nests developed near the bedroom window and upon the insistence of the wife, I swiped it down, crushed the crap out of it and made sure there were no remnants sticking on the wall... 2 days later they were rebuilding the nest in the exact same spot!

The story has it that you have to wipe them all out at night when they return to the nest.

The other ones around the house are quiet at the moment as we are just coming out of winter but was thinking of setting up a motion sensitive prodder that wakes them up if intruders enter the yard at night

[rexxar]

The other ones around the house are quiet at the moment as we are just coming out of winter but was thinking of setting up a motion sensitive prodder that wakes them up if intruders enter the yard at night

Clever! 

[NiHaoMike]

I use an electronic fly killer to kill flies similar to this one on amazon .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-ExecutionerTM-Mosquito-Swatter-Zapper/dp/B000MU2MJA/ref=pd_cp_lp_0/279-7970829-9728946

Some of the review coments are hilarious.

I have something similar. I found that adding a 220 ohm resistor in series with the large cap inside made it much more effective. Without it, the current was enough that it often arced over the bug without killing it.

[GK]

Automotive brake cleaner smells to me exactly like electronic cleaning solvent. Probably has the same active ingredient(s). Many (most?) here would probably have a can of the latter laying around.

   

[bookaboo]

Reminds me of one of my wife's friend who isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

She relayed a story about how she bought one of these "Flying Insect Killers", took it home, unpacked and set it on the table and waited for it to "fly around the room killing insects". She was very disappointed that it didn't do so.

[woodchips]

Let them be, if you get stung then that is just tough. They are part of the balance of nature and are needed, wouldn't have evolved otherwise.

I know this sounds very preachy, but insects have really suffered in the last two cold winters. You really will notice if there are none left to pollinate the crops. Like the drop in birds, no swallows or swifts this summer, will they be back?

Seems wasps, like all the external skeleton insects, breath through pores in their body so anything that blocks them will kill them. Used to use paraffin.

[SeanB]

I used a large can of spray oil, along with a lighter. 2 second wasp nest clearing, and they cannot fly to get you either, they go from a Wasp to a Walk in an instant. Those not near a door or window however we left well alone.

As to swallows the Moreland group seems to still be enjoying a winter break here, they are still flying around and enjoying themselves, having moved into the suburbs after insects.

[MasterOfNone]

Ok,
 you wouldn't think something so small could give you so much pain.

Hey that’s the same thing she said to me when she kick me in my nuts.
Actually never mind.

[fcb]

I got a fly on the bench the other day with a (handy) can of freezer spray.

[M0BSW]

Let them be, if you get stung then that is just tough. They are part of the balance of nature and are needed, wouldn't have evolved otherwise.

I know this sounds very preachy, but insects have really suffered in the last two cold winters. You really will notice if there are none left to pollinate the crops. Like the drop in birds, no swallows or swifts this summer, will they be back?

Seems wasps, like all the external skeleton insects, breath through pores in their body so anything that blocks them will kill them. Used to use paraffin.

,  No I feel no mercy for the bastards, I've gotten quite good now with a table tennis bat, and if that doesn't dispatch them my size 11 boot does.

[G7PSK]

The bastards are now after our fruit trees chomping on the pears and apples, but I have found that hanging jam jars with a mixture of jam and port in them on the trees lures them from the fruit into the jars where they drown

I had a farmer friend who found a very large wasp nest in a hay stack, he put some cymac on the nest but that does not work unless there is some moisture so he threw a bucket of water onto the nest, well they swarmed out of there all over him and as he was half way up the stack he could not get out of there, he got stung well and truly all over.

[george graves]

Side note - I've found that brake cleaner (the kind that comes in a can with a long straw that can shoot 10 feet) works much better then "wasp killer" in a can.  It's fry's their brains on contact.  And the ones that don't get hit, it seems to have a soothing effect on them.



I usually let them be, unless they build a nest somewhere people are.

that' sounds interesting. Hmmmmmmmm

Oh - forgot to mention - it's only $2 a can or something.  Where was the stuff sold as wasp killer is like $10 a can.