View Full Version : Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger...
Olafhenny
05-07-2016, 10:46 PM
...possibly mortal to some, who are strongly allergic.
• Helpful with pollination, although nowhere as efficient as bees or bumblebees,
because they do not sport a ‘fur’ to which the pollen easily sticks
• A nuisance at any picnic or outdoor dining
• A danger to those who are allergic. For the rest of us they are just a painful
sting.
My wife is one of those, who have to be rushed to a hospital after a sting. Thus the
disdainful duty falls on me to get rid of them. I have just done that again a few
minutes ago.
If you are, or somebody in your family, is also allergic, here is how that is done
most efficiently:
Wasps always spend the night in their nests. The best time to get rid of them is
while it is still daylight, but after sunset. Just give the nest a short squirt of Raid
and seconds later you will see them oozing out and dropping on the ground or
crawling along the wall. They are not dangerous at that point, therefore there is no
need for a speedy retreat.
Meanwhile at your picnic or outdoor dinner, for goodness sake, be nice to them,
do not flail at them! That is unfortunately something, which most people, who
are afraid of them, cannot quit doing. It angers them and invites them to sting,
the flailer or anybody nearby.
Richard
05-08-2016, 02:02 AM
There are wasps in temperate U.S. climates, either native or introduced for pest mediation less than 3mm in length. None of these insects cause inflammations to humans.
For more information about Olafhenny's post, see: Klaxon (http://www.flamewarriorsguide.com/warriorshtm/klaxon.htm)
Botanical_Bryce
05-08-2016, 07:33 AM
Gall wasps and related never sting unless pressure is applied. Up north paper wasps would attack but in Florida I have only been attacked once about 15 years ago by a species I have never seen before or since. Wasps do a great job of patroling for pests. I plant pest plants for the only purpose of attracting wasps and lady bugs.
Tytaylor77
05-08-2016, 08:52 AM
I live in the wasp capital of the world. There are around 4 types of "red" paper wasp. The big mahogany ones and the small Guinea wasps seem the most aggressive but only when near their nests, which are everywhere! My youngest daughter is allergic and had to be rushed to the ER at 3 years old after she was stung 3 times by one. Swells her airway and she can't breathe. We know she is allergic now so she has a emergency pen.
If not allergic they are harmless. When I was 17 fishing in a boat i hit a small rotting tree and the whole huge nest about 2' around fell in the boat and I was stung hundreds of times. Took me almost 2 hours to make it home. Didn't even goto the hospital and was fine.
I actually catch the paper wasps eating my bananas leafs. I guess using them to make nests.
I have a lot of ground wasps here and they're agressive. Had no choice to have my property , land included, treated. My daughter and I are allergic...
Each year, I've got yellow jackets building nests too... Very aggresive.
I profundly dislike them!
They have acres of woods behind my house to live in but chose to nest under my eaves. I understand they have value but I only need about 10 or so for pollination purposes; I have hundreds. Fleas and mosquitoes leave me alone; stingers go out of their way to find me. Ouch! I'm not allergic but that could change. I spray and knock down nests located in my areas. As I said, they have other places to call home.
Juicy Bananas
05-08-2016, 11:24 AM
We typically have mud dobbers & yellow jackets here. We also have small variety of parasitic wasps... which are my favorite. Each Summer though... we have these ground hornets. They are highly aggressive. Several years ago we had two large nests at my parents home. They were so heavily nested the Hornets would steal food and water from us when we would eat outside.
Took a lot of courage and bug spray to get rid of them. They seem to disappear after Summer though.
I cannot fathom how bad they can be in the mainland.
Tytaylor77
05-08-2016, 08:07 PM
Yellow jackets get in soda cans and end up stinging when you take a drink. They make ground nests here. As do bumble bees. Hornets hurt way worse to me. They feel like being thumped in the arm or wherever you are being stung at when they get you. I've heard stories of guys shooting the hornets nest down from 75-100 yards away and the hornets know which direction you shot from and still get you. Not sure if it's true but I've heard it several times.
Late spring through summer we get the solid red tanager birds. They will grab a bee or wasp and smash it against something to kill it then eat it. I have watched them totally desomate an entire red wasp nest. They are my favorite bird for sure. Wish I could hatch them out!! :10:
sputinc7
05-08-2016, 08:55 PM
Paper wasps, kill on sight. I have found no use for them other than raid target practice. They will sting you without provocation, repeatedly. I hate em. (Same for yellow jackets)
Bees, bumblebees and parasitic wasps are our friends.
Mud daubers, you really gotta try to get stung by one of them.
Hornets, the ones with round nests in trees (Which I do not know whether they live in Florida) are crazy mean if mildly provoked, and will chase you hundreds of feet to sting you. (And it does feel like someone hit you with a board with a nail in it.) Unless they are in an inconvenient place, I leave them be. (No pun intended)
As kids, we used to hit their nests with rocks from 25-30 feet away and they never knew we did it or came after us, so I doubt the stories about them knowing where the shotgun blast came from.
My 2 cents on stinging insects.
Olafhenny
05-08-2016, 11:43 PM
Reading all these stories, I feel lucky with the wasps we have here. I have no idea,
what species it is, but they nest in small colonies under eves, in garden sheds or
anywhere they can find with a bit of shelter overhead and against a wall. The nests
are anywhere from little globes 1 1/2 inch in diameter to oblong 3 to 4 inches in
length.
Have any of you tried spraying the nests with Raid after sunset, when the are home
and inactive? It works like a charm with ours. :)
Tytaylor77
05-09-2016, 09:15 AM
Yes that is the only way to kill them. Right at dark. I hate it when they are inside a crack or somewhere you can't spray.
We also have these Ichneumon wasps. It is a type of night wasp that is attracted to light like a moth. They sing really hard and the bump they make doesn't go away for a week or more. In my opinion the sting is not as painful as others but the itching and swelling lasts way longer than others.
Olafhenny
05-09-2016, 09:55 AM
Speaking of 'itching', I get rid of it by rubbing on the paste of the outside of a cake
of soap, which had been wet for some time. It works within 20 minutes. Important
is, that it is non-perfumed soap, otherwise it will attract more pests and stings. Ivory
works best, It is also an excellent soap to take on camping or other backpacking type
trips to use for quickly washing out a piece of clothing. My wife and I take it along,
when we travel in developing countries.
You guys should try turmeric powder mixed with a bit of water. You put it on the sting and leave it at least 30 minutes. it stains though. I use it on brown recluse and other spider bites. Works great! You put it once or twice at most.
merce3
05-09-2016, 03:06 PM
I have less of a problem with wasps than I do with horse flies in my area. They are very aggressive and will follow you for some distance.
luisport
05-09-2016, 03:10 PM
You guys should try turmeric powder mixed with a bit of water. You put it on the sting and leave it at least 30 minutes. it stains though. I use it on brown recluse and other spider bites. Works great! You put it once or twice at most.
Hi! This is just to banana trees or serves to other trees? Thank's! :08:
Hi! This is just to banana trees or serves to other trees? Thank's! :08:
No, it's for you!!! You put it where the wasp stung you. It seems to neutralize venom and has antibiotic, anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory properties. As I said, it works for spider bites so it might work for wasps too. I tried it on mosquito bites and it helped a lot.
luisport
05-10-2016, 08:06 AM
No, it's for you!!! You put it where the wasp stung you. It seems to neutralize venom and has antibiotic, anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory properties. As I said, it works for spider bites so it might work for wasps too. I tried it on mosquito bites and it helped a lot.
Ha, ok... Sorry i missunderstood...
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