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

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.

JP · 05-08-2016, 10:19 AM

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!

Kat2 · 05-08-2016, 10:51 AM

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!!

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.

JP · 05-09-2016, 10:18 AM

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

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!

JP · 05-09-2016, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luisport

Hi! This is just to banana trees or serves to other trees? Thank's!

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

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...

05-07-2016, 10:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 178,201 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 1,996 Times in 875 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... ...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. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them. Last edited by Olafhenny : 05-07-2016 at 10:56 PM.

05-08-2016, 02:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
Richard un-Retired Richard's Photo Gallery Location: Vista, CA Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 10b Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9,673 BananaBucks : 48,597 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,636 Times Was Thanked 12,428 Times in 4,698 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,685 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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 __________________ Frequently found at GrowingFruit.org Last edited by Richard : 05-08-2016 at 02:04 AM.

05-08-2016, 07:33 AM	#3 (permalink)
Botanical_Bryce Location: Inverness, Florida Zone: 9a Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 875 BananaBucks : 43,493 Feedback: 4 / 100% Said "Thanks" 7 Times Was Thanked 1,428 Times in 628 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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.

05-08-2016, 08:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
Tytaylor77 Banana Plants for Trade Location: East Texas Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Name: Ty Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 1,295 BananaBucks : 25,398 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Thanks" 4,357 Times Was Thanked 3,361 Times in 1,106 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 415 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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. __________________ 150+ Varieties!!. See profile for list. Help me add more! CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF MY MUSA COLLECTION! www.bananapups.com

05-08-2016, 10:19 AM	#5 (permalink)
JP Location: Trois-Rivières, Québec Find me on the map! Zone: 4 Name: JP Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 1,213 BananaBucks : 68,170 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,892 Times Was Thanked 1,668 Times in 805 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 303 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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!

Members currently in the chatroom: 0
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05-08-2016, 10:51 AM	#6 (permalink)
Kat2 Location: Now nesting in Titusville, FL Zone: 10A or 9B ish. Like it matters? Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 2,153 BananaBucks : 159,385 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,921 Times Was Thanked 2,653 Times in 1,321 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 595 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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. __________________

05-08-2016, 11:24 AM	#7 (permalink)
Juicy Bananas Location: Big Island Zone: 10 Name: Alva Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 170 BananaBucks : 6,588 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 14 Times Was Thanked 251 Times in 120 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 16 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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.

05-08-2016, 08:07 PM	#8 (permalink)
Tytaylor77 Banana Plants for Trade Location: East Texas Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Name: Ty Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 1,295 BananaBucks : 25,398 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Thanks" 4,357 Times Was Thanked 3,361 Times in 1,106 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 415 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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!! __________________ 150+ Varieties!!. See profile for list. Help me add more! CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF MY MUSA COLLECTION! www.bananapups.com

05-08-2016, 08:55 PM	#9 (permalink)
sputinc7 Location: Palm Bay, Florida Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Name: Steve Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 1,392 BananaBucks : 52,084 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 352 Times Was Thanked 2,341 Times in 965 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 295 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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. __________________ If you lose your head and give up, you neither live nor win. https://sputinc7.wixsite.com/covwc Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel. What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

05-08-2016, 11:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 178,201 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 1,996 Times in 875 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

05-09-2016, 09:15 AM	#11 (permalink)
Tytaylor77 Banana Plants for Trade Location: East Texas Find me on the map! Zone: 8b Name: Ty Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 1,295 BananaBucks : 25,398 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Thanks" 4,357 Times Was Thanked 3,361 Times in 1,106 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 415 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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. __________________ 150+ Varieties!!. See profile for list. Help me add more! CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF MY MUSA COLLECTION! www.bananapups.com

05-09-2016, 09:55 AM	#12 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 178,201 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 1,996 Times in 875 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

05-09-2016, 10:18 AM	#13 (permalink)
JP Location: Trois-Rivières, Québec Find me on the map! Zone: 4 Name: JP Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 1,213 BananaBucks : 68,170 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,892 Times Was Thanked 1,668 Times in 805 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 303 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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.

05-09-2016, 03:06 PM	#14 (permalink)
merce3 Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 538 BananaBucks : 50,901 Feedback: 4 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,093 Times Was Thanked 1,077 Times in 381 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 257 Times	Re: Wasps, helpful, a nuisance and a danger... 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. __________________

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