Key Post: Bees/Wasps

We are plagued by aggressive bumblebees at the moment. Can't even open the window as seven came in this morning. One buzzed outside the door for an hour last night and it took what was left of our wasp spray to move him.

I don't know where they are nesting, but I think it is beyond our garden walls. Is there anything I can do to repel them?

Re: Bees

I think your best bet is to find the nest and get rid of it. Otherwise, they will just keep on "bee"ing around your garden area.

Re: Bees

If I recall correctly bees (not wasps) are a protected species and any interference with a hive is supposed to be carried out by a qualified expert.

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As a stop gap, if you bought lovely flowers and put them in the most remote part of yoru garden would it at least keep them attracted away from the house?
I have no idea but its a thought....

I remember years ago an Uncle trying to get rid of a wasps nest....its still the fastest i have ever seen a 48 year old run...I think it was the 500 or so angry wasps following him that gave him the enthusiasm for a land speed record attempt...needless to say experts had to be called in!

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> I remember years ago an Uncle trying to get rid of a wasps nest....its still the fastest i have ever seen a 48 year old run...I think it was the 500 or so angry wasps following him that gave him the enthusiasm for a land speed record attempt...needless to say experts had to be called in!

Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis? :lol

Comment

Got this from the Mooney Goes Wild website RTE Radio 1
[broken link removed]

What to do if you find a nest?
The simple answer is nothing. It is highly recommended that you seek the assistance of a local Beekeeper or professional Pest Control companies as listed in the yellow pages of the telephone directory. Advice is also available from the College of Horticulture, An Grianan, Termonfechin, Drogheda on 041-9822158 or Philip McCabe on e-mail, philipmccabe@eircom.net

Hope that helps

bees or bumblebees

As "unregistered user"mentioned all bumblebee species are protected by EU law.That the Irish slugs(smiley) have
have not translated it into Irish law is just typical when it comes to conservation.I am not sure if Aquila knows the difference between bees and bumblebees , headline and text of the post differ.
Bumblebees are not aggressive,at least not as long as they are not attacked.They don't like to come into the house,it is just standing in the way.They,as many insects,orientate by the sun.That means they fly toward it starting from their nest till they have found what they are looking for,usually food.Than they fly back.Since they came in in the morning I assume that Aquilas window is facing west wards.The bumblebees have seen the house like a big hedge,where they can fly through,so there was either bright light,a white wall
or a door/window -where they could see the sun-on the other side of the room.Or colorfully items that reminded them of flowers.
The one that buzzed on Aquilas door last night was on his way home,and if it was allowed in -and a visible open window was on the other side -it would have used the hallway as a non-stop flight route home.
Wasps are different story.
In Holland and Belgium (and since a short time in Spain as well) Bumblebees are expensive,for a nest of a few dozens a tomato farmer is willing to pay €50 easily.They are natural pollinators in greenhouses where otherwise no insects have access.You can identify the tomatos produced with the aid of bumblebees by the -strangely enough- butterfly symbol on the box.A black circle with a butterfly at the center,patented by the Dutch or at least they developed and registered it.These tomatos have not been sprayed with pesticides in the flowering period-tomatoes are flowering and riping at the same time.The bumblebees would get killed.
And whilst the agri workers are happily working together with the bumblebees in the same house there is no aggression from either side.So don't kill them, try to understand them.

Re: bees or bumblebees

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm almost certain that most of them are bumblebees (I tend to refer to them all as bees) though I'm not sure about a few of the enormous fat furry ones that were all black or black with a white stripe. I've been swooped on and chased into the house both by these and those that are definitely bumblebees over the past few weeks. This surprises me a lot as I don't remember it happening very much in previous years. I try not to wear bright clothes or anything perfumed in case they mistake me for a giant flower, though as there is very little blooming in the garden at the moment maybe they are just trying to check out every possibility.

The windows they came in faced east and south and the door the one hovered around last night faced east. That bumblebee was shooed off a few times, but kept coming back and seemed to be scraping the windowless door-very odd.

We also have a lot of smaller honey bees around, but only one has come into the house. They seem to completely ignore me when I'm in the garden.

This evening all of the bees/bumblebees just seemed to be flying over and didn't bother me. Wish I could say the same about the midges!

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Whats the difference between:
A bee
A bumblebee
A wasp

difference

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bees

Bees

> Bumblebees are not aggressive

I was reading Michael Viney's column in Saturday's Irish Times and he mentioned that only the female worker bumble bee carries a sting and they only use it as a last resort. In fact I think that females normally or only work in the hive and that most of the ones out collecting nectar are stingless males. For people who are nervous of bees this might put their minds at rest somewhat.

Re: >>Bees

Some other posts

wavejumper
Registered User
Bees; EXTERMINATE!!

I noticed a big traffic of bees going into a crevice in the outside wall of the kitchen. nothing inside the house but you can hear them crawling in the space between the extension roof and plaster cieling. Lots of crawling *shudders*... this area is not really accessible short of knocking the internal plaster cieling off of lifting the extension bitumen cover...

is there anything the layman can attempt to do? I thought of sealing off the entrance but the beggars are clever I fear I might just force them to find an another way in...or out!

Billo
Unregistered User
Bees; EXTERMINATE!!

Let them be(e).
I had a similar problem. After a few weeks they left. Then I blocked up the entry point. They did not return to the same spot again. Nobody got stung.
Rgds
Billo

Miner
Posts: 89
Re: Bees

Had this problem a couple of times. Isolate the Queen and remove her, the rest will follow - might hurt. You could try find a bee keeper who'd be only too delighted to take them off your hands - most user friendly way. Alternatively block the entrance with expanding foam.

Unregistered User
(24/6/04 12:06 pm)
Re: Bees

Unless you actually mean wasps, you should note that bees are a protected species and should not be interefered with other that by a suitably trained and authorised (?) professional. The Federation of Irish Beekeeping Associations might be able to advise you:

www.irishbeekeeping.ie/

wavejumper
Registered User

hm, i don't think i could tell wether they are wasps or not...I'll shot the FIBA a mail, see if get any wiser.

Unregistered User
(24/6/04 1:05 pm)
Bees; EXTERMINATE!!

Wasps are relatively easy to distinguish from bees:

[broken link removed]

Sludge
Unregistered User
Wasps nest.

I have a wasps nest beneath my garden boundry fence. How do I get rid of it as my garden furniture is right smack in the middle of their flight path. I have turned the hose on the area where they are squatting, will this work?.

Burgessbrendan
Founder of Askaboutmoney
Re: Wasps nest.

Would it be possible to move the garden furniture?

I had a wasp's nest in my shed and it was fascinating watching them coming and going all day. I kept anti-histamine handy in case I got stung, but I didn't. I took what I wanted out of the shed at night time, when they were quiet.

Are you sure they are wasps? Check out if wasps nest underground. I don't think that they do. The Natural History Museum or the BeeKeepers federation is a good source of information on bees and wasps.

Brendan

Elcato
Moderator
Re: Wasps nest.

You can get some powder from your local hardware store which you squirt in and run. It'll clear them in a day. Worked for me anyway. Possibly have the anti-histemin ready just in case.

taffy
Posts: 9
bees

Woodies sell "Wasps Nest Destroyer" in a spray can. I found it great, was able to stand about 12ft away and spray away. Bees gone, garden reclaimed - not to sure about environmental conscience though.

Some other posts

stung
Unregistered User
Wasps nest in garden.

I have a wasps' nest in an air-vent in the wall of my house.Fortunately, this air-vent in the inside of the house has been temporarily blocked off for quite some time as it was draughty. There is an amazing amount of activity going on in & out of the nest & I'm afraid to leave my door open & I'm also afraid that someone may be stung. I've looked at the sprays etc. in Woodies but, seeing that the nest is inside the vent,I don't honestly think that they would work. Any suggestions for a D.I.Y. solution? I understand that the Queen wasp remains there during the Winter, so I would really have to get rid of it now.

rainyday
Moderator
Re: Wasps nest in garden.

Fortunately, this air-vent in the inside of the house has been temporarily blocked off for quite some time as it was draughty.

Click to expand...

Beware of blocking vents. They are there for a purpose. There have been instances of householders found dead in their houses from carbon monoxide poisoning where vents were blocked.

Marie
Frequent poster
Wasps nest in garden.

Wasps seem to create so much anxiety through lack of knowledge of these insects.

The increased activity on warmer autumn days is sometimes a combination of a last spurt of life as the wasps (including the queen!!!) die with the coming of cold weather, combined with the fact that some flowering ivys come onstream in early September and this gives the wasp nourishment for a final period of beneficial work in the countryside and in gardens - of breaking down decaying vegetation.

Wasps do not re-use old nests so you have nothing further to protect against, nor do you need to exterminate them; they will all die when the temperature drops a few more degrees.

The only problem with wasps is people. People flap their arms around scream run and excrete pheromones which alarm the wasp which has highly-refined olfactory (smell) organs and then (only then!!!) they sting. It is not in the interest of a wasp to sting. Wasps are no danger to children unless the children panic or antagonise the wasps as they go about their business - all of which is beneficial to agriculture and to the environment as a whole.

stung
Unregistered User
Wasps' nest.

I am relieved to hear that I don't have to do anything about the wasps. I had read somewhere that the Queen lives on but am happy that this is not correct and that they will all die off naturally. Still interested in hearing other peoples experiences of this problem. Re the blocking of the vent--There is a fireplace in this very airy room which gives ventilation anyway. Thanks for the warning.

rainyday
Moderator
Re: Wasps' nest.

Re the blocking of the vent--There is a fireplace in this very airy room which gives ventilation anyway.

Click to expand...

I would suggest you get expert opinion on this. The vent wouldn't have been built in a room with a fireplace if it wasn't necessary.

extopia
Frequent poster
Re: Wasps' nest.

I'm with rainyday on the vent issue, and I would never block up an existing vent unless I really knew what I was doing.

My own house was built (in 1897) without any vents save for the fireplaces so I'm *hoping* that this is adeqeate. So far so good... but then again I'm the kind of guy who leaves the windows open all day anyway, despite the risks (have had to deter the odd "visitor" a couple of times).

rainyday
Moderator
Re: Wasps' nest.

Watch out for the ads on TV from drama-queen Duncan on the vents issue.

extopia
Frequent poster
Re: Duncan

Yeah, don't you love Duncan? Hey, he's just fronting for the DoE or whoever put out the tender for those ads. I'm sure Duncan's production company would have been in a good positon to tender.

ajapale
Very frequent poster
Re: Wasps' nest.

My own house was built (in 1897) without any vents save for the fireplaces

Click to expand...

Extopia,

Some houses of this era have vents under floor level.

ajapale

murray
Local user
Re: Wasps nest in garden.

Speaking of vents, I am about to start building a house and will be installing a heat-recovery ventilation system. Does anyone know if the vents will still need to be built in?

extopia
Frequent poster
Re: Wasps nest in garden.

>>Some houses of this era have vents under floor level

Thanks ajapale. Not mine, unfortunately. But there don't seem to be any problems. (Mind you the gappy floorboards mean that ventilation under floor level is more or less the same as above).

Some other posts

brianbmcd
Registered User
WASPS - Help!

Hi, have problem in the last couple of weeks with wasps coming through a vent in the bathroom. Not sure if there is a hive or whatever but any advice would be appreciated as to how I can get rid of these.

Thanks
Brian

Chapman
Registered User
Re: WASPS - Help!

You may have a nest under the eaves. Take a peek in the attic and look around from the outside. If you do have a nest don't wait for them to die off or they'll have you, get an exterminator. God speed, they're evil buggers.

Doogo
Registered User
Re: WASPS - Help!

a bright point to all this - wasps never use nest in the same place more than once - so you have a once-off annoyance - just do the ice-dance and a big frost should cull the remaining blighters .... worth having a look at the nest as well in the eaves once the wasps are gone - it's really intricate - but if you decide to move it, be gentle as it will crumble really easily and go all over the place and i believe the spores that come from it are quite tough on the throat

brianbmcd
Registered User
Re: WASPS - Help!

Thanks folks,

Have Rentokil on the job - €180 + VAT but they assure me it will be sorted quickly!

Brian

str8away
Registered User
Re: WASPS - Help!

Had them in my shed once.

I just close the door and window so they can't get in/out.
Soon they die of hunger.
It was only a small nest, the size of tennis ball.
I guess it would only had a queen and maybe 10 workers.

Daithi
Registered User
Wasps

You can get powder in woodies (its for both ants and wasps) for about €2 which you just squirt from the container at the nest.
The wasps just leave and never come back.


Chapman
Registered User

wasps never use nest in the same place more than once

Click to expand...

Hmm. I was told the opposite by an exterminator.

As for the cold killing them: that's true. But ony after they linger for days appearing all over your house.

The nest is beautiful though.

Dowee
Very frequent poster
Re: Wasps

wasps never use nest in the same place more than once

Click to expand...

This isn't true, my parents have had wasps in the same place for years, despite numerous attempts to get rid of them.

Doogo
Registered User
Re: Wasps

good info on [broken link removed] - bees/wasps info. for assistance with bees and wasps - solutions etc. - and to modify the earlier statement, it's not that the wasps don't return year in year out, it's that they never use the same nest - there is a wall in our back garden that has housed wasps for the past number of years - but they find a different entrance to burrow into each year ....