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Wasps: HELP

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1.7K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  The Walker  
#1 ·
I have a clump of about 20 Wasps on an outdoor umbrella. It had been closed up for the summer (it covers our hot-tub) I opened it today and discovered them. They seemed very confused at first and now it is raining and they are still in a clump, getting soaked. Is there anything I can do to remove them, without killing them and...why aren't they flying away when its raining?
 
#3 ·
I suspect their nest is in the middle of the clump. If it was me I would get rid of them. You are only inviting trouble by leaving them.
Perhaps when you are stung you will feel differently. These are going to protect what ever they are now protecting. If it is indeed the nest, the nest will not survive anyway, and the wasp will die protecting it. Another thing to keep in mind is that wasp do not die after stinging unlike honey bees. They can and will continue to sting you or others and they hurt like #@%& .
GOOD LUCK!!!
 
#6 ·
smash them, paper wasps will attack you for just getting to close, all wasps hornets, and yellow jackets will attack without provocation.
The nest is going into winter shut down, destry it now so the queen is gone.
Next february/march put out wasp traps and catch the queens early and slow the spread.
 
#7 ·
No love here for wasp, jackets or hornets.....
Many around here will use the "3 S" method for eradicating unwanted pests...
But as a side note: If yellow jackets are a problem in the summer, as someone in a previous comment noted, the queens are the only ones that overwinter. So they are the only ones to emerge in the Spring... If you can eliminate the queens in the Spring, this will really help control your Jacket situation throughout the summer.
I put out our Jacket Traps the first of May...... ;)
 
#9 ·
Yep! Much in the same way a queen bee mates only once and while the numbers vary.. During that mating flight she "CAN" collect up to 5 million sperm... She "CAN" lay somewhere between 1000 and 2000 eggs per day and "CAN" lay as many as 250.000 eggs in a year....
I know hornet tend to get very testing in the Fall. I suspect that it because they know their lives are NFL..... (Not For Long)
That's why we set out our Traps in April, May and June to catch and dispose of the queens as they emerge from their winter hiding spots..... ;)