OT : Shutters

[Stan(PA)]

The wife has me taking down some decorative shutters around the windows. Sprayed wasp killer this morning. Anyway, got 2 pieces down, and was working on the 3rd, when the paper wasps came back! They chased me off the ladder, and across the yard. Now there are a number of them flying around that area. What do I do to get rid of them? I have to get these down today, or face the music

 

[Anonymous-0]

brake cleaner knocks em right down, works better than wasp spray if they are flying around ya!

 

[Anonymous-0]

If she wants you to get 'em down wasps or not, ask her to give you a hand. Maybe they'll go after her and not you.

 

[Stan(PA)]

Now, I do like that answer, but I'm bettin' she won't

 

[Anonymous-0]

They'll go away, if you got rid of the nest when removing the shutters. This happens a lot at our place, everything and anything that has not been moved or used, is and will be loaded with them, when you move or use whatever they are in, they will buzz around in a stupor, if you try and kill the nest during the day, many will escape or will not be home, and they seem to return to the area and will for a few days after the nest or whatever they lived in is moved or disturbed. After that they move on, these are the yellow stiped, black type wasps that make those honeycomb like paper nests with all the cells in them.

I moved an aluminum extension ladder yesterday and in one of the rungs up high was a nest, I did not see them, and you know one of them bumped me square in the middle of the forehead, but either he had no stinger or who knows what, I did not get stung, had to be luck, because that is what they seem to do, fly hard and fast with that tail forward and stinger out. Many times these just bumble around the area then calm down and go back to the nest, the brown wasps, that make the same kind of nest, seem a lot smarter, recognizing you or the apparent threat to them and come out like an F-16 straight at you, no bumbling usually, and will chase you a certain distance away, and will turn back. They are more difficult to escape from, both seem to be satisfied after stinging you once, unless you have really disturbed them and stay too close. I consider any place that a nest can be made to be "hot" and test by spraying to see if any are in there before fooling with whatever it is, I hate being caught by surprise.

 

[Anonymous-0]

the one that bumped you, i actually have seen them do that more than once,ive been told that its a warning before they sting.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Dont waste time with wasp killer it just p's them off I use a squirt bottle with gasoline or alchohal in it kill em instant and smell will keep the rest away for a little while.

Clint

 

[Anonymous-0]

That is what I thought may have been the case, I got off with a warning. Those deer flies with the black on their wings that do laps around your head do this too, they bump you one time, and I think mosquitos do it too, although they are drawn in by exhaled carbon dioxide. Well hopefully they leave Stan alone, that is all one needs is to discover and disturb a nest while on a ladder, could be a lot worse than a few stings !

 

[Stan(PA)]

Thanks guys! I got 4 down, 2 to go! The window with the last two shutters still had wasps hanging around, so I sprayed it again tonight. Hopefully, there won't be any around tomorrow!