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new wasps' nest starting in a toy box in the garden

SalixGoldSalixGold Posts: 450
edited June 2023 in Problem solving
A friend has a wasps' nest starting and doesn't know what to do about it. She has small children and pets. I suggested that she could just leave the toy box with the lid on through the summer, but she was not comfortable with that. There are wasps actively coming and going through holes in the plastic.

I was wondering if wasps would chew through plastic....




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  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    No they won't. Can she move the toy box to a quieter part of the garden? 
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Agree with @Slow-worm - if a quiet corner can be found, leave the wasps to get on with it and find another box to store the toys. With adequate warning/supervision ,it would seem an ideal opportunity to let the children watch and learn about a part of nature.  Wasp nests are fascinating constructions  :)

  • SalixGoldSalixGold Posts: 450
    Slow-worm said:
    No they won't. Can she move the toy box to a quieter part of the garden? 

    I did suggest that but she doesn't seem comfortable with the idea of having a wasps' nest in the garden.
  • CH1973CH1973 Posts: 73
    If you do this the queen will flee. Hosepipe it till it disintegrates and she leaves. Keep your distance they hate water and won't sting you. End of she will find somewhere new. Kids about you don't need that they will get more aggressive if it's a big nest. Looks fairly new to me so won't destroy an established nest 🙂
  • SalixGoldSalixGold Posts: 450
    Do you mean that if she moves the box to a quiet part of the garden the queen will abandon the nest? 

  • SalixGoldSalixGold Posts: 450
    I'm wondering: if my friend moves the box with the nest in to the back of her long garden, what are the odds of the queen abandoning?
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I think @CH1973 means if you destroy the nest with a hosepipe the queen will abandon it, however if it's moved to a quiet part of the gardens, the wasps can come and go as they please.

    I can appreciate your friend's unease with the children around, but destroying it with a hosepipe sounds fairly risky. Various advice online seems to vary between "don't do it, it's too risky" to "very effective if done from a safe distance". 
    Can she get a pest controller to remove it if she really is uncomfortable with it ?

  • CH1973CH1973 Posts: 73
    Honestly they flee and don't come back. Stand a good distance away and soak it. Queen won't hang around and you will see her fly off at speed.It worked for me. A good blast and it's gone.
  • CH1973CH1973 Posts: 73
    I put my foot through a nest in the ground. Multiple stings on ankle and leg. Ouch ouch! 
  • SalixGoldSalixGold Posts: 450
    edited June 2023
    She wants to try and save the nest, but I have said that if she feels uncomfortable at any point, she can call an exterminator or look at other options. She has had wasps' nests before, so she is not going into this blind.

    I'm just wondering if she moves the box 30 metres - is the queen likely to leave. Just out of interest.

    For the record, I wouldn't spray a wasps nest, even from a distance. I did that as a kid and regretted it.
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