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How safe are wasp nests?
Mrs G
Posts: 336
I spotted a wasp yesterday starting to construct a nest on the ceiling of my shed where I store the lawn mower and all the other gardening tools. I can relocate all the things I need for this summer and keep the shed padlocked but my question is how safe is it to leave the nest there? We've got a baby, a toddler and some chickens. the garden is around 100 feet long and the shed is right down the bottom end.
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Posts
https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs-and-habitats/common-wasp you might find this link interesting.....I hope it helps
After my little three year old got attacked by hornets defending their nest that was growing in an apple tree he was playing under (he got stung at least six times!) I've been careful to ensure none take up residence in my yard.
I try to catch it early while they are still building, so they can restart again off elsewhere.
Do you know what sort of wasp you have? What does the nest look like? Some are rather passive and won't really bother you, but other types are more aggressive.
I usually like to leave wasps alone to get on with their business - they're very beneficial insects to have around - however, you'll be wanting to go in and out of your shed to get your mower and tools, and doing that will agitate them and you have a couple of little ones - In your situation I'd destroy the beginnings of the nest and encourage them to move elsewhere - somewhere that you're not going to be going in and out and stress them out - but hopefully not too far away - you want them to eat the aphids on your plants
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm proposing bolting the shed up and leaving them to it. I can store my stuff elsewhere temporarily. The husband has thrown his toys out the pram claiming there's no room in his shed for our tiny push mower and just wants to destroy the wasp. It was just the female yesterday, how can I shoo her off with out incurring her stripey wrath?
Don't think I'd leave the nest in the shed, i want to use it also wasps can chew their way through wood etc.
You might have to leave the window/door open rather than lock them in
I always thought wasps didn't return to old nests...
It is just the queen who builds the initial nest each year - she will then lay some eggs which will hatch into sterile females who will take over the role of expanding the nest
if you click here and scroll down it's explained pretty well http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/416968/The-wonder-of-wasps-an-essential-part-of-garden-life
If you want her to move on just use a stick and break the nest.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The shed is on its last legs. Last time we had a bit of wind one of the plastic windows blew in so i haven't locked her in so much as I've locked us out
. Checked on her today and she'd created the initial cells and was curled up round them. Took all the hand tools I needed which hang on the back of the door and clatter around each time it's opened and the mower and left her to it. It felt too cruel to smash what she'd made and I'm actually quite interested to see the finished thing. Been looking up wasps and she seems to have a round rather than long face which means she might be quite cross apparently!
We had some conifers next to a path, their branches spread, so we had to brush past every time we used it, which was very often as it led to the back door. We only found out about the wasps' nest when the autumn rains soaked it and made it fall from its branch.