Kelly Kettle wasp house

[elma]

Not really a bushcraft thread, but I went down the shed to pick up my kelly kettle for a hunting trip only to discover wasps had taken residence inside it

I was wondering has anyone had any similar experiences.
and should I leave them to the end of summer or nuke them now


Ian

[beachlover]

So where do you store your kit then?

[martin]

Leave them until the end of summer.

[British Red]

Personally I'd have to get rid of em - but tread careful - I once held a ladder for a mate of mine who sprayed stuff in a wasps nest - never seen a man come down a ladder so fast as when they boiled out!

[Ogri the trog]

Personally I'd have to get rid of em

Me too,
Wait till a cold spell so that you know they are mostly in, but won't want to come out, before treating the nest.

Good luck, I've recently removed a basket ball sized nest from our attic that was inhabited last year.

Ogri the trog

[beachlover]

I'm with martin on this one.
You left the open invitation for them, so don't evict them, it would make you no different to one of those "git orf moi land" types.

[British Red]

I'm with martin on this one.
You left the open invitation for them, so don't evict them, it would make you no different to one of those "git orf moi land" types.

Sorry, I don't understand the logic of an "open invitation" there..I thought the kette was stored in a shed

As for being a "git orf my land type", when it comes to vermin - guilty Living on an arable farm, we get a few types (rats, mice occasional wasp nests etc.). I guess you could say that living between two wheat fields and a grain store in the next door farm yard is an open invitation and I guess you would be right. I'm not embarassed to admit to eliminating them all on site though - all things have their place, but I'm afraid my loft space or outbuildings is not the place for wasps and my garden is not the place for rats or mice. YMMV

Red

[gaz_miggy]

it will cost you but id say get someone in to got rid of them

[Spikey DaPikey]

Boil the kettle ??


*runs away*


Or, Just buy another one

[Robbie Roberson]

Dish detergent mixed with water in a spray bottle or even better a cheap pump sprayer works great for these pest.

I often spray this mixture on and all around my home outside because of grandkids and everyone else being outside and it helps keep the stings to a minimum. The spray mix is safe and very effective, it drops the wasp or bees instantly and they die in a few seconds.

I never spray honey bees, but wasp, yellow jackets and hornets I will spray. If you adjust the sprayer on a wide spray, it pretty much will cover them all even on very large nest.

Mix one gallon of water to a half cup or a full cup of dish detergent of your choice, spray on hand and if it feels fairly soapy, it's perfect. Note: don't shake container, first put soap in, then add water slowly so as not to cause bubbles, gently swirl to mix.

For nest in the ground, stick nozzle in hole and spray until bubbles start coming out, the bees try to come out through the soap and will die soon after.


Robbie Roberson.

[Toots]

Git orf my land! I'm with Red on this one. I had a wasp nest in my garden a couple of years ago and it's no fun sharing with them all summer.

That said, if the nest is confined to the kelly kettle then is it not portable? You could (carefully) relocate it to another location away from your house. Could be entertaining!

[led]

If you want to get rid of them then sprinkle some almond essence around the entrance. They'll be gone before long.

[Tony]

There you go - a nice natural approach!

[beachlover]

Sorry, I don't understand the logic of an "open invitation" there..I thought the kette was stored in a shed

As for being a "git orf my land type", when it comes to vermin - guilty Living on an arable farm, we get a few types (rats, mice occasional wasp nests etc.). I guess you could say that living between two wheat fields and a grain store in the next door farm yard is an open invitation and I guess you would be right. I'm not embarassed to admit to eliminating them all on site though - all things have their place, but I'm afraid my loft space or outbuildings is not the place for wasps and my garden is not the place for rats or mice. YMMV

Red

Hi Red,

It was meant somewhat light heartedly and certainly not meant as seriously as you took it. Apologies. I simply meant that your Kelly kettle provided a suitable home and that if they were doing no harm other than making you seek an alternative method of making a brew, why evict them?
If you already have a policy of eliminating wildlife that fall into the pigeon hole of vermin, why ask what others think you should do about the wasps?

[pumbaa]

I have seen a similar thing , a friend of mine got in his canoe and started paddleing down the river . Then for no apparent reason , screamed and rolled over !Guess who forgot to check the back of the canoe was clear ?
He had quite a few stings on his legs , but the wetsuit took the brunt of it .
we sunk the canoe which got all the wasps .
Pumbaa

[elma]

I think I'll leave them to the end of the summer, the spout is corked and they have set up home in the funnel, at this time the nest is small (about the size of a golf ball) and I'm going to attempt to move it with a long stick(a very long stick, a very very long stick ) hooked under the handle, got to give them a chance after all they are the gardeners friends so I've been told.
Failing this I'll have to nuke em

Ian

[BorderReiver]

Apparently they eat all sorts of pests.

Don't like the idea of a concentration of them round the old domicile though.

Wasps nest Tinder?

[Moff8]

We get quite a few nests in the shed, I encouraged a few spiders to make their home there (not destroying their webs) and so far not one of those nests has managed to prosper. More of a prevention than a cure though I am afraid.

[anthonyyy]

I bet you could make a fortune if you auctioned it on Ebay.

[Toddy]

Wasps are not friends to be encouraged near the house. I don't usually kill them because the scent just attracts others but I would not leave a wasps byke in my loft or sheds. Generally we find the little ball start of the nest early enough on that we can cut it free from it's support, usually a rafter, and throw it into the woodland. Wait until it's dark and cool then cover the byke with a paper bag, cut free and transport to where you want to dispose of it. It's just a tough woody paper and cuts free quite easily with a serrated bread knife. If it's too large or in an unreachable place, (the last one was behind the fascia boards behind the rone pipe beside the kids bedroom window ) get professional help. I called in an exterminator and he simply puffed some powder near the entrance. He said the wasps returning to the byke would carry it inside and that would be the end of the problem. It was
My neighbour decided that I had been cruel and left the byke in her loft alone; her three year old woke up screaming when her afternoon nap became a nightmare; eight wasp stings on one small child, three on her face and the rest on her arms
Everything has a right to live, but a beastie in my house is either out or dead. The moggie gets parole

Cheers,
Toddy

[Lithril]

I really dislike wasps and I'm afraid if it was me they'd have to go, although someone else would probably have to do the removing unless I could have some remote device

[Ralph]

I never spray honey bees, but wasp, yellow jackets and hornets I will spray. If you adjust the sprayer on a wide spray, it pretty much will cover them all even on very large nest.

Robbie Roberson.

Hornets are actually really docile and will only attack of their nest is in immediate danger ( someone trying to destroy it, for instance). With a little bit of bravery and perhaps madness you can go and stand next to a hornets nest in relative safety, but please don't try it!!

[elma]

The kettle is now in the allotment at the bottom of the garden, the fellow who owns it is a bit of an organic gardener and provided they stick to thier side of the deal and kill all the pests they can squat there til the end of the summer

Ian

[Toddy]

It'd make a cool photo Bet Kelly kettles would like to see it too

Cheers,
Toddy

[useless]

Elma, a fantastic solution.

Wasps have a place in the natural order of things. If you kill them then something else lives that might eat some one's veg', and something else goes without a wasp for dinner. I'd have a small nest in the garden when growing things like cabbage.

But in the house? By the door? I think the natural order of things would have me asking them to leave. They could move themselves or I'd offer a ride to the waspy after life I'm afraid. And I'm a hippy (allegedly)!

[swyn]

Permetherin (not sure of spelling) is the powder now used by pest control, Cymag is now un obtainable (and lethal to all). You may find that the kettle becomes too small for a really active colony and they move on when they cannot expand the nest any more.
I like the almond essence idea and will remember to try that first before more lethal measures.
Swyn

[Tiffers]

Beachlover, it was Elma who asked about the wasps nest, not Red


A thought thats just passed through my mind....is an old wasps nest any use as tinder?

Tiffers

[Don Redondo]

wasps nest in the house is bad news for me at least. many peeps are alergic to bee stings or wasp stings.

For me it's wasps, and a trip to A&E is a probability, depending on where I get stung. has'nt happened in ages, because i tend to respect the lil blighters outside. A nest indoors or around the house = eviction or worse.

[my mum is alergic to bee stings. no fun when your hubby was a beekeeper ]

[xairbourne]

I had a little wasp’s nest in the work shop where I worked a while ago, I tried to
knock it down with a broom pole and the little buggers come out (only a few). Here’s the best bit, I took out all the Florissant lighting in the work shop with the broom and missed the nest. After I cleaned up I got an aerosol and a lighter and burned them all to hell.
I don’t like them at all.