wasps

[sknichols]

Are wasps just something I have to put up with around my pond? That is the only thing not enjoyable and runs me off is the amount of wasps, hornets and bees on my pond. Anything I can do to make them go away?

 

[ididntdoit99]

Are you talking about the mud daubers? the ones that make holes in the dirt and live by the pond?

They like dirt where they can easily get moisture, my grandpa just had to climb under the deck around his pool because he said there were hundreds of them flying around his pool.

They make a powder that you can put down in the holes that is supposed to kill them, that is what he used anyway. Seemed to have worked pretty good because 2 days later I went to thier place to take the kids swimming and we didnt see any.

 

[Davidless]

It seems that I have an excessive amount by water fall this year, it's due to the dry weater.

David

 

[j.w]

They are thirsty and think you built that nice pond so they can come get a drink. I wouldn't bother them unless there is a nest nearby where you could get stung badly by a bunch of them unless of course if you or someone in your family is allergic then you will have to take steeper measures. Have you been stung? Just thought..........maybe you could make a place away from the pond where they could go to get a drink.........just a shallow basin or something?

 

[sissy]

yep they drink out of the stock tank .So far since I put the stock tank next to the pond they seem to like tank better

 

[addy1]

The only wasps I worry about are the yellow jackets, nasty suckers. The rest don't seem to care if I am hanging around. The only wasps I have been stung by and chased by, are yellow jackets. I walk through plants covered with flowers, bees, wasps and never get stung. But yellow jackets! get near their nest and they attack.

 

[j.w]

Yep and they seem to get worse near the end of summer just before the weather starts to turn cooler for some reason. Maybe they want to get one last jab into us before they dearly depart

 

[sknichols]

I have mainly small bees and red wasps and yellow jackets. I was stung once then we found several nests and sprayed everything we could. They don't really seem to be bothered by us. We can go out about 8:30 pm and they have settled down. I'll try having some other water available. This weather is just plain miserable. One thing I have noticed is not very many mosquitoes though. I like that!

 

[addy1]

We are wet and humid, still no mosquitoes, I squished one so far this year. Think all the pond lovers are eating any that manage to fly around here.

 

[JoaniePA]

Addy - you think like me. Most wasps are pretty docile unless you provoke them. I have mud daubers living with the bats in the bat house, and I have black wasps living with the mason bees in the mason bee house. There are big bumble bees, and little sweat bees, and none of them bother me if I don't swat at them. They just fly around and do their own thing. Yellow jackets, however, can be aggressive.. but they only get to be a problem in the late summer and fall.

I try not to kill things or mess with nature unless it messes with me.. it's all a web and if you pull out a string it effects everything else.

 

[fishin4cars]

we have wasp on the pond quite often. they rarely ever bother us at all. It's the ones that are guarding a nest that get plain out nasty. We have a nest in the back of the house that is under the overhang on the second story. I would say 12-16" across the nest and probably 100+ wasp on the nest. I don't know why but I can't get any volunteers to go up and spray them. LOL

 

[addy1]

Addy - you think like me. Most wasps are pretty docile unless you provoke them. I have mud daubers living with the bats in the bat house, and I have black wasps living with the mason bees in the mason bee house. There are big bumble bees, and little sweat bees, and none of them bother me if I don't swat at them. They just fly around and do their own thing. Yellow jackets, however, can be aggressive.. but they only get to be a problem in the late summer and fall.

I try not to kill things or mess with nature unless it messes with me.. it's all a web and if you pull out a string it effects everything else.

I was grooming the lilies, I had a rope handled bucket sitting on the side of the pond Next thing I see are 8 big brown wasps flying around with grubs, acting frantic. So in all my human intelligence, figure out that I had blocked their nest. Moved the bucket they flew into the nest. Out there again today, working on the rocks, found their nest one of those paper wasp nests, they paid no attention to me. As long as they don't attack I leave them alone. Darn yellow jackets attack even if you are leaving them alone. I was talking to a neighbor last time I was stung, sucker flew up my shirt and stung the poop out of me, very tender body part.

 

[j.w]

Poor you addy and your tender parts,lol! I haven't been stung this year at all,knock on a bee's knees!

 

[addy1]

Yeah it was bad, red and sore for over two months, didn't think it would ever stop hurting.

 

[j.w]

Yike's that doesn't sound fun at all. They don't affect me like that. You must have an allergic reaction to them to some degree.