Wasps

I have a cotoneaster which is just comong int flower. It is a shrub about 5 foot high, situated about 6-7 foot from the house.

It is covered in wasps. I assume the nest is in the shrub, as the wasps don't seem to travel away from it.

At the moment, apart from me not being able to weed round the shrub (from shear fear) they aren't causing any problems.

Should I just leave them?

I don't want to kill them unless it's absolutely necessary, but I don't want to not be able to use the garden, and to be worried if children come to visit.

What advice can anyone give me?

 

Are you sure they are wasps and not Honey Bees Granny Smith? I don't expect you've ventured too close and they look similar from a distance!:WINK1:

If they are bees they are just after the nectar, which is a good thing. BUT, if they are wasps, and living in the shrub, then that's a different matter. Let's hope they are the friendly bees.

Chris

 

Wasps are nasty little beasts. They will sting if they feel like it. No reason is needed.
If kiddies are likely to be in the vicinity then I would have them exterminated.
They are prone to build nests in houses (Eaves, lofts, brickwork etc.). If they get disturbed they will move.

Bees on the other hand are a lot more tolerant. They buzz around ignoring People - unless really threatened - and should be left to do their thing. They're good for thre garden.

 

I wouldn't want any large number of bees or wasps near me or any children.

I am not a big fan of buzzing insects in general...

 

Hi Granny Smith

I think wasps have a bad name. Left well alone they will do their thing without bothering anyone else. Afterall, they're only interested in the same thing we all are: eating, working and raising a family. They don't sting for no reason, just because they feel like it. They sting because either they, the queen, or their home is under threat. I myself got stung on the arm on Saturday - but that was because I had just stuffed a brushcutter straight through their nest which was hidden in a load of bramble. Not their fault, but I would do just the same if someone attacked my house and family.

My advice would be to leave them alone and let them do their thing. Just remind visitors that there are wasps around and to keep well away. Wasps are actually beneficial to the garden as they help pollinate flowers, keep pests in check and clear up decaying matter. The nest will probably be underground, hidden by your cotoneaster, and getting to it in order to destroy it will be difficult. It is only a few wasp species that build nests out of pulp, and they're usually found in or near buildings rather than in gardens.

If you really want them gone then wait until the winter when they're dead. Have a rummage around the soil around the cotoneaster, locate the nest, and bin it so the larvae do not hatch next spring. Just make sure they're not honey bees or hoverflies first!!

Cheers,
Matthew

 

I to would leave them alone as they are probably gathering food for their families.Wasps haver got a bad name as others have said but they do a lot of good in the garden eating large quantities of greenfly in the process that would be busy sucking sap from nice healthy plants:D

If the nest is in the cotoneaster 5ft from the ground then I don't think any children will be harmed,unless of course the children get a long pole and start trying to poke it into the shrub then they are likely to get harmed:D

I got stung the other year over at our allotment by a bee as I didn't realise it had landed on my T shirt and only felt it when it had stung me,but I let it live to fight another day.Another time I was picking plums and didn't know that a wasp was eating the same plum that I was trying to pick so got stung twice :OUCH:but just had to accept it is part of growing sweet fruit:D

If we all respect nature then nature will respect us and let us all live in peace

 

Thank you all for your replies.

I am sure they are wasps, but they are very much minding their own business at the moment. I can get quite close to them without them bothering, and they don't seem to move away from the cotoneaster - perhaps because it's just starting to flower?

I'll have to see what they do when the cotoneaster flowers fade, if they spread out a bit and cause problems.

I Looked up wasps on the internet and apparently they leave the nest when the Queen dies in Autumn, and never return. If that's the case it will be OK, unless they build another nest next year on a different tree!

I'm tending towards leaving them be at the moment. My philosophy is - if it's outdoors they have as much right to be there as I do. It would be different if the nest was indoors, of course.

 

Just discovered a wasp nest in round compost bin. It is in an area where it must be removed. Would like advice on how to remove them.

 

I am not sure about the "never return" part...

 

They may never return due to dying to death, but what you're left with is a nest full of wasp eggs, ready to hatch and develop into a new colony of wasps in the same nest.

 

I paid the council to remove a wasps nest from the attic They did not remove it they sprayed into it and killed the wasps, the worker took my £45 then told me they would have died three weeks later anyway and not come back :-)

I later removed the nest myself which was full of eggs and cremated it

On an aside, this week I was digging new ground and it had about 200 bumblebees living in the soil, they were distrubed but just flew around me
The only damage was when five got trapped in my shirt and began stinging their way out, the rest were docile

Result twenty stings on my back and arm pits,swollen and sore for first two days, then advised on here what to do, sudacream/Bicarbonate of soda paste or antihistamine cream, pain gone just itching like mad, day seven now OK

Greenhouse now built on site, they are still there, but docile and service my plants daily

I paint one plant with sugar water, so I can use my camera to take pix of the bee :-)

Jack McH

 

Thanks to all for your advice. Discovered they were building nest so raked it out
and soaked area with plenty of water. So far they are not around will check again this morning. I don't like doing this but my grandchildren are here.