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Original poster

Wasps - Arrrrggggghhhhhh

84 replies

Metrobaby · 30/07/2004 13:44

OK someone please slap me but I am petrified of the things.

The other day my worse nightmare happened. I was in the car with dd and ds, waiting in traffic, windows down, when a wasp flew in. I was practically in tears when it was flying around ds (14wks), and then started crawling around his face. I had to pull over and open the doors to try and get the wasp out. I was beside myself as as everytime I tried to get dd or ds out the wasp came near them. I then had a horrible time driving home as I wasn't 100% sure the wasp had gone. I was shaking with fear for a long time afterwards.

To top it all both my neighbours have got wasps nests in their roofs, but aren't doing anything about it

OP posts:
lou33 · 08/08/2004 17:41

A wasp flew into ds2's mouth 2 summers ago.

Janh · 08/08/2004 17:42

gawd, lou, what happened?

whymummy · 08/08/2004 17:52

oh no lou!!was he ok?

lou33 · 08/08/2004 17:59

He was only a year old. We had gone to a pyo farm for some veg and fruit, and were sitting having a drink by the cafe. Place was wasp city, and as he opened his mouth to babble at me a wasp flew right in, he closed his mouth and I panicked! The wasp flew out as soon as he opened his mouth again, and he started screaming the place down. I didn't know if it was with shock or pain at being stung, so it was an anxious couple of minutes, wondering if I should call an ambulance (middle of nowhere) or wait and see if his throat started swelling up. Luckily he screamed so long and so loudly I realised he must have escaped being stung, and it was just the shock of it all. But it really shook me up. Still can't believe the wasp didn't sting him!

whymummy · 08/08/2004 18:04

thank goodness!!
my dad's uncle was having a siesta in the garden and snoring away when a wasp flew into his mouth and stung his tongue,he alsmost died,as it was so swollen he couldn't breath,my dad was very small and can't remember how they dealt with it but it was pretty close

lou33 · 08/08/2004 18:44

Doesn't bear thinking about does it?

pepsi · 08/08/2004 19:04

I heard on the radio this week that rubbing onion on a wasp sting helps, my ds got stung this week so tried it dont know if it helped really. How long will the wasp season last?

throckenholt · 09/08/2004 09:28

there do seem to be more here this year (Norfolk) - we have stopped eating outside or in the conservatory because we were getting masses of them (we 3 kids under 3 I couldn't cope !).

The last few days haven't been so bad - they seem to have found our rapsberry bushes which are now crawling in wasps. Not good because the kids like to graze on the raspberries too.

Also we were at Southwold on Saturday - in the 5 minutes it took us to get back in the car we had 10 wasps in the car with us - crawling on the apples that the kids had - it was horrible. Luckily no-one got stung, and a few wasps got killed

aloha · 09/08/2004 10:30

When I was in Norfolk two weeks ago there was an invasion of hover flies. they look just like wasps, yellow and black stripes, but are completely harmless and don't sting. Maybe a few of these wasps are hover flies? Our house was full of them last week, though they seem to be dying now (lovely!)

Janh · 09/08/2004 11:24

nope, aloha, they are definitely wasps! The thing I read (which I can't find) said that their numbers have increased sharply because farmers are now encouraged to leave an uncultivated strip which they don't use pesticides on round the edge of crops.

IIRC the main wasp season always starts promptly around 1 August (they have calendars obv) so there wouldn't have been many 2 weeks ago. But there are now...

StickyNote · 09/08/2004 11:38

at wasps with calendars!

throckenholt · 09/08/2004 11:55

nope - definitely wasps - we had masses of hover flies as well and they are nowhere near so mean looking and don't have that menacing buzz !

Original poster
Metrobaby · 09/08/2004 12:11

wht do wasps seem to also be attracted to meat?? I think they love it as much as jam. I hate them and would love to blow them all up.

OP posts:
Original poster
Metrobaby · 09/08/2004 12:22

whymummy - your trap sounds very interesting but I can't quite seem to figure it out. Is it the same as Lowryn's one?

Reading these posts is making my skin crawl.

OP posts:
lou33 · 09/08/2004 13:13

Pest control round here said to watch out for wasps around fallen fruit, as they get drunk on it, and can get agressive.

Janh · 09/08/2004 13:19

Another wasp trap - considerably cheaper than the other (but would not look v nice full of corpses).

Found it while looking for 80th birthday pres for aunt. Serendipity is a wonderful thing! (Haven't found pres yet though. )

calcium · 09/08/2004 13:41

we've just noticed a huge increase in wasps in the garden. In our last house we had the biggest wasp nest you could imagine alien proportions the size of a kingsize duvet scrunched up and shoved into the attic. The council wouldn't do anything about it and we only realised as each morning the bathroom was filled with wasps trying to get out the window. they don't bother me too much but dh is terrified of them. On Sunday we had some friends over who were drinking red wine this seemed to attract the wasps as it was sweet I suppose. dd had one crawling up her arm and was saying mummy look a bee her father flung himself at her and ran off down the garden (helpful!) poor child didn't know what was going on and was more concerned that daddy tried to hit her!! dh is now obcessed with making wasp traps out of jam jars with jam/red wine and putting some greased proof paper with a hole in the top, it does work but we now have three of them !

Hate to say it also re; wasp nests they do come back our wasps came back three years running after we found our nest, not as bad but definately a presence!!

moosh · 09/08/2004 15:12

We were fighting with them too when we met friends and their children on Saturday afternoon. My 4 yr old ds can run like the wind but I was guarding my 5 month old ds like a hawk. I was wafting and fighting them off. They came for `drink, food you name it they were there. There were loads of them I am pretty sure they have trebbled over the year. I am going to bring my wasp killer spray out with me and as long as they are not buzzing by my children's faces I will spray the lot of them. I hate them as I have been stung twice once under the arm which had me in tears about 10 years ago and once when I was at school and stood still as I was told and got stung on the back of my leg!!.

daisy1999 · 09/08/2004 15:29

Just read this it explains when wasps are attracted to different foods "In the early months of the summer, workers are attracted to protein foods found at picnic areas, rubbish sites and pet food dishes, however they are much more of a nuisance when attracted to sweet food and drinks at the end of their life cycle."

whymummy · 09/08/2004 15:37

my trap was really good yesterday,i got 11,i gave them a nice burial,had to flush 3 times tho.today the trap is not working.clever little bs

gscrym · 09/08/2004 16:46

I'd just like to know where in evolution did we aquire the need for things like wasps and midges.

On a funnier note, my grandpa was terified of the stripey winged demons. One got into the car and he was almost sitting on my mums knee trying to get out of the car. She tried to reason with him using the same argumnents as she thinks of with bees, ' it'll only sting if its annoyed, only females sing you.' To which my granpa replied 'I'm not going to ask what bloody sex it is and if it's had a nice day!'

karen99 · 11/08/2004 12:26

These two pages are really interesting:

here and here

I've also heard citronella and mint can deter bugs, but not sure about wasps. Put a few drops on a tissue or your clothing (not sure about staining) or try and get a candle with this scent.

karen99 · 11/08/2004 12:43

This site also gives some tips for treating timber, plus it says the trap that whymummy originally posted (waspbane) is one of the best out there..

We've got a wasp nest in our roof and a bee nest in our chimney! We had to block our chimney in the living room as I kept finding them on my curtains and ds' toys in the spring. Luckily they seem to be going *up the chimney now instead of in our living room... as they are protected we can't get the nest shifted until September-ish when they decide to leave..

mamerin · 11/08/2004 16:17

Just had the worst experience of my post-baby life so far. Got home from the shops and one of the blighters was in the pram with her. I grabbed her hat off and swatted it away from her with that. I'm feeling quite ill to think that it had been that near her and what could have happened. Yesterday I had one that wouldn't leave her alone while i was changing her nappy. Ended up with nappy contents all over baby, changing mat, towel, me etc etc while i tried to get the wasp away from her. Himself didn't hear me shout as he was on the phone. i tell you, he heard me shout at him afterwards. Anyway end result is that I'm sat in, all doors and windows are locked and fans are going flat out to cool house. waiting for sir to get home so i can go and check outside of house for nests- reading these has made me paranoid that i've got a nest somewhere- i used to be a rational, sane person before little miss arrived...

naomij · 11/08/2004 23:00

does anyone know what the point of wasps is anyway - do they move pollen like bees, or eat other annoying pests??? or are they a total evolutionary mistake?

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