I've been stung!

[prison break fan]

Wasps are building a beautiful nest on my shed door, could there be a more inconvenient place? If I'm quiet and careful, they let me in and out, but on Monday I got stung on my throat. I have been stung in the past and it has never been a problem but this one is really painful! Have I got to kill them to remove them, or will they just leave? Advice would be welcome! Thanks in advance! pbf.

[homegrown]

Well I don't know about england but here in NZ we can ring the council for advice and help, but there is a powder you can buy that you sprinkle around the hole at dusk and they will carry it in and kill the hive, but you might be able to get someone to come and get them.

[MKG]

They won't leave until late autumn. So, you have a choice. But if you go the extermination route, please please please don't do it yourself unless ...

a) you're extremely confident.
b) you know what you're doing.
c) you can run extremely fast.

They become more aggressive as late summer/autumn wears on, so make up your mind quickly.

Mike

[Trace45]

Know how you feel. I am plagued by wasps nests each year. They build one in the step at the front door (despite my attempts at cementing it) and a couple in back garden. I clad myself in 'C.S.I' garb of several jumpers , hats and rubber gloves and spray the nest with that foam stuff and run away very fast. I only destroy the front door nest as postman, me and friends and neighbours at risk as season progresses and wasps become more psycho.

Good luck

[eco-mick]

Destroy the nest in the middle of the night and run bloody quick (well its what I did when wasps built one in my shed 2 years ago)

[prison break fan]

Thanks everyone! Mike, it's no to a b and c! pbf.

[Andy Hamilton]

I found this that might help, looks like they will only be around for a year.

What is the life cycle of a wasp?
The overwintering fertilised queen wasp emerges from hibernation in early April and searches for a suitable undisturbed site for her colony. The first brood of wasp eggs laid (sterile female workers) then take over the task of enlarging the nest and providing food to sustain it. The process of egg laying will continue until late summer when the queen will lay eggs to produce males and new queens. These will mate and the fertilised queens will fly away to select a suitable site to hibernate.

With the onset of cooler weather the workers will become more sluggish and aggressive towards anyone interfering with them, often feeding on overripe fruit they can also become 'tipsy'. The onset of colder weather and frost kills off the workers and males with only fertilised queens surviving individually in hibernation to start a new colony (nest) the following year. Once a nest dies in the autumn the queen never uses it again the following year. She will always start a fresh nest the following season.

Incidently a poltace of plantian will help nutralize a wasp sting and I don't mena the bannana thing I mean this stuff.

[prison break fan]

Cheers Andy,very helpful, I shall try to leave them in peace this year, after all who needs a shed!!! My allotment has plenty of plantain, so I shall remember that tip for next time! pbf.

[Millymollymandy]

I think I'd be in hospital with a tube down my throat if I got a sting on my neck! Lucky you it is only painful! I'd get rid of it asap. No, actually, I'd get someone else to do it!