Paper wasp nest

[Tinkerer]

I have been doing a LOT of landscape redesign lately. added a row of 11 - 14 ft tall blue spruce this spring. Because of the line of trees the underground spinkling heads were no longer in the right spots.
I was moving one to a better location today ( it was almost under one of the new trees.) Dug the complete trench arround the tree and was laying in the new pipe when I looked up and almost wet myself. Dang nest was as big as a football and only 4 ft over my head. Why I didn't get stung was beyond me.
Hauled out the shop vac and a ten ft piece of 1 inch PVC taped to the vac hose.
half hour with the pipe 1/2 inch away from the opening in the nest and I must have caught 60 or 70 bees. Then went at the nest with the vac. From start to finish it took an hour and I didn't get stung and I didn't need to use any spray that could have damaged the tree. Then I finished the sprinkler job. I will wait a week and open the vac and count the bees. Hope I got the queen.

 

[Ratickle]

Good thing the shop vac didn't quit while you were at it.....

 

[old377guy]

Damn clever idea!

 

[Ratickle]

Damn clever idea!

Hence the name Tinkerer??????

 

[imco offshore]

i ran one over with my tractor( it was underground) suddenly i heard a funny noise ,,i thought the motor was going south,,,i turned around to look behind me , and the glass was a solid wall of hornets,,,they stayed on the glass for over a mile,,the next day i poured two gallons of deisel fuel on it and lit it up ,,after i dug it up ,,their were two kinds of wasps ,,hornets and some little yellow jackets ,,one hole ,with two nest,,

 

[Tinkerer]

The name DOES fit. I was given the name by my best friend about 30 years ago.
My wife calls me McGuiver. I have a habit of looking at things differently.
If the vac had stopped before I had all of the bees I would have just plugged the hose.
I was standing about 10 ft away the whole time watching the bees get sucked up.

 

[C35]

Not a bug story but a shop-vac story...

Who knew they had so many versatile uses? Dad bought an old boat that was sitting for many years. I told him I'd come and pump out the old gas for him, but he's impatient. Got it himself. Used his trusty shop vac.

It wasn't until about an hour later that he realized they may have been picking up pieces of him in the next block over.

He's 77.

 

[rschap1]

And I thought the shop vac/gasoline tale was an urban legend....

I was tearing out an old r.r. tie retaining wall some years ago. Found the home of mud wasps
I was not nearly as lucky as Tinkerer. I got about a dozen HEAVY DUTY stings before running off my dock and diving in the lake.
Their stingers were stuck in my arms and chest like fish hooks.
About 3-4 hours later each sting swelled to baseball diameter. Took a few days to go away. HURT like HE__.
They got gas and burned about 1/2 hour after they tore me up.

 

[ROGUE]

Should have stuck the pipe in your neighbors window and hit "blow".

 

[Ratickle]

Should have stuck the pipe in your neighbors window and hit "blow".

Damn glad you don't live nextdoor to me






:sifone:

 

[Ratickle]

:sifone:

 

[Tinkerer]

Rogue - Hi - you remembered about my neighbor. I bought a $1000.00 survailence system and all of the problems with the IDIOT stoped as soon as he found out.

 

[ROGUE]

Rogue - Hi - you remembered about my neighbor. I bought a $1000.00 survailence system and all of the problems with the IDIOT stoped as soon as he found out.

Good, glad to hear it. AC still chugging along fine.

 

[Ratickle]

Rogue - Hi - you remembered about my neighbor. I bought a $1000.00 survailence system and all of the problems with the IDIOT stoped as soon as he found out.

What did you get? I've been looking into updating our ADT with video of some kind. The Samsung 4 channel system intrigues me with the ease of the setup. But, it does not have remote cameras, all hard wired.

 

[imco offshore]

Paul you don,t want wireless,,,any and all wireless items will effect them ,,ie,,home phones,,cell phones,,tv remotes,,someone driving by,,microwave,,even your neighbers equiptment,,,call me and i,ll send ya what u need if you want,,

 

[Tinkerer]

I bought the Samsung 8 channel that comes with 4 cameras.

 

[MILD THUNDER]

I hate bee's. Actually, I hate bugs all together.

Maybe you could have tied up your neighbor to the tree, and lathered him up in honey. Then take all the captured bees in the shop vac, point the tube at him, and Hit the Blow function. Would make a great youtube video.

 

[Playn]

Tinker, The same thing happened with my wife. I had gotten back in town and she was just finishing weeding. She was showing me an area and I asked why she happen to decide to weed under that nest. She asked "what nest?" and I pointed it out. She damn near had a heart attack. She said she heard buzzing every once in a while but didn't give it much thought....

 

[Tinkerer]

WOW - sure scares the crap out of you when you see the nest.
I was using my WAY over powered weed wacker to cut down a small tree when I realized what was flying arround the saw wern't flies.( it has a big motor and straight shaft ) I put an 8 inch carbide saw blade on it and cut down brush and small trees ( less than 5 inches diameter) It was a ground nest of bees.

 

[HiZ]

And I thought the shop vac/gasoline tale was an urban legend....

I was tearing out an old r.r. tie retaining wall some years ago. Found the home of mud wasps
I was not nearly as lucky as Tinkerer. I got about a dozen HEAVY DUTY stings before running off my dock and diving in the lake.
Their stingers were stuck in my arms and chest like fish hooks.
About 3-4 hours later each sting swelled to baseball diameter. Took a few days to go away. HURT like HE__.
They got gas and burned about 1/2 hour after they tore me up.

I like to put Mud Wasps on my Pancakes, sally