Yellow jackets
 

i have just found a yellow jacket wasps nest in one of my planters on the deck in my garden, should i just leave them alone?? im worried my cat might play with them :confused:

dont know what to do?

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Get the council in and destroy them!

Re: Yellow jackets
 

do they charge you?

Re: Yellow jackets
 

they are paper wasps luckily

Re: Yellow jackets
 

what,not even real wasps!!!!

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Yes they are real wasps, but not stripy and they make papery nests and congregate around the gutters for water. I just whack their little nests with a broom if they start one near the house and around the deck.

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Lol ok I sprayed them with fly spray. Do they sting?

Oh and they are stripey black and yellow

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Lol I just got it :p

Re: Yellow jackets
 

I have sprayed them too, they go a bit crazy but generally there aren't many at the nest. They do apparently sting. Watch the nest and if none about just knock it with a broom.

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Ok thanks will do in the morning

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Ohh I think they might be the Asian ones, the ones we mostly get are reddish brown colour and we see them a lot chewing the wood from around the handrails on the deck. Were they longer and slimmer than the normal wasps?

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Yes long and slim

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Danger, Danger, beware Will Robbinson, Danger.

Wasps are a 'pest' in so much as if they are somewhere where you don't want them. derr obvious I know.

Wasps are good for the garden, taking out heaps of nasty little bugs, but a bloody nuisance if you keep bees, (like me), or are too close to where you live.

Wasps, unlike bees can sting multiple times, and even kill. Last year I was dealing with a nest and they managed to take down my dog, (with their stinging).

A effective way of dealing with them is to cover up as much of the nest as possible, ( large black plastic bag is great for this) and in a open container, like a ice cream box, pour in a small amount of petrol. Place this at the base of the sack and enclose. The fumes from the petrol kill off the wasps, so obviously you need to enclose the nest as much as possible and the petrol container.

And best to do this late at night.

One tip. Doing this at night, don't use a torch! The light attracts them

Re: Yellow jackets
 

class as a pest and kill anything that is not human is this a kiwi trait or expat?

Re: Yellow jackets
 

Not sure I follow you. What exactly do you mean?

Wasps can be a major problemo out here. The introduced species & those that accidentally arrive have an impact ,not only on humans but also on native birdlife & insects. Plus they also attack bees. It's best to act responsibly.