Where Do Wasps Go At Night?

[teslacoils]

I'm harvesting wind fall plums, and getting up late to avoid the wasps......but where do they go at night? Presumably they fly to a nest? So how far do they travel to get at my fruit? Or do they just hunker down?

I presume they are feeding on the sugar then taking it back to their nest? I consider them annoying but have very little idea of their life cycle compared to bees.

 

[Kidds]

Back to the nest which is usually fairly close by. I reckon a few hundred yards at most and expect it to be usually less. No doubt they will travel further if they need to.

 

[Dukes Fit]

I'm harvesting wind fall plums, and getting up late to avoid the wasps......but where do they go at night? Presumably they fly to a nest? So how far do they travel to get at my fruit? Or do they just hunker down?

I presume they are feeding on the sugar then taking it back to their nest? I consider them annoying but have very little idea of their life cycle compared to bees.

Last year they were nesting in the eaves of my garage. Dunno where everyone else’s go

 

[DrWazzock]

They have had my green gages just as they became ripe. I salavaged about half of them but the rest were too badly damaged. Flipping nature. Strangely the wasps also eat meat from rabbits the cat kills. All day they feast on the flesh along with the flies laying eggs, then the cat goes out at night and eats a lot of it up, fly strike and all. hmmm

 

[teslacoils]

Yes, I noticed them stripping a hare carcass.

These are on my plums, but as I adopt the Slavic method of brandy production , a few wasps in the pot makes no difference!

But the exposed tree dropped all the fruit in the wind, so I have raked the plums to a pile and plan to get them in the pot tomorrow. I don't wash them as I need the natural yeasts hence want the rotten ripe ones!

Interestingly it says foraging in wasps is more intense in the morningm .

 

[unlacedgecko]

Also, wasps are annual insects. Unlike bees they don’t make honey, so all but the queen dies over winter.

 

[Kevtherev]

Sure the workers are turfed out of the nest in September hence being more active ????

 

[teslacoils]

Fruit seems very early this year. And lots of it. I've run out of freezer space for the apples.

 

[mixed breed]

Back to the nest.

One evening, earlier in the year, under duress I hooked up to the little baler, ready to bale some hay for someone the following day. Just attracting the PTO a wasp came into my eyeline and quick as a flash pranged me on my eye lid. After a lot of flailing about and cursing i calmed down and discovered they had a nest in the drawbar, which by now had hundreds of them buzzing in and out of, moody as hell that I'd upset their camp.

I gave up and went to bed, sore.

 

[B'o'B]

Yes, I noticed them stripping a hare carcass.

These are on my plums, but as I adopt the Slavic method of brandy production , a few wasps in the pot makes no difference!

But the exposed tree dropped all the fruit in the wind, so I have raked the plums to a pile and plan to get them in the pot tomorrow. I don't wash them as I need the natural yeasts hence want the rotten ripe ones!

Interestingly it says foraging in wasps is more intense in the morningm .

Lots of wasps on your plums sounds like torture to me!

 

[DrWazzock]

With the Mrs newly retired and at a loose end I’m encouraging her to take up wine and beer making using whatever she can forage from the garden and hedgerows. We could almost live on wild produce. Soon be the be the shooting season and we dine on free pheasant.

My Bramleys are blowing off the tree. Big crop of pears as well. Yes it seems like a good fruit year, early as well.

 

[Sid]

My Victoria's have split bad and are rotting with all the rain.

Thrown more than I've eaten this year!

 

[DrWazzock]

My Victoria's have split bad and are rotting with all the rain.

Thrown more than I've eaten this year!

my green gages have split. Thought it was bird damage but its not. Then wasps get in.

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

Our green gauges have been mullered by the wasps. Father gets perverse pleasure picking them and killing wasps at the same time.
Local gamekeeper got stung by one 3 days ago, hand swelled up fair bit. Next day was going up his arm. When to walk in centre and given strong antibiotics. Bugger had got inflected, probably from wasps eating dead meat.

 

[Hindsight]

I'm harvesting wind fall plums, and getting up late to avoid the wasps......but where do they go at night? Presumably they fly to a nest? So how far do they travel to get at my fruit? Or do they just hunker down?

I presume they are feeding on the sugar then taking it back to their nest? I consider them annoying but have very little idea of their life cycle compared to bees.

To the nest in under the eaves above our bedroom window. My wife hates them. We get a few every day lost come into the bedroom. I defend them as they are an important par of the ecosystem but much and incorrectly maligned.

Last year there was a nest actually in a hole in the ground near to the plum trees in our garden.

I do lose my patience with them though as Iam harvesting our crop of Victorias and grab a plum without checking first that it has not got a wasp in it - stung twice in past two days. I freeze the Victorias. Will end up with about 40kg by end of the week. Once broken branch on the tree this year. Adore stewed plums and have them for dessert through the next several months.

 

[Hindsight]

Yes, I noticed them stripping a hare carcass.

These are on my plums, but as I adopt the Slavic method of brandy production , a few wasps in the pot makes no difference!

But the exposed tree dropped all the fruit in the wind, so I have raked the plums to a pile and plan to get them in the pot tomorrow. I don't wash them as I need the natural yeasts hence want the rotten ripe ones!

Interestingly it says foraging in wasps is more intense in the morningm .

Brandy sounds interesting - care to post a recipe?? Or post a sample??!!!

 

[Hindsight]

Fruit seems very early this year. And lots of it. I've run out of freezer space for the apples.

Our Victorias seem to come earlier. We moved to this house in 1996 and inherited an old very prolific Victoria. She (I am sure she is female) has had an occasional off year usually following a prolific year, so I put it down to needing a rest. And why not I say. The first few years here picking coincided with Burleigh weekend. Bit now seems a week or two earlier.

 

[DrWazzock]

When we I lived in the village there was a wasps nest under my hedge. I cut the hedge and was careful so didn’t get stung. My neighbour noticed the nest and wanted it gone but I said just leave it. One day while I was out at the farm he attacks the nest with a spray aerosol and got stung 40 times. His wife had to take him to casualty. What a twit.

 

[Lincs Lass]

I was supposed to be hanging some wire in a customers hedge to stop his dog escaping untill we found a very lively nest of wasps ,,dont worry he says ,Ill sort them ,,yes he did aswell ,,a dash of petrol late at night and suddenly they were gone ,,along with 6ft of the greenery either side .

 

[Wuffler]

These are on my plums

Jeez! Wasps on your plums, I can think of nothing worse...my sympathies.