Lethargic Wasps

[Avatar]

For the last week or so, on some mornings when I come out of my flat on an upper floor, I find half a dozen or so wasps lying on the floor by a window. The window is closed on my floor.
When I got to the bottom floor this morning there were another 10 or so wasps lazily crawling over the outer side of the glass entry door.
What the heck is going on? What are they up to?

[4GS]

Dying, I hope!!
I've seen a few buzzing around when I go out, I've never seen wasps this late in the year

[guess who]

ive seen some as well,big enough to have pit boots on.

[logic]

if theres anything I enjoy watching die, it's wasps, uhh.

[guess who]

morning logic,how you feeling today,

[jno]

I don't know why they're so sleepy; but could there be a nest somewhere?

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2007/11/ giant_wasps_nest_found_in_atti.php

[China Doll]

Arrghh! Wish I had opened that link, I hate wasps! Turn in to a complete wuss around them. I've gone all shuddery now.

Before opening the link I was going to suggest that it sounds like you may well have a nest somewhere in the flat as that seems like rather a lot of the critters for me.

They all go lazy and a bit dopey at this time of year and they are better avoided as their general grumpiness makes them a little on the stingy side at times. Although this lot are dying out out it's best you get it checked to see if there's a nest otherwise you'll have a load of the alert type come next April/May.

The only good thing about winter that I can think of is dead wasps. I really, really hate them.

[Dassie]

Naah.....they got beaten by SARACENS.

[China Doll]

http://www.trapawasp.co.uk/about_wasps.htm

Horrible, horrible picture on link, be careful but quite informative.

[jno]

incidentally it's often the case that if you get stung it's no great problem - but if you get stung a second time your body can react much more severely as your defences have been primed.

This isn't a wasp, it's a hornet, I'm just linking to it to keep China on her toes:

http://www.naturenet.net/blogs/media/mandarini a2.jpg

[China Doll]

I do not love you any more.

I don't even know why I open these things, I knew it was going to be horrid and make my tummy do that lurching thing.

[jno]

think positive, China, you could keep it as a pet like a hamster and maybe teach it to do tricks like looping the loop. The only drawback is that they need to eat half a pound of raw steak a day.

Sorry, Avatar, I suppose this isn't entirely helpful

[Avatar]

Why don't you just get a room?

[jno]

we did but there was a wasp in it. Anyway, whenever we've had quite a few wasps around it's turned out there's a nest under the eaves or in the roof. The council may be able to send someone to check.

[China Doll]

Whoops... Sorry Avatar, my first two answers were designed to be helpful, the rest were jno's fault entirely. Light hearted banter.

As to getting a room, I have a few rooms in my house and do not feel the need add an extension yet.

[Goodsoulette]

Urgh ... CHina you would hate one of my mums houss. Its a big wooden house (no not a shed) and the wasps and hornets love it. I was lying in bed one night and I was wondering what the noise was, I thought the cat had a plastic bag to settle down on. I was nearly sick when I saw it was wasps. I find they are dozier as the weather gets colder, in the wasp heaven that was my mums house I got stung a lot more after september than in the summer. After one of the kids got stung by a hornet and then cried for a whole day (quite literally) I have considered investing in a flame thrower to keep them at distance.

[chicklin]

Wasps are very useful in the garden, they eat loads of pests that would otherwise eat your plants and flowers....so they're not all bad.
They're lethargic cos they're dying off and also the cold makes them like that.

[Avatar]

Bit harsh flame throwering your own kids because they cry isnt it?

[4GS]

Empty jam jar with jam residue on the side, half fill with water, punch holes in the lid, leave outside your back door. This drowns the bu66ers as they can't get out.

Did you know that when you squish a wasp, it releases pherimones into the air which alerts their wasp buddies who then go on a stinging frenzy

[China Doll]

Keeps 'em quiet once the screaming stops I would guess.

[chicklin]

Serves you right then if they get you - you shouldn't squish em......
I put a smear of honey or jam on my finger and wave it around in front of them - they land on my finger and while they're busy licking, I take them outside and transfer them onto something handy to finish their snack......I never kill anything if I can avoid it. Everything has a right to live, as far as I'm concerned...