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 Post subject: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:04 pm 
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We have covered porches front and back. Red wasps like to hang around on top of the posts that support the porch roofs. It looks like a wasp convention. They just walk around and fan their wings - looking for mates? I have not minded them until lately but now there are so many that they come into the house way too often for me. I have tried diluted orange oil but that only works for a few hours. My husband will shoot them with his air gun if they are on the hummingbird feeders (organic control?). We cannot paint because we have vinyl siding. I occasionally hose the area down and that keeps them away for a little while....

I know they are beneficial but.... just too many of them. Any suggestions?

planosmith (USED to live in Plano, TX but now SW Arkansas)


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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:33 pm 
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Take a look at the article about "Haint Blue." It seems to do a good job of repelling various porch-dwellers: http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Haint-Blue-Paint-Newsletter_vq2290.htm

Howard also has an update posted.

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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:04 pm 
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As I said in my post, paint is not an option as we have vinyl siding. Any other suggestions?

planosmith


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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:13 pm 
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I didn't interpret "siding" as ceiling. Surely they didn't put siding on the ceiling of a covered porch? That's the only place you need to paint, is the ceiling.

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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:28 pm 
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Yep! They did - horizontal and vertical surfaces. Has a channel that mud dabbers just love but I can deal with those easily. The red wasps appeared to crawl INTO the channels. It looked like they were going into the hollow support posts so my husband put wood caps on them. That is where the wasps now hang out. I tried to upload a picture but was unable to do so. They congregate on top of the caps and on the posts. They crawl around on the caps and fan their wings - mating?

The siding on the house itself is horizontal ship lap type but the porch and eaves have reverse board and batten (?) style.

I would certainly paint if that was on option.

planosmith


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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:44 pm 
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To get a photo to load you have to select it (use the browse button) and then click "add the file." And then it either appears at the end of the post or you can choose "inline" and then cut and paste the code where you want it to appear.

If that doesn't work, sites like Photobucket and Flickr make it pretty easy to upload photos and then they have buttons and/or mouseovers to select the right code format and save it to place in a post.

I did some looking - you can paint vinyl siding. (I thought so - I had a great aunt with siding on her house that she had painted and that was many years ago.) Here is some information about it: http://www.vinylsidingoptions.com/vinyl-siding-maintenance/painting-vinyl-siding/

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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:22 am 
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Thanks for the info on painting vinyl siding. Do you have any suggestions for right now? I just don't like them getting into the house. They don't really bother me outside.

I might try painting when it is cooler - it has been in the high 90s and low 100s. My husband does NOT like the idea so he is out with his air gun right now eliminating a few of them.

We have the covered porches, front and back, and there is a short vertical surface around the perimeter, a narrow horizontal surface and then the eaves beyond that. If I started on the eaves, I would have to go all the way around the house.

Another question - would this blue paint confuse the hummers? I have LOTS of hummers that come to 4 feeders that hang from the short horizontal surface - I have been going through about 10 lbs of sugar/week.

Thanks so much for all your helpful suggestions.

planosmith


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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:54 am 
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There was a tip on moving them - let me see if I can find that post.

Okay. From June 11, 2012, posted by Dschall_San_Antonio is an answer. Scroll down in this thread and you'll find an answer.

Depending on the type (I don't remember at this moment) this might help.

I usually just keep knocking them down with a long stick until they stop building in an area. Totally organic, and if the stick is long enough, relatively risk free.

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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:19 am 
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I don't know that they are building nests there. This type usually have the hanging nests from a thin column and then it flares out into the individual cells. They are hanging around on top of a flat surface. I will try to get my husband to check early in the AM before the wasps become active. He will need to use a ladder (which we have).

I have already killed one in the house today and we have only gone out a few times. We are considering putting some diatomacious earth up there. I don't really want to kill them outside but....

planosmith


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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:47 am 
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The stings can be deadly for anyone who is allergic, and they are very painful to all. Sometime you have to get out the toxic spray and deal with them. But if you can leave any alone that are away from the porch, they're beneficial and will keep the spiders down.

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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 6:13 am 
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Orange oil and any of the "essential oil" products will kill and repel the wasps. I think most of the brands have specific wasps products but any of the formulations will probably work. Try not to kill them because the populations have been small this year for some reason.


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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 6:25 am 
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I would not think of killing them if they were not getting into the house so much. The contractor who put vinyl siding on the porch roof and vertical surfaces should be SHOT. It left hundreds of holes that the wasps crawl into and make nests so there are MANY, MANY this year - 3 times what we had last year. So the population is up here. I even hear them inside the walls where the probably die because they cannot find a way out.

I did purchase some wasp spray which I may return. I have some orange oil on hand and will try a stronger solution. I previously used 2 oz per gallon and it only worked for an hour or two.

Thanks.


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 Post subject: Re: Too many wasps
PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:27 am 
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Try the orange oil mix on an inconspicuous spot of the vinyl to see if it affects it at all. It is a solvent and you don't need a weird looking finish on top of the wasp problem. :-/

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