Vaping and Bees...

[DaveP]

Only the females that draw blood are attracted to CO2 (carbon dioxide). Now the females and males hatch together and fly around together, the problem with attracting them by vaping I suspect is indeed sweet flavors. The male mosquito's only source of food is nectar from plants, it is the only thing they feed on. So if the males are attracted by the vape the females may follow being they are in the area and need the males for....well ya know.

Yellow jackets. They are in some ways a lot like hummingbirds in that they need both carbs and protein. If putting out traps provide both meat and liquid. They do need more protein while tending a hatched nest and that's when they get real aggressive around food and will swarm an area, other wise they tend to go to both protein and liquid traps.

A trap can also create more problems by luring more yellow jackets to your area, it's a balance that only the property owner can decide. Also a trap that allows some to escape is a good idea, the will return to the nest and bring all their friends back with them for an easy meal there by trapping more and more of the dirty bxxxxxxs.

I'll always take the chance that I draw Yellowjackets from the surrounding area. The more that drown in my trap, the fewer I will encounter when I run the lawn mower over a nest in the ground. Once, while using a bagger on the back of my mower, I stopped to empty the grass clipping in a part of the yard where I was using clippings to control a wash. As I dumped the bags on the bank I felt a sting, then another sting, then a bunch of stings. They can sting more than once. I was in a swarm that had been sucked up through the mower blades and into the bag. They couldn't leave with the pressure of air on the top. When I dumped it, yellowjackets were everywhere!

I used to get a 4 inch layer of dead ones in a trap and that's good. Those aren't flying around and reproducing. I won't completely rid the yard, but I'll put a dent in the numbers. When I see them flying, the traps go out. These days, I don't get so many in the traps and that tells me it's working or they have moved to another location.

If I see a few out hunting for food, I hang the trap where they are frequently spotted, although anywhere in the back yard where sun can warm the apple juice is a good place for action. They'll find it.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

We used to have a HUGE problem with wasps and hornets at the cottage. They were nesting in the sand below our sundeck and were swarming us every single day. At our wits end we decided to buy the Original Waspinator- a fake wasp nest. That was 7 yrs ago and although my wife and I were very skeptical the darn thing works. The nesting wasps and hornets moved on and although we may get the occasional intruder they only hang around for less than a minute. The first time I hung it was a no go and didn't work. I then relocated it under the soffitt of our bungalow and it then starting repelling the wasps and hornets. As testament to the effectiveness of it our neighbor has an active wasps nest about 50' away form our deck...they never bother us. We used to have a minimum of 5- 10 wasps/ hornets hanging around and they made our outdoor area quite unusable esp since I'm allergic to bee/ wasp/ hornet stings.
Since then neighbors and friends have also bought this gizmo and most are also reporting great success. The way it works is wasps and hornets are very territorial and have excellent eyesight. As soon as they spot the nest they leave the area.
All I can say is to this day my wife and I are still dumbfounded by the efficiency of this thing.

 

[Robino1]

We used to have a HUGE problem with wasps and hornets at the cottage. They were nesting in the sand below our sundeck and were swarming us every single day. At our wits end we decided to buy the Original Waspinator- a fake wasp nest. That was 7 yrs ago and although my wife and I were very skeptical the darn thing works. The nesting wasps and hornets moved on and although we may get the occasional intruder they only hang around for less than a minute. The first time I hung it was a no go and didn't work. I then relocated it under the soffitt of our bungalow and it then starting repelling the wasps and hornets. As testament to the effectiveness of it our neighbor has an active wasps nest about 50' away form our deck...they never bother us. We used to have a minimum of 5- 10 wasps/ hornets hanging around and they made our outdoor area quite unusable esp since I'm allergic to bee/ wasp/ hornet stings.
Since then neighbors and friends have also bought this gizmo and most are also reporting great success. The way it works is wasps and hornets are very territorial and have excellent eyesight. As soon as they spot the nest they leave the area.
All I can say is to this day my wife and I are still dumbfounded by the efficiency of this thing.

I've never heard of it before! I'm going to have to look it up and get one for my son.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

I've never heard of it before! I'm going to have to look it up and get one for my son.

My wife loves to sit on the deck and drink an all natural 5 Berry fruit juice and in the evening with a glass of red wine. Normally they'd be swarming pre Waspinator days but now none around at all. Like I said the first time I hung it had no affect so I moved it and voila. These past 2 Summers have been very problematic up there with wasps/ hornets. Also bought 1 for my Mom and it did the trick. Paid $11 but at that time they were new to the mkt. Now can be bought for $8.

Worst thing one can do with wasps and hornets is to step on them/ crush them- when crushed they emit a scent that attracts/ puts out a call to other wasps/ hornets.

 

[patkin]

http://www.contech-inc.com/products/home-and-garden-products/insect-control/original-waspinator

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

http://www.contech-inc.com/products/home-and-garden-products/insect-control/original-waspinator

Thanks patkin that's the one and a great price. Two sisters from British Columbia invented it and there are knockoffs out there. It's held up really well but every Fall I store it away.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

We used to have a HUGE problem with wasps and hornets at the cottage. They were nesting in the sand below our sundeck and were swarming us every single day. At our wits end we decided to buy the Original Waspinator- a fake wasp nest. That was 7 yrs ago and although my wife and I were very skeptical the darn thing works. The nesting wasps and hornets moved on and although we may get the occasional intruder they only hang around for less than a minute. The first time I hung it was a no go and didn't work. I then relocated it under the soffitt of our bungalow and it then starting repelling the wasps and hornets. As testament to the effectiveness of it our neighbor has an active wasps nest about 50' away form our deck...they never bother us. We used to have a minimum of 5- 10 wasps/ hornets hanging around and they made our outdoor area quite unusable esp since I'm allergic to bee/ wasp/ hornet stings.
Since then neighbors and friends have also bought this gizmo and most are also reporting great success. The way it works is wasps and hornets are very territorial and have excellent eyesight. As soon as they spot the nest they leave the area.
All I can say is to this day my wife and I are still dumbfounded by the efficiency of this thing.

Those things work?! The SW portion of our house is just inundated with wasps. It’s also home to a lot of little tree frogs which we find highly entertaining, plus they eat the bugs. Obviously we don’t want to spray a lot of chemicals so if this works there will be a large hoard of tree frogs eternally grateful to a drunken squirrel.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Those things work?! The SW portion of our house is just inundated with wasps. It’s also home to a lot of little tree frogs which we find highly entertaining, plus they eat the bugs. Obviously we don’t want to spray a lot of chemicals so if this works there will be a large hoard of tree frogs eternally grateful to a drunken squirrel.

LOLLLL yes and wife and I are still dumbfounded. At the cottage we've had about a dozen neighbors also buy it and prolly about 10 of them give it a huge thumbs up. Previously we we're using large plastic pop bottle traps with the top cut off and inverted with bait in the bottom but it still wasn't keeping them away.

From the http://www.environmentalsociety.ca/main/about/about-ses/

"Wasps are extremely territorial creatures. They also have
great sight. Wasp colonies will send out foragers and
scouts to look for uninhabited areas with food in which they
can build a nest. Because wasps are so fiercely territorial, a
scout wasp will generally stay away from an area with
another colony already in it. People can take advantage
of this behaviour by placing a “decoy” or a fake wasp nest
in their yard! By hanging a fake wasp nest in areas where
you spend a lot of time, you can keep wasps away. These
types of devices can be found at some garden centres or
at www.waspinator.ca."
http://www.environmentalsociety.ca/main/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Fact-Sheet-Wasps.pdf

 

[Sundodger]

Try this first before buying anything. Take a large ziploc freezer bag. Crumple up some aluminum foil into a ball about the size of a softball, put it in the bag, fill with some water and hang the bag near your outdoor area that you are trying to repel them from.

The reflection of light off the aluminum and the refracting properties of the water disturb insects with multi-surface eyes. They think it's a large nest and will stay away, this includes flies.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Try this first before buying anything. Take a large ziploc freezer bag. Crumple up some aluminum foil into a ball about the size of a softball, put it in the bag, fill with some water and hang the bag near your outdoor area that you are trying to repel them from.

The reflection of light off the aluminum and the refracting properties of the water disturb insects with multi-surface eyes. They think it's a large nest and will stay away, this includes flies.

Yes we had a fly problem up at the cottage (sounds like heaven doesn't it- wasps, hornets, flies ) and we cleaned a bunch of pennies in Coca Cola, put them in water in a Zip Loc bag and the flies truly disappeared.
Some say it works and others say it doesn't- all I know is the flies have disappeared and we can dine on the deck.

"The insect's head mostly consists of a pair of large complex eyes, each of which is composed of 3,000 to 6,000 simple eyes. These eyes can't move or focus on objects like human eyes, but they provide the fly with a mosaic view of the world around them. Each simple eye provides one small piece of the puzzle, much like the way a screen's pixel delivers one detail of the larger picture.

A housefly bases its sense of direction on the direction sunlight comes from. Some entomologists believe that when these complex, sensitive eyes experience refracted light, the insect becomes confused and flies away."

 

[FlamingoTutu]

LOLLLL yes and wife and I are still dumbfounded. At the cottage we've had about a dozen neighbors also buy it and prolly about 10 of them give it a huge thumbs up. Previously we we're using large plastic pop bottle traps with the top cut off and inverted with bait in the bottom but it still wasn't keeping them away.

From the Who We Are « Saskatchewan Environmental Society

"Wasps are extremely territorial creatures. They also have
great sight. Wasp colonies will send out foragers and
scouts to look for uninhabited areas with food in which they
can build a nest. Because wasps are so fiercely territorial, a
scout wasp will generally stay away from an area with
another colony already in it. People can take advantage
of this behaviour by placing a “decoy” or a fake wasp nest
in their yard! By hanging a fake wasp nest in areas where
you spend a lot of time, you can keep wasps away. These
types of devices can be found at some garden centres or
at www.waspinator.ca."
http://www.environmentalsociety.ca/main/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Fact-Sheet-Wasps.pdf

No flipping way. I’m just dumbfounded. I saw them at Lowe’s and laughed. They look like something sold on late night TV. They are a bit pricey but worth their weight in gold if they work. In total we probably have an area 20’ long that is solid wasp nests within the walls and roof of the house. It’s pretty creepy. Can only imagine what the wasp looks like when it is bigger than you. For that matter I’ve seen hummingbirds freak when confronted by a wasp at the feeder. Nobody likes them.

Try this first before buying anything. Take a large ziploc freezer bag. Crumple up some aluminum foil into a ball about the size of a softball, put it in the bag, fill with some water and hang the bag near your outdoor area that you are trying to repel them from.

The reflection of light off the aluminum and the refracting properties of the water disturb insects with multi-surface eyes. They think it's a large nest and will stay away, this includes flies.

Always wondered what the theory was behind those. I’ve seen them, usually with flies hanging around them. We’ll try that to. Thank you! We have lots of deer so lots of flies.

I’ve only heard meat bee in California. Having lived here for a long time I think it’s because many Californians think anything outside of their car or house is “the wilderness.” They have no idea what a yellow jacket is except that it is something that stings and carries off their barbequed food.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Those things work?! The SW portion of our house is just inundated with wasps. It’s also home to a lot of little tree frogs which we find highly entertaining, plus they eat the bugs. Obviously we don’t want to spray a lot of chemicals so if this works there will be a large hoard of tree frogs eternally grateful to a drunken squirrel.

I'm also of the belief that chems are only a last resort. Recently a friend that owns a 4 Plex ( he's not wealthy- long story short he was self employed (no pension) and asked me about a long term safe investment for retirement income and I suggested a 4 Plex). He had a problem with cockroaches and he and his renters were getting fed up with the constant/ bombing spraying of chems that was only a band aid solution. Researched and suggested something that was a low/ non toxic solution. Last year took a bunch of us (friends) about 1 1/2 weeks to treat the building and as of today not a single roach anywhere to be seen
Cottage lawn and gardens were over run with moles cuz we had grubs. I treated the property with Nematodes which killed the grubs- haven't seen a mole in over 2 yrs.

In total we probably have an area 20’ long that is solid wasp nests within the walls and roof of the house.

I'm retired from construction and when building homes or additions I always installed bug screen in the soffitt before the soffitt and fascia was done. It may be you have sand wasps- they sometimes burrow in thru the mortar joints and build a nest in the wall. Can usually see bulbous clumps of sand/ mortar deposited from the burrowing on the wall.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

No, we rent an old doublewide trailer. As far as the wasps are concerned we live in a sieve. Mice are of the same opinion (caught one hitting the vodka my coil heads were soaking in last night). The house is the pits but the land is fantastic. Have everything from bears to bunnies. A nonpoisonous deterrent would be perfect, I just didn’t think they’d work. Really, it’s too simple right?

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

No, we rent an old doublewide trailer. As far as the wasps are concerned we live in a sieve. Mice are of the same opinion (caught one hitting the vodka my coil heads were soaking in last night). The house is the pits but the land is fantastic. Have everything from bears to bunnies. A nonpoisonous deterrent would be perfect, I just didn’t think they’d work. Really, it’s too simple right?

Seriously with the critters and the view it sounds really nice
For Mice go around and plug any opening around water pipes, electrical, etc with steel wool- mice HATE it and won't touch it. As for any cracks the very best exterior caulking I've used is Lepages Polyurethane caulking. Good expansion/ contraction value and doesn't dry out like other exterior caulking. I've got Lepages caulking on my home 20 yrs old and is as good as the day I installed it.

The house is the pits but the land is fantastic.

When we bought the cottage I told my wife "ya realize we just bought a wooden tent" It was all about the landscape, view and terrain around the building. That was priceless and with the landscaping and decks/ stairs I've installed it really is quite eye popping IMO.

Mice are of the same opinion (caught one hitting the vodka my coil heads were soaking in last night).

Drunken squirrels, drunken Mice....what's this world coming to

 

[Chas F.]

Try this first before buying anything. Take a large ziploc freezer bag. Crumple up some aluminum foil into a ball about the size of a softball, put it in the bag, fill with some water and hang the bag near your outdoor area that you are trying to repel them from.

The reflection of light off the aluminum and the refracting properties of the water disturb insects with multi-surface eyes. They think it's a large nest and will stay away, this includes flies.

I saw a restaurant in Oregon do this at their front door. They swore it kept flys out and it seemed to work as there weren't any inside at all.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

Dang, we’ve used everything but steel wool. I’ll add some of that to the mix. Last year we did pretty well until my husband left the backdoor open when it was 20 degrees out. Had a lot of company the rest of the winter. None one minute, six then next. This year’s mouse uses the live trap for a secret tunnel and I’ve seen it literally bounce off the trigger plate like it’s a diving board. Guess I need to tinker with it, perhaps try Vodka bait when it’s ready.

Thanks for the exterior Lepages Polyurethane caulking recommendation. We have a lot of it that is going bad out there and needs to be replaced.

We sure don’t live here for the house. We have a doe, well, she’s “wild,” that was our old dog’s best friend. They used to sleep under the deck together, hang out together, he even used to try to play fetch with her by dropping a tennis ball of the deck for her. Her face was priceless. She’s never gotten over his passing and thinks the new dog is a PITA. Lately here it’s all been about the ravens bedding down for the night. They gather in a huge flock for a while before “migrating” a couple of miles SW for the winter. It takes the several hundred of them about 40 minutes to find the just right tree for the night, 20 minutes of squabbling over who sits by whom, then they change their minds a fly a few trees over and start again. Excellent vaping entertainment in the early evening. And by that time of evening all the damned bees are asleep anyway.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Dang, we’ve used everything but steel wool. I’ll add some of that to the mix. Last year we did pretty well until my husband left the backdoor open when it was 20 degrees out. Had a lot of company the rest of the winter. None one minute, six then next. This year’s mouse uses the live trap for a secret tunnel and I’ve seen it literally bounce off the trigger plate like it’s a diving board. Guess I need to tinker with it, perhaps try Vodka bait when it’s ready.

Thanks for the exterior Lepages Polyurethane caulking recommendation. We have a lot of it that is going bad out there and needs to be replaced.

We sure don’t live here for the house. We have a doe, well, she’s “wild,” that was our old dog’s best friend. They used to sleep under the deck together, hang out together, he even used to try to play fetch with her by dropping a tennis ball of the deck for her. Her face was priceless. She’s never gotten over his passing and thinks the new dog is a PITA. Lately here it’s all been about the ravens bedding down for the night. They gather in a huge flock for a while before “migrating” a couple of miles SW for the winter. It takes the several hundred of them about 40 minutes to find the just right tree for the night, 20 minutes of squabbling over who sits by whom, then they change their minds a fly a few trees over and start again. Excellent vaping entertainment in the early evening. And by that time of evening all the damned bees are asleep anyway.

You're welcome. Home is where the heart is and it sounds like you're both content and critters seem to have the good sense to stick close to you folks. To me it sounds like you've got a really nice setup.