Look what I have just found in my shed!

[CliffDale]

Alive now but not for much longer!

 

[Chris58]

How big is the nest/wasp? Or is it a frelon - hornet?

 

[biglongdarren]

be a shame to kill her and ruin a work of art,you not just sussh her on?
Darren

 

[CliffDale]

Size is about 25mm diameter, old money, 1 inch diameter.
I expect it will grow to the size of a football if I left it.

 

[Ziggymole]

They're amazing aren't they - trouble is they just get bigger and bigger, unfortunately you can't just shoo her away, you have to take the nest when she's not there and destroy it. She'll be pretty mad and look for it and then move on. I tend to leave wasp nests alone unless there in a very inconvenient spot, I spent many an hour last autumn watching them get drunk on a trugfull of windfall apples, they'd be so tipsy they couldn't take off, crash landing, arguing and wobbling everywhere, a bit like humans really.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Ziggymole.
You'll be destroying wasp nests once you get your bees and the wasps start to attack the hive. Need to get the queen as well as the remaining wasps.

 

[Midland Beek]

I expect it will grow to the size of a football if I left it.

***Wasp Paranoia Alert***

 

[newbie]

We had quite a few last year. We knocked one nest off into a tupperware pot and quickly put the lid firmly on and put it in the freezer overnight to make sure all occupants were dead. Very interesting to study. The children took it to school and were all fascinated !
The wasps took a fancy to our wooden shed and stripped wood from it for their nests, you could hear them crunching !

 

[Chris Luck]

You'll be destroying wasp nests once you get your bees and the wasps start to attack the hive. Need to get the queen as well as the remaining wasps.

I don't destroy either wasps or hornets or their nests, (apart from the non native Asian Hornet) and don't consider them a problem and I do like to see the Honey Buzzards able to raise their young with plenty of fresh food.

Chris

 

[poshpikey]

My son got stung by about ten hornets a few years back and had to go to A&E in a lot of pain so I think sometimes hornets can be a problem!

 

[Chris Luck]

To get stung by 10 hornets would almost certainly mean upsetting their nest area, I've never been stung by one yet and I live with their nests in close proximity every year AND some people may have to go to hospital with one sting, others will be less troubled - same with honey bees.

Chris

 

[rog]

Alive now but not for much longer!

Lovely, found one just about the same size hanging from a top bar in the empty end of my very active Top Bar Hive. Sorry but that one had to go. However we had lots of wasp nests within 500m of the hives last year and didnt have any trouble. I believe they can sense a weak hive though and become very persistant.

Not had any trouble with Hornets though we often see them around.

 

[poshpikey]

They had set up a nest area in a tree house!

 

[tonybloke]

They had set up a nest area in a tree house!

it must have been rarely used, otherwise they wouldn't have even started to build a nest there.
and then your son went and disturbed the nest?

 

[richardbees]

That would make a great pendant, set in clear acrylic (after putting in the freezer for 5 mins)

 

[BeeJayBee]

A couple of years ago we found a tiny starter wasp nest in our porch, it had to go. It isn't being paranoid, and we'd have done the same if it had been in a shed.

If the nest had been somewhere less dangerous to us/visitors/postman, such as in a hedge, it wouldn't have been destroyed.

 

[Birnambeekeeper]

I had a wasp nest in my garden in a bird box - not quite the planned occupants but fine all the same. Birds been in since and cleared it all out.

 

[poshpikey]

Inspected a hive today and saw the occupants dealing with a wasp! Not sure if it had dropped in off the roof when I opened up. Anyway about five or six bees were attacking it.

 

[DorsetB]

Found one in someone's loft the other day the size of the Death Star, made a hasty but quiet retreat...

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

If you kill them and inform the forum, you will have people letting you know what a cretin you are for doing so and how good they are to have around.
I would advise kill them now and save a problem later for your bees...