Wasps

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Tue 13 Apr, 2010 9:23 pm

I've seen large bumble bees as early as February in mild winters. I wonder if the large wasps were queens that have hibernated over the winter?

Post by **chameleon** » Tue 13 Apr, 2010 11:17 pm

tilly wrote: We all tend to say the same about our life in what ever time we were bought up in.In twenty or so years the kids of today will say the same things we say about the past. What comes around goes around. Fish 'n chips for 1/3, Smith's crisps thrupence a bag and taties 5lb for a bob ....

stutterdog · Post by **stutterdog** » Tue 13 Apr, 2010 11:29 pm

chameleon wrote: tilly wrote: We all tend to say the same about our life in what ever time we were bought up in.In twenty or so years the kids of today will say the same things we say about the past. What comes around goes around. Fish 'n chips for 1/3, Smith's crisps thrupence a bag and taties 5lb for a bob .... And you still got change from half a crown!LOL

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Tue 13 Apr, 2010 11:59 pm

Trojan wrote: I've seen large bumble bees as early as February in mild winters. I wonder if the large wasps were queens that have hibernated over the winter? I don't want any wasps mincing about in my garden, queens or not!

sirjohn · Post by **sirjohn** » Wed 14 Apr, 2010 12:05 am

Brandy wrote: I had one this morning(bumble bee that is) trying its best to get in through the kitchen door.BIG fat massive bugger it was too. Looked non too similar to one of Alistair darlings eyebrows! The bee was so big that it couldn't get through the kitchen door? OMG. I'm bricking the doors and windows up tomorrow!

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Wed 14 Apr, 2010 12:22 am

Poor old wasps get a bad press. They're not a nuisance until later in the summer when all the raising of young has been done, and then they all go after the soft fruit. Wasps actually kill flies, so I tend to leave the queens alone at this time of year. I also find that if you ignore wasps they're harmless enough - it's folk who panic and start waving their arms around who are more likely to be stung. I've only ever been stung on occasions when I hadn't spotted them and put my hand on one. I once had a tickle in my ear, and rubbed it, and got stung on the earlobe - the tickle was the wasp that had gone on my ear. It was ever so slightly painful! Had a big wasps' nest over our back door one year, but they never troubled us, and I waited until autumn once they'd all died somewhere, and I simply removed the empty nest which went on the November 5th bonfire at my neighbour's house. Hornets, if that's what the larger wasps are, are actually much less aggressive than their smaller cousins.

stutterdog · Post by **stutterdog** » Wed 14 Apr, 2010 12:39 am

Uno Hoo wrote: Poor old wasps get a bad press. They're not a nuisance until later in the summer when all the raising of young has been done, and then they all go after the soft fruit. Wasps actually kill flies, so I tend to leave the queens alone at this time of year. I also find that if you ignore wasps they're harmless enough - it's folk who panic and start waving their arms around who are more likely to be stung. I've only ever been stung on occasions when I hadn't spotted them and put my hand on one. I once had a tickle in my ear, and rubbed it, and got stung on the earlobe - the tickle was the wasp that had gone on my ear. It was ever so slightly painful! Had a big wasps' nest over our back door one year, but they never troubled us, and I waited until autumn once they'd all died somewhere, and I simply removed the empty nest which went on the November 5th bonfire at my neighbour's house. Hornets, if that's what the larger wasps are, are actually much less aggressive than their smaller cousins. I once got stung by a wasp that crawled up my shorts when I was sat outside a pub somewhere in the Dales! I went inside as there were loads of them buzzing around,I sat down and thats when it stung me! I have never jumped as far in my life and the pain! The pain! Everybody sat nearby was helpless with laughter! It took about a month before the pain went away completely!

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Wed 14 Apr, 2010 12:45 am

The wasps in late Summer/early Autumn are so dam nasty because there drunk on the over ripe fruit. That's true lol In late Summer/early Autumn when the workers's job is done, they gorge themselves on the food they collect, especially sweet foodstuffs like fruit, and often get drunk when the fruit is fermenting.Consequently, on a hot day, when the nest has more than a thousand inhabitants, and a foraging wasp has had a little too much fruit and nectar, he will be bad tempered, hot and bothered, slightly the worse for wear, and may well react badly when being prevented from tasting your cola, beer, or wine, or from sampling your barbecue or picnic.It is best to avoid killing wasps as they emit a pheromone when dying which acts as a signal to other wasps that they are under attack and so they will come to the wasp you have just killed to see if they can help him.

FLOJO · Post by **FLOJO** » Wed 14 Apr, 2010 7:27 am

I was at Woodhouse fair when I was 13 and eating a toffee apple and a bee stung me on the lip and my father had to suck the sting out I am still wary if bees and wasps.Here in Tzaneen where we live there was a bee farm which was producing honey and was wiped out by invasion of South America bees,

Si · Post by Si » Wed 14 Apr, 2010 10:03 am

stutterdog wrote: And there was I in my 30s, with a wife and 2 kids, a mortgage, grafting my nuts off, so I could pay my taxes, so you could swan off to the pub every lunchtime and go to Art College! You don't know you're born! I think I do.My time at art college meant that I was able to get my dream job. I have since been working and paying my taxes, so that others can attend college and hopefully get a better start in life. PS I didn't spend anyone's taxes. I went to college outside the Leeds area, and therefore didn't qualify for a grant!