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| Polistes sp., maybe Polistes exclamans? |
Yeah, James has been very patient with me. I hate to kill nearly anything in our Wildscape. Unless it's non-native. Over our garage doors, we've got some paper wasps building nests. In my opinion, small ones like the one above aren't much of a problem. "Wasps feed on insects, including caterpillar pests, and thus are considered to be beneficial insects by many gardeners," states the species account on the AgriLife Extension site. That's how I feel, too–they've got a place in the natural world.
However, when the nest gets this large, and it's right over where we walk in and out of the garage....
Then, dang it, we've got a probably problem, NASA.
So I guess James is gonna knock this nest down soon with a high-pressure hose.
UPDATE–Well, that evening, after a bit of drama, the nest DID come down. I was going to use the water hose, but James STRONGLY advised against the tactic. We then agreed on a bucket of soapy water. However, the first bucket accidentally got spilled down the driveway. The second bucket hit the mark. Alas, most of the wasps did die. Right away, the survivors returned and started work on a new nest. They're persistent insects! A few more dashes of soapy water, but they continue to return.
3 comments:
Watch out and good luck! They'll be after him. You may not like to use pesticides but I would be using them here. I am violently allergic to their sting and it gets worse every time.
Take it down with the hose and they will relocate. The sooner the better for them and you!
I agreed the big nest needed to come down because we walk back and forth out of the garage. However, they've never really shown any aggression toward us. But there's always a first time, I know. And I wouldn't want a guest to EVER get stung.
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