help! we have a wasps nest in our thatched roof... and OH is insisting on doing it...

[Bowen4Horses]

help!

we have a thatched roof, and have just discovered a rather large wasps nest in it... now, the problem is, we're broke this month and therefore can't afford to get a wasp killing man out... so my OH is insisting on doing it himself... with that squirty foam/powder stuff...

he put a ladder up there, they got very angry. he scarpered back down...

does ANYONE have any tips? what is the best way to get him up the ladder, stuff squirted, and back down the ladder safely?



p.s. my husband is potentially the most accident prone man in the world... :crazy:

 

[Bowen4Horses]

p.s. and he's scared of wasps... just not as scared of them as he is of spending money....

 

[EPRider]

Wait until they have gone to bed for the night, then attack.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Could he borrow a bee-keeping type suit? And maybe fasten him to the ladder, lol!

 

[Sparkles]

Anything but what some people I know did....put petrol on it and set fire to it!!!

Didn't work needless to say. And had a week of some VERY pissed off waspies!

 

[Bowen4Horses]

Anything but what some people I know did....put petrol on it and set fire to it!!!

Didn't work needless to say. And had a week of some VERY pissed off waspies!

i think setting fire to our own thatched roof might invalidate the insurance... i HATE wasps...

 

[smossy]

Not 100% but am sure your local council does this,at lot less cost.
If he insists youll need to get plenty of sting cream but seriously
Not the best plan if you are on ladders.
Neighbour had one done next to me once the bloke got stung over his protective clothing,there was more than one nest,never seen so many wasps on the floor.scary............

 

[JanetGeorge]

Wait until they have gone to bed for the night, then attack.

Exactly! But be warned - do NOT turn on lights. If the nest is too high up to reach, put a sturdy stool in position in advance and approach AFTER DARK with just a shielded torch (so you don't wake them up!) Spray into the entrance and be generous - the foam blocks the entrance and prevents angry wasps escaping before spray has had time to work.

I've done 4 this way this summer with NO stings!

 

[Bowen4Horses]

Could he borrow a bee-keeping type suit? And maybe fasten him to the ladder, lol!

i think he wants to be able to make a quick exit... not be strapped up there! his current plan is to roll down the roof and land in the flower bed... apparently the ground is 'soft' now it's rained...

 

[nikicb]

Get pest control out. When OH tried to deal with ours last year, I was the one that got stung!!! Pest control came and did it for a reasonable fee and no fuss. I watched from inside!!

ETA - they will be coming out again soon - we have just found a hornets nest!

 

[Bowen4Horses]

If the nest is too high up to reach, put a sturdy stool in position

it's on the top of our roof... it'd have to be some serious stool... *giggles cos the word stool also means poo*

 

[Bowen4Horses]

i'm going to video it for you all...

 

[*hic*]

I live near March so if either of you is coming past on the way to work I could lend you a beekeeping suit and veil.

My own preferred method is to stuff a petrol-soaked rag in the nest, you don't set light to it, the fumes are enough to kill the little blighters off. What the insurance company would make of you stuffing a petrol-soaked rag into the thatch I'm not sure!

 

[Bowen4Horses]

I live near March so if either of you is coming past on the way to work I could lend you a beekeeping suit and veil.

we go through march all the time (nick works in ely)... i'll put this idea to him... oh god, the house is very quiet... i think he's sneaked out...

 

[silverstar]

Ring your council's pest control dept and get them out. They do charge a small fee but its free if you are on benefits.

 

[*hic*]

I had a sneaking suspicion you/he might come past me! PM me and let me know. I'd thought I was going to be going to Skylark on Saturday (is that still on) and if so I'd have brought it over but it looks like I'm filling a vacant groom spot on that day now.

 

[suzysparkle]

Check your home insurance policy. If you have cover for home emergency you might be in luck. I know ours includes vermin infestation (including wasps) and there's no excess nor does it affect your no claims discount.

 

[Natch]

Have a look on moneysavingexpert.com forums..

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=88797

They are definitely wasps not bees, right?

 

[Destiny95]

We had a big nest in the dogs kennel! We felt awful as you couldn't see it from outside and we couldn't work out why the Rottie kept sleeping on the yard!! Felt really guilty when we realised... Anyway we bought 2 x cans of Nippon wasp nest spray (in an aerosol). Sprayed the nest at dusk and they have all gone now: ) Each aerosol cost £4 so was a cheaper option for us than the council at £60!

 

[Toast]

if i remember rightly years ago we had one in the garden and my dad poured a kettle of boiling water into the nest.. they never emerged again although im not sure id recommend this
x

 

[qaz]

Wait until they're in bed then dust the nest with ant powder - much more effective than the foam stuff as the wasps walk in into the nest and kill themselves!

 

[depurple1]

We did a wasp nest in the roof with a can of the foam, but it sprays so far that we didn't need a ladder, just stood on the ground and aimed.

I do find the powder more effective than the foam though, if you can get to the entrance of the nest to apply it.

 

[Louby]

I work for the local council and Id say 50% of the calls at the moment are for wasps. Ours charge £52 or £22 if you get Council Tax Benefit.

 

[EPRider]

Have you got rid of the wasps yet?

 

[ttt]

We had a wasps nest last year and were charged approx. £150 for a man to come and get rid of it. This year we found another one and we were recommended to use the foam squirty stuff by a friend. Absolutely brilliant (and only £5). When I used it, I sprayed it from about 10 feet away if I remember the instructions correctly so I don't know if that will help with the ladder issue??? Use after sunset.

 

[Bowen4Horses]

oooh, hello thread!

well, after a great deal of squealing (mainly mine) my poor hubby went to the top of the ladder. heard a buzz, shot back down.

a few more layers of clothing later... he managed to squirt them with the stuff.

and they're almost all gone.

he's going to do a second attack tomorrow *squeal*

x