European wasps

[Brucer]

Our Easter camping was almost perfect; weather - check, waterside location - check, no loud bogan neighbours - check. Sounds too good to be true? Enter the European Wasp.
From very soon after sunrise until 1/2 hour after sunset they were our constant companion, especially when cooking. The best we could do was ensure no food was left exposed, and placed rubbish containers/bags away from the camp (with a generous application of repellent) and just learned to live with them, which was not easy knowing they can sting painfully and repeatedly. More than once I found myself running from a wasp that seemed way too interested in me and wasn't moving on.
I'm wondering how other campers cope with this pest. Is there a way to keep them away? I tried mosquito coils but that didn't seem to help. Are they especially bad at this time of year?
Seems like if it isn't one thing then it's another. Head east of the great divide and you have your ticks and leaches. South west and put up with these rotten things. I'm not sure which is worse.

[austastar]

Hi,
  cut the top off a plastic coke bottle or similar and put the top upside down back in the bottle to form a trap.
Put about 100ml of beer in the bottle and hang from a tree nearby.
It will diminish the population a little.
cheers

[Traveller]

We were at the Grampians recently and had a few European wasps hanging around. We just tried to ignore them and kept food covered like you did. Fortunately the pair of us weren't really worried by them. I was stung on the palm of my hand by one of them years ago getting wood out of the shed for the fire, not realising a few had hibernated in the stack over winter. Needless to say that the offender was pulverised, and I had a great opportunity to sook for while.

When they first appeared in Oz, my dad purchased a European wasp trap which was just a spherical plastic two piece affair that you put water and sherry(?) in. A lot like Austastar's idea. I couldn't believe the amount of wasp's he caught. I was thinking of having a look around for one like dad's in case the wasps become a pain later on. I do like the idea of the drink bottle though due them being cheap, easily found and expendable.

[Brucer]

Thanks austastar. I found a good description of your trap here http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-make-a-homemade-bee-tra-124242
I don't expect it would have a huge impact, but just knowing I'm killing a few of the b@stard things will bring satisfaction enough to make it worthwhile.
I wonder if using AntRid or some homemade version would be effective in killing a nest, since the poison is delayed so that the ants/wasps take it back for the queen to feed on. Wouldn't be fast enough to help at a campsite but perhaps useful at home when there is a nest nearby but it can't be found or destroyed easily.

[Nomad]

Not as much fun as a can of deodorant and a lighter but not as stupid either...............

Theres quite a few of them around here atm. I have been busting the nests up with a guerney around the house.

Cheers Nomad. 

[kado]

Not sure where you were camping, but if in a popular spot the local council will be able to distroy them no problems. Just let them know and they will be out to search and distroy. Wasp nests are usally easy to find as the wasps will fly in a direct line to the nest, which in mosy cases is no more than 200m from where you found them.
Couple of squirts of poison in the nest will kill them over in a hurry! (read, full covered suit for protection) Happy Days then!
Cheers

[gonfishen]

Try this, get some mince meat about a spoon full and mix 5 or 6 drops of ant rid and leave it in a safe place (up high) in the shade, the workers will take it back to the queen and it will kill the nest. Happy Hunting

[macca]

Then you have the feral bees in Wyperfield and Murray Sunset, they can be annoying little buggers too, they are attracted to water so love the sweat on your back. Last time I was at Mt Crosier couldn't even drink a beer without them swarming around the can

[Mace]

I have put this up before:

March is the worst month of they year.

http://www.mansfield.vic.gov.au/informationboard.aspx

Then select the "Brochure"

[austastar]

Hi,
  found this, thought it should go here.





cheers

[prodigyrf]

One wasp finds your tucker and next thing you know you've got lots of friends over to eat. The trick is to zap the scout/s with cooking spray (you didn't really want DDT, etc all over your tucker did you?) and what happens is the little blighter can't fly far and drops to the ground nearby and squish. Even if you don't see where it drops and get to squish it, it doesn't bring the mates back.

[prodigyrf]

Oh and cooking oil doesn't make them angry like fly spray and want to make them bite the kids and dogs, etc although my coolie used to bite them and eat them against all advice from me.

[Jeepers Creepers]

Hi,
  found this, thought it should go here.





cheers

Same things apply to my wife too

[Brucer]

Same things apply to my wife too

Including the arse dagger?

[wholehog]

i was doing the whipper snippin' the other week and had moved in to do under the drainage pipe that goes under the driveway(no kerb and guttering,council is underfunded ) and there must have been a nest in the pipe...i kicked a small stick into the pipe and was instantly confronted by about 5 or 6 of the buggers...may have copped a slight sting on the hand,but every time i went in to finish the job they would come at me like the drones out of star wars,but the force was with me as i let them have about a can of insecticide from the other end of the pipe...Problem gone

[Jeepers Creepers]

Including the arse dagger?

Yeah..........

It makes ya jump the first few times too.