Grow Your Own Magazine

I have chucked a piece of lino down to smother the weeds on part of my allotment, but today I noticed there is a hole in the ground at the edge of the flooring out of which wasps are flying, I think they are wasps (didn't hang around to look too carefully!). What's the best way of getting rid of them. I wondered about just pulling the flooring over the hole entrance and weighing it down (and running away quickly), but maybe there is a better/safer way?

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All at once I hear your voice
And time just slips away
Bonnie Rait

The wasps are nuisances Muckdiva. I don't think I would go for just covereing the hole. You can buy wasps nest treatment preparations in B & Q etc. Wait until evening when all the wasps have come home then squirt the preparation down the hole. You may have to do it more than once. Good luck.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

also wear your running shoes and have a bath of water ready to dive in and hide under

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

Assess the risk to yourself Muckdiva, and if you're not happy with it employ a professional pest exterminator to squirt the stuff down the hole. They'll do it for £30 - £50.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

I would too Alice, I had a nest in my old house in London, in an outside cupboard where the meters were. I got the council out (£30) and he sprayed the nest and wasps went everywhere, so completely covered in it. I ran inside, the other bloke has his kit on so not bothered.

They dont clear up the mess afterwards though

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An onion can make people cry but there's never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.
Will Rogers

What not to do.............a friend of mine had a wasps nest and decided to pour petrol on it.....he then went to light it with a rag on a long pole. The fumes from the petrol had travelled along the ground so that when he lit the match there was a gigantic flash and both his palms (on his hands) were burned. The hospital told him it is a common problem, with men being burned on the hands and face - "it's a man thing"

Hmmm, bought some Growing Success Ant powder (also suitable for ground level wasp nests) as it seemed to be the most eco-friendly, donned three layers of clothes, my mum's sun hat covered by an old net curtain and sneaked up there last night decanting the contents of the can into the hole. My biggest worry was that I might be seen by neighbours ('yeti' was mentioned by my OH, who didn't offer to deal with the nest ).

We will see how successful this was I expect. I actually hate doing this, even to wasps, but they were right at the edge of the track which people use frequently, otherwise I'd have just left them be and cleared away the nest in the winter. I'm told wasps don't return to a previous nest, although they may colonise a particular area in another spot, so maybe it was best to do away with them in case they found another location next spring.

I might add, the reason for the caution with protective gear was because I'd read Digger's Diary not too long ago, and the author's experience of digging up a wasp nest by mistake was pretty horrific.

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All at once I hear your voice
And time just slips away
Bonnie Rait