Strange behaviour of wasps

[Two_Sheds]

I hate having them being killed, but they could have done a lot of damage to the woodwork.

That's how I felt about our mice.
I was very pro-mouse until the little sods chewed through £200 worth of work clothes & camping equipment.

Now I have mouse traps in the garage. I'm happy for them to live in the garden, but not in the garage

[Kallie]

Thanks for all your comments. Sorry for not getting back sooner, problems with my laptop. Glad to get it back. The decoy nest sounds a good idea, I've looked at differnt sites for them.The other year I had them nesting in a small gap under the roof tiles. You could even hear them making that nibbling noise indoors, as this is a Mobile home. A friend came along and sprayed some chemical in, I hate having them being killed, but they could have done a lot of damage to the woodwork.

[mothhawk]

It's not strange behaviour for wasps to nibble wood. It's how they make and extend their nests. The wood is chewed to a pulp then used to form the nest walls and brood cells in which the queen lays her eggs.

Wasp Nest | How Wasp Nests are made


eta beat me to it there vikki

[vikkib]

I think they may also use chewed up wood to make their nests so there might be one near by.

It might be worth re-staining it but I'm not sure if that will help.

You could try putting up a decoy nest which may put them off the area:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=de...w=1920&bih=943

[leonmc0708]

take some wasps for it to disappear, but its advisable to treat as they will "tell their mates" as you put it about this lovely source of Cellulose.

You can buy Citronella stuff (mate had an issue with his garden furniture) I believe or just stain it.

[Kallie]

Wasps love Cellulose which is in wood I believe is the reason

Thanks for the reply
Does that mean my potting shed will slowely disappear into a heap of shavings? LOL

Any advice if this is the case. It hasn't been treated for a couple of years. The last time with creosote.

[leonmc0708]

Wasps love Cellulose which is in wood I believe is the reason

[Kallie]

I have noticed recently that wasps seem to be drawn to my potting shed. Not the inside, but outside, which is covered with plywood. They seem to be either eating or nibbling the plywood. When all is quiet, I can actually hear them nibbling.
Has anyone else seen this strange behaviour?

Wasps do not bother me. As I open the potting shed door they buss around nearly brushing my face, but I just ignore them, then they don't feel thretened by me. The worst thing to do is start waving your arms and then they call their mates, so then you can easily get strung.

Here is some interesting facts I've found about wasps.

Wasps have various purposes for the Earth. They are a vital part of food chain. They play a critically important role in natural biocontrol. Even though wasps may appear to just be pests, but they also do massive amount of good in keeping other insect pests under control. Parasitic wasps are used in agricultural pest control. A parasitic wasps feeds on its host and then kills it! Wasps are friends to the garden. They feed on nectar off of flowers so they are pollinating the flowers. One worker wasp can kill more than 100 aphids (an insect that harms flowers and other plants) a day. Wasps were also the first makers of paper.