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Across the Fence:  Help! Wasps and laundry  |
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SheilaC
True Blue Farmgirl
1948 Posts
Sheila
Vermont
USA
1948 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 2:30:41 PM
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We don't have a working dryer, so we're hanging our laundry out to dry this summer. Yesterday my husband and I went out to take down the laundry which had been up all day. As we were putting it in the basket he got stung by a yellowjacket which had been inside a shirt. Owww. Well, from that point on I kind of shook out the items as I put them into the basket. Apparently not good enough. I dumped them out onto my bed this afternoon and began to fold them. From inside a pair of my 8 year old's shorts flew 8 wasps! Help!!! Was this just a freak occurrance? Or is it something to look out for? Any suggestions welcome.
To end the story, I dumped all the laundry back into the wash and am washing them again, hopefully to kill any others in there.
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MerryHeartSister
True Blue Farmgirl
158 Posts
Christy
Tuscaloosa
Alabama
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 2:41:40 PM
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Oh my goodness! Apparently towards the end of the summer, the old maid wasps that protect the young become more and more aggressive. Be careful. It won't be long before the queens start looking for a place to hibernate for the winter. Look carefully around your clothesline for any active nests and take them down. They'll eventually get the message that this is not a safe place to nest. Good luck until then.
Farmgirl #1951
http://merryheartcreativeartsacademy.blogspot.com/ |
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Diane B Carter
True Blue Farmgirl
1270 Posts
Diane
Blasdell
N.Y.
USA
1270 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 2:54:35 PM
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I remember when I was around 8 I got my PJ's on went to bed and woke up screaming trying to pull them off. My Mom & Dad came in the room and Mom was trying to pull up my PJ bottoms that I was trying to kick off Dad grabbed the legs an pulled them off to find bee's in my pant leg I was stung about 10 times. Mom ran me out side at 2 am and put me in a mud puddle to stop the pain. I can't image what the neighbors thought the next day Dad went and brought us a new dryer and forbid mom to ever hang clothes outside again.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 7:10:18 PM
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Ack! Sheila, what a horror story! I hate wasps! Honey bees and bumble bees are OK though. Glad only one sting. I just noticed a nest located very close to the clothesline in our house in Colorado. Guess I'll have DH do battle this weekend when he comes down.
Audrey
Toto, we're not in Kansas any more! |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 7:51:06 PM
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Sheila, I have noticed them on my clothes also. I have to shake real good when I am taking them down. I hate getting stung. But to have something on and get stung is awful.
Diane, you poor thing. That had to be horrible. I can just see your dad. Mine would have done the same thing.
I always check my sheets before I put them on the bed because I'm afraid there will be some bugs in them.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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JessieMae
True Blue Farmgirl
702 Posts
Jessie
Raleigh
North Carolina
USA
702 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2010 : 9:59:41 PM
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I have this problem, too. You must have a big wasp nest somewhere nearby (ours is under the edges of our cedar shingles on our roof and can't be removed until we can afford to replace the roof!). I agree with everyone else...you just have to shake your clothes like the dickens when you take your clothes down. I've seen this in the Lehman's catalog a few times; it gets pretty good reviews and is fairly inexpensive. Maybe it will work if you hang it on your clothesline? http://www.lehmans.com/store/Natural_Goods___Gardening_and_Pest_Control___Glass_Wasp_Catchers___waspcatchers?Args=
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
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countrygirl10
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
Ellen
Lower Lake
CA
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2010 : 7:58:03 PM
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I really like the Lehman's wasp containers.
But I didn't have any and I needed to do something about some yellow jackets that I have. Unfortunately the nest is in a spot close to where my dogs are and where I go through a gate pretty often, so I'm looking for a way to safely get rid of the whole nest. But until I can do that I made up some traps with plastic coke bottles. I cut off the top and inverted the top into the bottom and stapled it into place. Then I added some rotting peaches to a couple of them and some meat in another one.
I've trapped quite a few yellow jackets in all 3 but the meat seems to be the winner at this time.
I have a friend that is going to come and put mortar down the hole in the evening when they all go in. We'll see how it works out.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
Ellen |
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countrygirl10
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
Ellen
Lower Lake
CA
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2010 : 7:59:54 PM
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I forgot to say that I also added some water to the bottles after putting in the bait. Sorry!
Ellen |
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2010 : 9:08:04 PM
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Ellen, that sounds like a pretty effective trap you made. Real farmgirl ingenuity! And right up my alley-cheap!
Audrey
Toto, we're not in Kansas any more! |
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Violets November
True Blue Farmgirl
342 Posts
Violet
Exeter
California
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 05:34:08 AM
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What a horrible thing! I never had so many wasp's in my clothes like that. My problem was that they liked to sit or sleep, on the clothespins. I always had to be carefully and look at the pins before I took the clothes off.
Whenever I find a wasp nest, I spray the bejeebies out of it with the 30 ft black flag. And I KNOW that isn't very organic of me, but I don't want them on the property at all!
I know they eat bugs, but do we really need that many wasp's? Wikipedia reports that a single colony, from the beginning of summer to the end can produce up to 4 to 5,000 workers and by the end of summer can have 10 to 15,000 cells in a nest!
Skeery!!!
~Violet~
Farmgirl Sister #1669
My blog, http://hiddenacre.blogspot.com/
Our Organic Jewelry, http://www.etsy.com/shop/GaelicForge |
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pnickols
True Blue Farmgirl
808 Posts
Patricia
Parma
Ohio
808 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 06:12:43 AM
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| my mom would hang wasp traps up close to the clothes line, they get in and can't get out |
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Diane B Carter
True Blue Farmgirl
1270 Posts
Diane
Blasdell
N.Y.
USA
1270 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 10:59:08 AM
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I don't know the difference between bee's & wasps but the ice cream stand hangs 1/2 filled baggies of water around the stand & they never have bee's there. My cousin was visiting a friend when a few bee's decided to join them, the girl just put a 1/2 filled baggie of water with a penny in it on the table and Liz said all the bee's left the area.
I have no idea if it works just for bee's or if it also works for wasps but I know it works for the ice-cream stand and I have no idea why.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2899 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2899 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 11:51:55 AM
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| I have had barn swallows try to build nests in t shirt sleeves! |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 7:20:48 PM
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I think the bags with water are for flies. Do they work for bees too? In that case, I need to hang some on my deck...the wasps there are so bad we don't want to eat at the table anymore.
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE |
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Diane B Carter
True Blue Farmgirl
1270 Posts
Diane
Blasdell
N.Y.
USA
1270 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2010 : 08:21:15 AM
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It worked for bee's. It may also work for flies. I wish I knew why but it's good to know.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
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countrygirl10
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
Ellen
Lower Lake
CA
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Sep 18 2010 : 12:56:05 AM
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I have found commercial traps for both yellow jackets and flies. The bait is just usually different.
Ellen |
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Across the Fence: Help! Wasps and laundry |
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Help! Wasps and laundry
