Now this really is extracting the urine!

Cobra

Cobra

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The real Chris
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As some of you know I am a pest control manager
I found this is my shed hannging from the roof, the other day and though it was a "failed one"
But no its active!
For now I will just let her be, but by mid to late summer
it will be the size of a football and contain approx 5,000 of the little buggers at various stages of developement!
What I find interesting is that she is laying eggs before putting the bottom on to it

Canon 40D on-board flash 100mm canon macro lens

W2.jpg


note that she is in the process of building a "cell" from chewed wood and saliva
W1.jpg


Note the top cell is already sealed
W3.jpg
 
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Thats awsome chris but can i just say f.... that i hate wasps , they don't make me run for it i just want them exterminated lol
 
Thats amazing, i'm sure you're used to seeing this sort of thing, but its awesome to see!!:clap::clap:
 
Graham H said:
Thats the dogs. cracking shots
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Thanks Graham its appriciated (y)

wilmorh said:
Thats amazing, i'm sure you're used to seeing this sort of thing, but its awesome to see!!:clap::clap:
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Thanks for the feedback (y)
Actually I don't normally get to see them like, only when they are "fully grown" nest and the inhabbitants are annoying the hell out of people, this so its quite entertaining / educational for me too
 
Hmmmm we have just moved into an old house and we were told that there were 2 or 3 wasps nest last year that had to be removed.

We have just noticed them starting to buzz around the garden looking for places... should we watch where they start to go and block them up... or what is your advice, Cobra?
 
Great set of shots Chris. Not something you usually see. Look forward to seeing more pics of this but don't get stung!
 
Janice said:
Hmmmm we have just moved into an old house and we were told that there were 2 or 3 wasps nest last year that had to be removed.

We have just noticed them starting to buzz around the garden looking for places... should we watch where they start to go and block them up... or what is your advice, Cobra?
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I've Just gotta shoot off for a bit Janice but I will reply at length later (y)
 
Looking forward to your reply Cobra.

We had to call a pest controller out last year as the little b****rs took up residence in our roof space. :eek:

Any advice on how to prevent this happening again more than welcome.

Great sequence of pics. (y)
 
great shots very interesting to see
Pete
 
My My Chris looks like a bit of a busmans holiday for you there matey :LOL: excellent series of shots though. (y)
 
That is a really interesting set of images Cobra ... :D ... like many people I have never seen the inside workings of a wasp's nest and find it fascinating ... ;)






:p
 
At least it wont cost you £60 to get it removed :LOL:
 
Janice said:
Hmmmm we have just moved into an old house and we were told that there were 2 or 3 wasps nest last year that had to be removed.

We have just noticed them starting to buzz around the garden looking for places... should we watch where they start to go and block them up... or what is your advice, Cobra?
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Janice, 1stly no-one, in their right mind will remove a live nest once you start to touch them the buzzing hoards are out to protect the nest, those inside come out those out foraging are called back by the Queen with a pheromone distress signal.
and you are in the middle :D
The nest is treated with an insecticide that has a certain amount of residual action.
The whole colony needs to die ( 24 hrs usually but in anycase less than 3days with this product) for the nest to become safe only at this time will anyone remove a nest,
though this is not really necessary as each queen builds her own nest
(as per the pictures) and will not use "anyone else's"
if the nest is removed and the queen is not dead she will start again from scratch.

At least 50% of nests will die out naturally when the cold weather hits ( no food for the inhabitants), occasionally a queen will survive and "hibernate through the winter" and start again in the spring. She is at a huge advantage at this point, no nest to build and all those egg cells to fill :D
This is where the "unusually large" nests come from. My record to date ? the whole of a gable end covered by a nest some 6 feet tall 10 feet across and pyramid shaped but only about 12" deep :eek:

You will NEVER ever proof a house against wasps they will get in the smallest crack or hole and the nest shape will be whatever the space is. If left to hang they are spherical.
I have seen them flat, square, triangular, and one HORNETS nest filled a whole roof space ( loft) that was interesting!

At the moment all that's happening is last years queens, are either searching for a nest site having over wintered in some dark corner or have over wintered in a "golf-ball sized" nest, now the warmer weather is approaching they are extending or building the nests, from chewed wood ( fences dead trees etc) and feeding the lava ( if they have hatched, but I doubt it yet. )

If you find a constant stream of wasps ( a month or two away yet) entering a hole in the wall etc DONOT block this up as they will just chew their way out somewhere else and that could be back into the house. Another "horror story, I had one between the ground floor and 1st floor in an older property, lathe & plaster construction, the wasps were stripping the lathes for their nest which eventually became so large that the ceiling couldn't support it and it crashed down this is the exception so don't panic :D )

If you find a small golf ball construction wait until dark, the (queen will be in there) with something solid or wearing thick gloves crush it HARD against whatever its attached to this will kill the queen.
DONOT try this with anything bigger than a large apple size, due to the amount of inhabitants you WILL come second!

Call a proper pest controller it shouldn't cost more than £50 there maybe some regional variations, generally it should be less
Go for a pestie that has BPCA qualifications like every other trade there area lot of cowboys out there.

I hope that helps....Any questions feel free to ask, best to keep it here rather than PM then "anyone" can see it.
 
King of Groove said:
Great set of shots Chris. Not something you usually see. Look forward to seeing more pics of this but don't get stung!
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I'll let it run for a bit Clive but it is right by the door so the prognosis is bad ( for the wasp that is )

LCPete said:
great shots very interesting to see
Pete
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Cheers Pete (y)

Ajophotog said:
My My Chris looks like a bit of a busmans holiday for you there matey :LOL: excellent series of shots though. (y)
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Thanks for the feedback matey its appriciated (y)It'll have to stay there for a bit,
have you any idea how hard it is to get a pest control tech out on a bank holiday week-end? :D

scraggs said:
Thats a superb series Chris, I love the third shot its a stunner.
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Thanks Scraggs I appriciate you input (y)

Venomator said:
That is a really interesting set of images Cobra ... :D ... like many people I have never seen the inside workings of a wasp's nest and find it fascinating ...
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Thanks Ven (y) I intend to keep posting these for as long as I can once it becomes a danger though it will have to go



cowasaki said:
At least it wont cost you £60 to get it removed :LOL:
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You was robbed :D ( see above )
 
Cobra said:

You was robbed :D ( see above )
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Not me, the only one I ever had I squirted in petrol and lit it in our brick shed. I am seriously not suggesting this as an answer I wanted to get my motorcycle out so I went in wearing a crash helmet, gloves etc and it was carnage :bonk: It was hanging and the size of a grapefruit ish...
 
i know they're a pest when they're in the house but isn't nature fascinating, how does a wasp evolve to be able to build something so intricate.

we had a nest just outside the back door under a conifer a couple of years ago, they didn't seem to bother us, just a stream of wasps flying in and out.

I bought some wasps nest killer and followed the instructions, wait until dusk before treatment as they'll all be home.

Problem was the clever little sods had covered the hole up, I got a 5 foot garden cane and tried to open it up so i could squirt the stuff in but they must have had a back door, next thing I hear BZZZZZZZZ and start running:LOL:

caled a man out then next day:help:
 
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Thanks for all the info and advice, I have printed it out for when they start! (y)
 
cowasaki said:
Not me, the only one I ever had I squirted in petrol and lit it in our brick shed. I am seriously not suggesting this as an answer I wanted to get my motorcycle out so I went in wearing a crash helmet, gloves etc and it was carnage :bonk: It was hanging and the size of a grapefruit ish...
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cool (y) but really I wouldn't reccomend it :D the amount of p'ssed off wasps I get called out to because " someone" ( never the person that called of course :D) in the household has tried that and it all went pear-shaped :LOL:
at least you thought to proctect your arms and face, this is the first places they go for when annoyed


wack61 said:
we had a nest just outside the back door under a conifer a couple of years ago, they didn't seem to bother us, just a stream of wasps flying in and out.
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In all honesty, if you don't go within about 4 feet of the nest and are not standing directly in their flight path, ( or waving your arms about trying to swat them) they will not bother you and continue on their way.
the only time that this doesn't hold true if they are in the loft, you turn the light on or shine a torch, they are attracted to light ( navigation) and you will get stung


wack61 said:
I bought some wasps nest killer and followed the instructions, wait until dusk before treatment as they'll all be home.

Problem was the clever little sods had covered the hole up, I got a 5 foot garden cane and tried to open it up so i could squirt the stuff in but they must have had a back door, next thing I hear BZZZZZZZZ and start running:LOL:

caled a man out then next day:help:
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The hole is usually underneath a hanging nest with a "return" on it rather like a very short / small "tube" pointing away and yes I agree wasps are not stupid!
Those wasp nest destroyers are dangerous though, and should be banned IMHO
( not just because I am a pestie) but the instructions are vague and if you don't fill the nest in one go you are in the poo!
I always wear a full suit when dealing directley a nest as I said previously you could be looking at sevral thousand wasps by mid / late summer
 
cowasaki said:
I know, I was just being silly ! :bonk::LOL::wave:
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I know you were!! :D So was I! :LOL:

By the way............what the hell are wasps FOR?

Flies break dead things down ... bees provide honey and polinate flowers..........what do wasps do? (apart from sting).
 
Janice said:
I know you were!! :D So was I! :LOL:

By the way............what the hell are wasps FOR?

Flies break dead things down ... bees provide honey and polinate flowers..........what do wasps do? (apart from sting).
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All of the below (y)

1) keep us entertained on the macro forum
2)they are garbage bins the adults eat fallen rotten fruit and all things vegi
3)they feed the young lavea on insects that may or may not be damageing your plants
4) they pollenate up to a point but its more by luck than judgement on their part
4)keep me bloody busy through the warmer months :D
 
I didn't realise you were a pest controller - the advice in this thread could prevent some mishaps (hopefully), so thanks for that.

And thanks for sharing the pictures - very interesting. Can you estimate how long before the nest will be too big for you to leave 'running'?
 
MrGrumpy said:
I didn't realise you were a pest controller - the advice in this thread could prevent some mishaps (hopefully), so thanks for that.
And thanks for sharing the pictures - very interesting. Can you estimate how long before the nest will be too big for you to leave 'running'?
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Thanks for your comments & I am happy to have helped (y)

I guess less than a month but
its difficult to estimate the developement it depends largely on the weather the hotter it is the faster the nest developes, (heat and food availabillity)
At the moment the Queen really has her hands full, building, laying eggs and feeding herself
once the nest is finished and the egg cells filled she can relax a little until the eggs hatch, then its all go feeding the larvae until they are ready to change into adults!
Once emerged the new adults will feed the queen and extend the nest.
(physical size and egg cells)

The Queen will just have to lay eggs the feeding and building is done by the newley emerged adults.So you can see the more wasps that are produced the bigger the nest becomes and the whole thing just snowballs until the weather turns really cold and there is a lack of food to feed the larvae. the adults will survive though eating the fallen fruit of the season until the cold (frosts) kill them off its a short but busy life :D
Just before the end, the queen will lay about 6 odd eggs that turn into furtile queens they are booted out to start their own colony and the whole sequence of events repeats itself


Keltic Ice Man said:
Thank goodness my epi-pen is next to me when I read this thread. I think there fascinating things, but when one comes in I go out and leave it to my wife. That way I don't need a trip to casualty.

Amazing pictures though Cobra.
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Thanks KIM (y)
there seems to be an increasing amount of people that are becoming highly alergic to wasps.I have noted a definate increase certainly in the last 5 years I have no idea why though
 
Keltic Ice Man said:
when one comes in I go out and leave it to my wife. That way I don't need a trip to casualty.
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I do the same, but so no one else ends up in casualty.

If I see one I will run.
I'm 20 stone, 6'4, and I'll knock over prams, mothers, and small children. When it comes to running from a wasp, I have no shame or morals :LOL:.

Bees I'm not as bothered with any more, but wasps, my palms go sweaty and I'm petrified of em. I was going to have a look in our loft over winter, but forgot. No way I'm going in now. I opened up the hatch around Septemberish and poked my head up there, shone a torch to my right, and there on the insulation was dead wasp...I just shut it and got out of there. It's staying hermtically sealed until next winter...lol
 
Forgot to say, great thread Cobra, and thanks for the advice and insight. (y)
 
Marcel said:
If I see one I will run.
I'm 20 stone, 6'4, and I'll knock over prams, mothers, and small children. When it comes to running from a wasp, I have no shame or morals :LOL:.
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:LOL::LOL::LOL:
Marcel said:
I opened up the hatch around Septemberish and poked my head up there, shone a torch to my right, and there on the insulation was dead wasp...I just shut it and got out of there. It's staying hermtically sealed until next winter...lol
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Seriously now is the time for a quick scout around there will be very little activity and a "golf ball" can be dealt with quite safely as per the thread (y)

Marcel said:
Forgot to say, great thread Cobra, and thanks for the advice and insight. (y)
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Thanks Marcel (y)
Its a pleasure (y)
 
To go back to the starting point of this thread .... what amazing photos. I could just see them in a glossy book on the lifecycle of wasps. :D

The detail is fascinating, and reading the rest of the thread, I've learned more about wasps in a few minutes than I'd have thought possible. Still give the b****** respect though :exit:

Thanks Cobra :) Hope to see next episode in your nest's 'grand design'.
 
jeangenie said:
To go back to the starting point of this thread .... what amazing photos. I could just see them in a glossy book on the lifecycle of wasps. :D

The detail is fascinating, and reading the rest of the thread, I've learned more about wasps in a few minutes than I'd have thought possible. Still give the b****** respect though :exit:

Thanks Cobra :) Hope to see next episode in your nest's 'grand design'.
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Thanks Jeangenie you comments are appriciated (y)
I hope to get a few more shots yet before I have to "deal with it"
 
wasps I can handle as long as they're only living inside my computer screen :)

Nasty little gits although to be fair I can't actually ever remember being stung. It's the buzzing, so incredibly intimidating!
 
pearce_jj said:
wasps I can handle as long as they're only living inside my computer screen :)

Nasty little gits although to be fair I can't actually ever remember being stung. It's the buzzing, so incredibly intimidating!
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Oh I get stung even wearing a "suit" they find away in from time to time :D
You think ones loud?
Imagine what a large active nest sounds like up close and personal :D
 
Marcel said:
If I see one I will run.
I'm 20 stone, 6'4, and I'll knock over prams, mothers, and small children. When it comes to running from a wasp, I have no shame or morals :LOL:.
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Not just me then :LOL::LOL:

Dunno why but just terrified of the little stripey gits :shrug:

Nice set Chris(y)
Never seen inside one before
 
birdy961 said:
Not just me then :LOL::LOL:

Dunno why but just terrified of the little stripey gits :shrug:

Nice set Chris(y)
Never seen inside one before
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Cheers Robin
She is slowly closing it up now, quite busy yesterday, in all that heat.
Wasps and rats seem to scare even the biggest blokes :D
( and spiders of course :LOL:)
Its a tough job but someone has to do it :D
 
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