Wasp relocation saga
The bees are still happy under the apple tree, but Darren had noticed that wasps had started to bother them, attracted by the smell of honey in the hot weather, I suspect. The wasps had their nest in an upturned black box standing on a lid-less bin outside Katrina’s pottery studio. A bit too close for comfort for students and visitors. I have had in mind to try and move them as I didn’t want them killed. I’m pleased that our biodynamic status prohibits poisoning them.
But what to do! I must admit that I didn’t so much mind the wasps bothering people, as them invading my bees! Darren agreed, and we hatched a plan to move the wasps out of the garden at dusk when they’ve all gone into the nest. We would slide a wooden plate under the box and carry them away to a better location under the old oak in the field.
We met at dusk. The wasps were quiet. I put on my bee suit just in case, Darren just gloves. We managed to move the box onto the plate but didn’t get any further before we were surrounded by angry wasps and had to abort.
We ran into my office, chased by wasps who carried on trying to get in through the window to get at us!
What next? There were only two possible options: abandon the project, or get a bee suit for Darren. We decided on the latter, and I borrowed a bee suit from Daniel and Vija the next day.
After another sleepless night researching insects – a repetition of the bee saga – I learnt that there are several major differences between bees and wasps.
Two are important here:
1. Wasps don’t all go to sleep like bees! They leave guards outside the nest, and they warn the others who will all come out, surround the intruder, and either kill them with multiple stings or chase them away!
2. They don’t die when they sting but can sting many times without risking their lives as a consequence.
However, Darren and I met again at dusk…
This time, fully equipped and confident. We lifted the wooden plate with the box on it and started walking down through the garden with it, soon surrounded by furious wasps! The wooden plate didn’t close tight on the box so the wasps could get out. Hundreds of them surrounded us, but we carried on calmly, gently explaining to the wasps that we meant them no harm, just wanted to move them out of harm’s way. They didn’t listen. And suddenly, as we were in the middle of the gap in the hedge that leads to the field, Darren said, “there’s a wasp INSIDE my mask!” We couldn’t stop at that point but carried on as quickly as we could into the field. Darren with his eyes closed.
Seconds later, I had a wasp in my mask too. Those little smart critters had got in through a tiny gap we had both left where the mast zips onto the suit. Unbelievable! We both got stung – Darren on his lip and I twice on the neck – so, as soon as we were through the hedge, we put the box down and ran for our lives followed by hordes of furious wasps!
We made it back to the office with the wasps in pursuit. Now, I don’t know if you have ever been in a situation where you had to make the decision whether to stay inside a confined space with an angry wasp, or take it off to be met with all its angry friends?
We managed to get in the building, quickly take off the suits, throw them outside, and then spent the next half hour or so running from room to room, turning lights on and off to distract them, and finding vinegar to deal with the stings. What a palaver!
I’m pleased to report that we both survived without further complication but our careers as wasp removers is definitely over.
Epilogue: I looked in the bin where the box with the nest had been and, low and behold, there’s another nest at the bottom! Katrina asked me to move that too. I said no. Definitely not!
