29 March 2009

The wasp menace ravages the watering holes of the inner north

| johnboy
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It seems there’s not a pub in the inner north you can sit down outside of at the moment without having to keep an eye out for yellowjackets trying to jump in the beers.

I’ve never seen it this bad, anyone else noticing unusually high wasp activity at the moment?

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Holden Caulfield11:56 am 30 Mar 09

Gungahlin Al said :

Yep All Bar Nun 2 weeks ago – clearly European Wasp.
Must like beer.

Geez, they’re having a rough trot aren’t they. Finally rid themselves of the Carney virus and now this!

A single nest can have a territory of about 75 hectares. (ie: the size of the entire suburb).
So it a) might be a bit beyond the budget of most cafes, and b) is TAMS’ job.

I’d venture to assert that unless the venues start taking action they will notice a drop in patronage.

I’ve already based a decision on which venue to go to with the wasp problem in mind.

Wasp traps are cheap and simple to use. Using them would help.

Even better, how about the venues banding together and paying for an extermination program in nearby areas?

I had lunch at All bar nun on Sunday and there was one wasp that was intent on taking my chicken burger away. Had to have a decoy piece of chicken sitting a metre away to be able to eat in peace.
Also spotted at the Fyshwick markets eating lunch on Saturday. Really wanted to take a bit out of a beef burger we had on the table – no amount of hand-shooing would put this one off its mission, in fact, no amount of hand shooing ever seems to bother these things.
Also in plague proportions outside the Front cafe in Lyneham. It’s not possible to sit outside in the afternoons without being harrassed by them. I’d say 10-15 at any one time buzzing about the tables and chairs.
They really make me nervous – to the point where I find myself having to stand up and move away from the area until they are gone. I can’t say I recall seeing this many around in times gone by. It seems to have been the last 3 or so years they have really become a nuisance…

Sammy wrote:

Sammy said :

I was brewing 60 litres of beer yesterday, and I had a couple buzzing around the brewhouse trying to get into the boiler. Very annoying. Wasn’t really interested in making wasp beer.

What? You haven’t heard of a bee brew? 😉 Picture of a Yellowjacket Sake
Those damn Japanese can turn virtually anything into a culinary delight (or maybe I’ve been watching too many Iron Chef episodes)
I think there was also a Yellowjacket larva dish.?Ah, here it is.

Our kiddies party was inundated with Eurotrash, going nuts for all the sweet cakes and juice. I certainly thought there was a notable increase in their presence this weekend.

I noticed a Euro in Turner last week.

I was on the other side of the window fortunately.

Odd, the rosellas have been taking bites out of the apples then throwing the rest under the tree, that should be attracting them but I’ve only seen one wasp this season. I see lots of bees, they drink at the stock tank and gather pollen from the pumpkins and cukes. Maybe if you have lots of bees they keep wasps away?

They have been bad, and aggressive in numbers. A cut apple seems to attract them quite fast and they are really determined to get it.

pelican said :

At home it is really bad.

They are whizzing about often three or four at a time. So far they have left me alone while pottering in the vegie patch but I am not going out of my way to antagonise them. Haven’t been able to locate a possible nest in our own yard so probably somewhere nearby.

Pity we can’t put a super-miniature tracking device on one of them and follow it back to their nest.

Yeah…I know not possible in the real world just wishful thinking. 🙂

If you put a tiny bit of meat out near where they are hovering and they discover it, they will pick it up and fly in a straight line back to their nest. You can then call in a tactical air strike and nuke em !

yeah, i agree they are pretty nuts at the moment, we would get about 4-5 a saturday running a bbq at our morning softball competition in calwell, and just the other day at lynhem hockey centre watching the australian hockey league i was getting harrased by one trying to eat my lunch… so im thinking there are heaps out there at the moment, and its just not you being aware about it when drinking

GardeningGirl3:28 pm 29 Mar 09

I’ve seen the occasional solitary European wasp for years, quietly going about its business, which surprised me because my first encounters with them many years ago interstate were not so pleasant. The last one I saw, a week or two ago, was a little more threatening. I remember being told that under certain circumstances/at certain times they become more troublesome?

Skidbladnir said :

If we’re unlucky, expect plague numbers next spring.

Plague it is then

They’re pretty active in Tugeranong at the moment too.
I think this is their “final surge” of activity before winter though.

If we’re lucky, winter will get cold enough to kill off the adults, and then it will rain heavily enough to dissolve their nest structures and wash away any eggs.
If we’re unlucky, expect plague numbers next spring.

I was at a rugby carnival at Duntroon yesterday and got stung on the hand by one of the little bastards. It was almost as sore as my ribs were from copping an elbow at the bottom of a ruck.

Just like reporting crime, should we blame the wasps, ie is there REALLY an increase in the number, or do we blame the REPORTING, ie you have increased your awareness of wasps as the number of times you frequent houses of liquor increases? Hmmm, wasps or beer to blame? Think about it. Or not.

Gungahlin Al12:48 pm 29 Mar 09

Yep All Bar Nun 2 weeks ago – clearly European Wasp.
Must like beer.

I was brewing 60 litres of beer yesterday, and I had a couple buzzing around the brewhouse trying to get into the boiler. Very annoying. Wasn’t really interested in making wasp beer.

At home it is really bad. They are whizzing about often three or four at a time. So far they have left me alone while pottering in the vegie patch but I am not going out of my way to antagonise them. Haven’t been able to locate a possible nest in our own yard so probably somewhere nearby.

Pity we can’t put a super-miniature tracking device on one of them and follow it back to their nest.

Yeah…I know not possible in the real world just wishful thinking. 🙂

Yeah, seen the same thing in some of the tuggeranong restaurants/pubs.

Also millions at my house whenever I bust out the liquid fertiliser. I really hate wasps.

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