Do Wasps Damage Wood?

[Stoday]

Some years ago I had a wasps nest in the lawn. Wasps don't like lawnmowers and will go for anyone pushing one around.

I got a piece of plastic guttering and poured a pint of meths into their nest. Then I lit it with a taper on the end of a long bamboo rod. The result was highly satisfying. In the bright sunlight the flame from the meths was invisible. Wasps flew down to access their nest but in doing so flew into the flame. Wings zapped, they fell into a wriggling mass at the nest entrance. :mrgreen:

Kept me entertained for half an hour but didn't eradicate the nest. In the end I stuffed a small egg sized tablet of sodium cyanide down the hole. That fixed 'em.

 

[bosshogg]

[All day I dream about tools]

Your sad man, very sad (homer) :lol:

 

[Benchwayze]

Some years ago I had a wasps nest in the lawn. Wasps don't like lawnmowers and will go for anyone pushing one around.

I got a piece of plastic guttering and poured a pint of meths into their nest. Then I lit it with a taper on the end of a long bamboo rod. The result was highly satisfying. In the bright sunlight the flame from the meths was invisible. Wasps flew down to access their nest but in doing so flew into the flame. Wings zapped, they fell into a wriggling mass at the nest entrance. :mrgreen:

Kept me entertained for half an hour but didn't eradicate the nest. In the end I stuffed a small egg sized tablet of sodium cyanide down the hole. That fixed 'em.

Cyanide? :shock:
My local Pharmacist wouldn't even sell me Arsenic to get rid of ants! :evil: Not even if I signed the poisons register!

John

 

[bosshogg]

Wasps live in what's called bikes, you would think it would be enough to tell them to get on their bikes if they're not wanted :wink: (homer)

even a stupid man can be right sometimes

 

[Stoday]

Yes, cyanide. I bought it from Boots around 1965. Had to jump through hoops. A form had to be signed by a neighbour to say that I was a fit person, then by the police to say that both my neighbour and I were fit persons.

Turned out my neighbour had a conviction for cycling without lights when he was 16 (he was in his 30's in 1965).

 

[toolsntat]

Here are a couple of bits of that damaged cill that I removed :shock:
They are about 6" long and the bored holes are about 1/4"

Andy

 

[Benchwayze]

Andy,
I doubt very much that the Common Wasp is responsible for that damage. They don't feed on wood like 'woodworm' does.
Wasps chew the wood to a pulp, off the surface, and carry it back to the nest where they use it to build their paper-like structure. They breed and feed in cells like the honey-bee.

In any case most of the wood they 'harvest' is from fallen or dead stock in the woods, another reason they build around dead tree stumps. A handy source of material that's easy to gather, near to the nest site.

There are wood-boring beetles and a few larger moths whose larvae bore in wood, and do that kind of damage though. So that would be insect damage of some sort. But as I said, not Vespa Vulgaris!

It's possible wasps might find the rotten wood easy to gather, and thus contribute to the damage, but they wouldn't bore holes in it.


HTH
John

 

[toolsntat]

Yep could do if its this one, http://www.amentsoc.org/insects/fact-fi ... phyta.html

Did some repairs on some sash windows last year and there were that many larvae in there my chisel was covered in gunk :shock:

If there is another form of natural cavity then could be ordinary wasps moving in :evil:

Andy

Not any ordinary wasp this one :twisted:

Still 2 in there on the bottom picture about to fly until I got on the scene (hammer)

Andy

 

[Benchwayze]

Andy,


Common wasps will use any suitable cavity to enter a sheltered site to build a nest. But the grubs are fed on dismembered insects provided by the workers. They don't eat wood-pulp. The pulp is used to build the walls of the nest and the honeycombs. Some species of wasp or bees will build nests in cavity walls, but these are usually 'solitary wasps or bees.' that rear just a few, or sometimes just one larvae into adults.

The common wasp larvae doesn't burrow into wood, nor does the adult. So whatever has mined into this wood, isn't a common wasp.

I don't know much more about wasps, except they are fairly tolerant as long as you don't actually disturb their nest.

In the autumn they are getting unpredictable and will sting with little provocation. Unlike the bee, they can can sting over and over, and when defending their nest they produce a more potent venom than usual! So don't disturb a nest!

HTH

John

 

[dickm]

Don't want to worry you, Andy, but the wood in those photos looks horribly like it's got dry rot. Breaking up into square blocks is often a diagnostic sign of the dread disease. So the wasps are probably just going for a nice chewy, fungus enriched building material

 

[Benchwayze]

Andy,

I can't see exactly what you have living in that wood. But does it look anything like this:





This is the clear-winged Hornet Moth.
The larvae live in Poplar trees, and bore under the bark. I've never heard of them attacking timber frames, but who knows? They might well do so.
It's a harmless insect as far as biting or stinging goes, but I know I wouldn't want to take the chance unless I was sure!"

HTH

John

 

[toolsntat]

Don't think it was those John but from all the info in my previous link I think they were proper Wood Wasps ....

http://www.amentsoc.org/insects/fact-fi ... phyta.html

Especially the bit about symbiotic relationship with fungi as the timber was well rotten :wink:

I feel a rotten sill and its contents autopsy coming this way soon :idea:
( Ah so that's why I bought that digital microscope from Aldi :roll: )
Nurse.... Scalpel please and make sure it's sharp!! (it's that sort of forum :wink: :lol: )

Andy

Ps how you getting on with your predicament Mark?

 

[bosshogg]

Andy wrote -( Ah so that's why I bought that digital microscope from Aldi )
Nurse.... Scalpel please and make sure it's sharp!! (it's that sort of forum )
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You are very wise "GRASSHOPPER"