a man and his hoe

every day is a good day

We Will Not Be Moved

Written by

theMan

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The wasps which built a nest at the base of a bird feeder under a pear tree were becoming a problem. Walk too close to the pear tree, and they’d sting. The one time I got stung, it felt like I’d walked against stinging nettles, and realized it was those wasps.


At night, I covered the nest with a bag and carried it off and hung it under a cedar far away from places well traveled.


The next morning, the wasps were back under the pear tree, buzzing furiously, and determined to rebuild where their nest used to be. I don’t mind as they eat a huge number of insects. I just need to warn anyone who visits to stay clear of the pear tree.

Comments

4 responses to “We Will Not Be Moved”

  1. Cindy

    Yikes – that was brave! Are you going to relocate the second nest when the pears get ripe? I just poked around a bit online re wasps and saw a picture in the New York Times of a “super nest” that was seven feet long. Fascinating but a bit scary.

  2. amanandhishoe

    I don’t think moving the nest will do anything as they’ll most likely return and build a third nest. I’m not worried about them making a super nest. It is almost August and colder weather is just a few months away. It is in a pear tree, which has one or two pears a year if that. I did put stakes and tape around the tree to keep visitors from getting close. After a few frosts, the wasps will be gone and I’ll take the nest down.

  3. Cindy

    The super nest was in Alabama, I believe, which is a little warmer than around here. I’ve never even heard of a nest that big. Anyway, I’m glad your wasps are in an out of the way place and won’t be a problem.

  4. rosie49

    They are most focused on their work. We had one near our house a few years ago that they vacated come winter — brought it to our local beekeeper who uses it for presentations about insects at schools. But it was enormous. Great photos.

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