Posted on 03/12/2002 1:08:59 PM PST by RippleFire
Car-sized wasp nest threat to towns people's health
12 March 2002
A small Far North town has been stung into action by a car-sized wasp nest which has been deemed to be a danger to the public.
Locals from Pawarenga, on the edge of the Whangape Harbour in Hokianga, 42km southwest of Kaitaia, are concerned about health risks from the wasp nest.
The nest is atop a 25m puriri tree in the town's domain and is metres away from a health clinic, school bus stop, community centre and houses.
A two-year-old child and a man and his dog are among those already stung by the pests.
Smaller nests have also appeared at the foot of the tree and on nearby fence posts.
After appealing unsuccessfully to the Far North District Council for help, the community has been saved by Kaitaia man Mike Knight who saw the nest – which he described as being the size of a medium-sized car – and knew it had to go.
Mr Knight and a friend planned to launch a helicopter assault on the nest, to poison the nest from the air.
"I'm not looking forward to it, because I know I'm going to get a hiding from the wasps," he said.
In a fax from the council's works and facilities department, Graham Richards said it was too dangerous to attempt extermination because of the height of the nest.
"I will be doing nothing about exterminating the nest which will in all probability die during the winter," Mr Richards wrote.
However, an expert on wasps said the size of the nest indicated it was three or four years old already, and was not likely to die out over winter.
Massey University Associate Professor in ecology Robin Fordham said the nest posed a considerable risk to public health.
"I should have thought the local authority have a clear responsibility for public health to get rid of it, or pay someone to do it. There is no doubt it's a health hazard."
Such a large number of wasps would also decimate other insect, plant and possibly bird life, he said.
Hokianga Health administration manager Christine Edwards said nurses at the clinic were concerned about the safety of their patients.
"We can hardly use the clinic because there's so many wasps."
MKM
1 - House painters as a general lot are a bunch of drunks.
2- How to get rid of wasp nests and the wasps at the same time.
You want to not only get rid of the nest (typically under a soffit or agianst a downspout) but also all of the wasps.
Equipment: Hair spray, VERY RELIABLE lighter, b#lls of steel
Climb up ladder, test spray pattern against wall half way up ladder. Climb up near nest just far enough so the spray pattern will overlap the perimeter of the nest ahout 3 inches on all sides.
Spray the nest for about 1 second to wet it and then while still holding the spray nozzle fire up the (reliable, remember) lighter, thus sending a torch of flame engulfing the nest.
Here is where the b#lls part comes in. KEEP SPRAY OF FLAME AS LONG AS YOU CAN WHILE BEATING ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. The wasps fly out and the flame doesn't kill them as much as it singes their wings and they fall to the ground. Don't worry to much about singeing the house as you are painting it anyhow.
Climb down ladder and congratulate yourself with your 9th beer before lunch.
VERY VERY FUNNY!!! I read b#lls of steel and at first thought you meant steel wool, or a brillo pad to put in the hole of the wasp's next. My husband, however, a beekeeper in another stage of his life, read your post and knew immediately what you meant by b#lls of steel.
Heh heh heh.
On a more serious note, the picture of yellow jackets (a.k.a. German wasps) making their presence felt to the North end of N.Z. in humongous numbers may be a picture of a future invasion of swarms of Chinese or Indonesians.
Waterbugs (giant flying roaches) everywhere.
An airman in the dorm room across from mine set fire to a waterbug that way.
It ran out the door and under another guy's door, *STILL SMOKING*!
I have to say I was impressed with the volume of the poor guy's screams.
'Cept bigger . . .
Gawd! I HATE wasps!!!
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