Woodwasps

[kav]

Mornin'

Was taking a lump of timber home last night and noticed a wood wasp doing its thing and laying eggs in it (3 times in half an hour-they've got stamina!!).

Should i just abandon it it to the corner of the yard and leave it or just slab off sides.

Cheers

Kav

[gobbypunk]

I may be wrong but I would deal with it do you want loads of wood wasps in your yard they are quite big and have big scary stingers oh no get rid

Cheers Mark

[billy_wizz]

Don't think that they sting it's a boreing tool I think

[Steve Bullman]

Yep they are harmless, look scary though!!

[Stubby]

I may be wrong but I would deal with it do you want loads of wood wasps in your yard they are quite big and have big scary stingers oh no get rid

Cheers Mark

 

No sting . Bores into the wood and injects its eggs through it .

[Haironyourchest]

Some years ago I built a tree house. Eight standing spruces in a rough octagon, topped them, and used them as the corner posts. While working on the project, I noticed the wood wasps doing their thing.

 

I lived in that treehouse for eight years. The first couple of years were like the inside of an alien infested spaceship. Lying in bed and then suddenly a flyover by massive scary wasps. You reach for your beer and:(shriek) !! big wasp !!

 

It got pretty stressful. I figured eventually they'd stop emerging, and they did, but f***K there were loads of them. I took to picking them up with a feather on the end of a long stick and chucking them out the window, then into the fire, to try keep their numbers down.

 

They are harmless, but so huge and scary. Any they don't get less scary with time. If anything I got more and more sensitised to them.

 

And they trashed the posts of my house. Massive quarter inch holes all over the place. Inside I just whacked nails into the holes for hanging things on. Outside water got in and started the rot. Should have plugged the holes asap but didn't bother.....

[openspaceman]

No sting . Bores into the wood and injects its eggs through it .

 

That's because the sting of a worker wasp is an ovipositor evolved to be a weapon.

 

They can give a bit of a fright if you've been handling douglas bars all day and one then thinks your jeans are a suitable log whilst you're gaily extracting timber with the hydratongs.

[kav]

Cheers folks. I think they are pretty cool. Was going to plank it for a friend but might chuck slabs in the corner of the field and use middle for some rusic benches

[dervishcarving]

take teh bark off and you will have removed most of if not all of the eggs. i kinda like woodwasps to be honest. plus, when there are irritating visitors at my carving site when i am trying to work, a wood wasp will usually drive them off

[gobbypunk]

Wow cool I always thaught that they would just sting you like an ordanary wasp glad to find out they dont thanks guys , but F--k they are scary

Cheers Mark