At Pickering Creek we have been dealing with wasps for many years.  The ones
building the little paper nests are easy to deal with in cool weather when
there are just a few of them.  Later in the year, when the weather gets hot,
and when there can be 6 or more wasps in a box, it is often best to just
leave them alone.  However, Bluebirds usually will not use a box if it is
infested with wasps.  It is best to get them out right now, as new Bluebirds
are coming around each day to start their nesting cycles.

The Bluebird coordinator of a few years ago at Pickering Creek devised a
very simple tool that has served us extremely well - for wasp removal as
well as for general cleaning out of the old nests or of mice nests or of
jumping spiders and most anything else that needs to be cleared.

The tool - an "L-shaped" piece of aluminum.   The master stock would be a
bar/rod of aluminum that is 1-inch wide and 1/8 - inch thick and around
14-inches long.  Make a 90-degree bend with the last three inches of the rod
- leaving one with a 3-inch scraping tool at the end of an 11-inch handle.
This tool has the elegance of simplicity, and is clearly very low cost.

For most of the cleaning activities of Bluebird boxes, the tool is held by
the handle, and the scraper is used for debris removal.  However, for front
opening boxes that are hinged near the top, the tool can be held by the
scraper, and the handle can be run into the box, above the partly opened
door, to scrape any wasp nests off the top of the box.

For any slow wasps that drop to the bottom of the box, this tool is very
efficient for scraping them out (if that is what you want to do) or for
shortening their lives and sending them to wasp heaven if you really do not
want to see them back in the same box during the next visit.  Either handle
or scraper can be used for this step of wasp deletion.  Jumping spiders can
get the same kind of treatment.

All of our box monitors are provided with a clipboard for recording box data
and one of these scrapers for cleaning activity. It is good to make several
of the tools when going to the trouble of making the first one, because they
are easily lost, yet are so useful that people do not want to be without
them after seeing how well they work.

Les Roslund
Talbot County
Easton MD 21601


-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Rick Sussman
Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2008 5:35 PM
To: 
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Ridding Bird Houses of Wasps


 
In a message dated 4/12/2008 5:04:32 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
 writes:

This  year several are home to wasps.  Is it safe to attempt
to clean them  during the day when the wasps are out?  How?  She does not
want  to use any chemicals.   Thanks for any suggestions.  Please  reply
offline unless you think others could use the information.   Bonnie Coe AU
Park, DC 



My $00.02 is to open the box, get a scraper of some sort (a kitchen spatula

comes to mind) scrape the wasp nest off and run like hell!

I've done this in the past with bluebird boxes. The running is the only  
tricky part. Make sure your path is clear in the intended direction
beforehand!
 
Rick Sussman


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