# Wasp deterrent



## Sublime (Sep 11, 2010)

I've got very persistent wasps who want to build a nest in my anchor locker and under one of the bench seats.  
What have you used to keep them away?


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## coultereng (May 26, 2008)

If you find an answer to that problem, see if you can find a solution to keeping spiders off the boat.


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## JoeDiver (Feb 2, 2011)

Put up a martin house and try to attract a flock? They eat wasps.

I like to try nature first...usually if there's an imbalance of one insect it's because something is missing in the food chain. I hate using pesticides on my lawn or garden unless absolutely necessary....kill one thing and it knocks the whole system off balance.

Except fire ants. All bets are off with those little f$%#@#! Kill them in every way possible. Mass genocide. They all must die. Terrible, suffering deaths.


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## bubb2 (Nov 9, 2002)

Reposted for the humor of the story!


Stede







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*The Swarm*

Due to work commitments, etc., I hadn''t been able to get down to my boat in awhile. This last weekend my brother was visiting so I invited him to go sailing with me. When we arrived at the slip, I went down below and found a huge active mud-dobbers nest by my fold up bulkhead mounted table. After obtaining some of the 20 ft.reach hornet spray, I doused them good, and they dropped as soon as the stuff hit''em.I started gathering up the carcasses and then noticed a hornet flying behind my vhf. I peered around it carefully and found a hornets nest the size of your open hand with about 30 of the little buggers peering back at me licking their chops! They were the bad-ass type, with attitude. I went up on deck, leaned in the companionway and doused them real good. Unlike the mud-dobbers dropping immediately, the spray seemed to just piss the hornets off. They came out with a vengeance. After what seemed like an eternity of swatting, dodging, and spraying, the enemy retreated. I felt good about the defense my brother and I had put up and the fact that we had prevailed. There wasn't any wind, so I suggested to my brother that we motor down to a little restaurant about 1 mile away and get some lunch. After we had been underway for awhile, I went down below to get a cold drink. I peered around the vhf again to make sure there weren't any hornets regrouping for a second attack. Sure enough, there were about 8 or so of the little devils bug eyeing me and rubbing their legs together like they do. They knew I had the "weapon of mass destruction." I sprayed them again and they came out looking for their pound of flesh! My brother was at the wheel and they went after him first. Obviously their strategy was to take out the wheel man, which would create a diversion for the following full out assault. As my brother was swatting at them, he was jerking the wheel this way and that, which was tossing me about. I was going down, but continued firing off rounds with the "weapon of mass destruction.". Bodies of the enemy lay about the cockpit. The battle eventually subsided, and all was calm again. The lesson learned? Never spray a hornets nest while under way boss! There's no where to run!!!.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I've killed hornets, red wasps, yellow jackets, etc... using Black Flag wasp and hornet killer--always dropped them in their tracks--but you had to hit them good. A little vapor or a few droplets just pissed them off.

I don't know of a sailboat that is not a spider haven as well. The rigging, lifelines, anchor rode, everything, seems to be perfect for them to weave a web. I did find some spider spray at Home Depot that killed them upon contact, and also found some spray called Spider Not that I sprayed the dock-lines with that kept them from migrating from using the lines as a bridge to the boat. They can, however, just wait for a slight breeze in the direction of the boat, shoot out a length of web and ride it to the boat.

I discovered the best time to nail the spiders is just after sundown, when they're coming out to build new webs to catch the evening meal. During the day they tend to hide anyplace they can find that out of the direct rays of the sun. Some of the best locations tend to be the bilge vents, uncapped openings at the ends of rails, and of course, the anchor locker openings. They also like to hide beneath the sail covers, the underside of rub rails and within the folds of roller-furled jib sail--locations where you would not dare use any kind of spray for fear of damaging the sail material.

One of the ways of keeping wasps and spiders out of the cabin is to cover the back side of the hatch vent(s) with screening. Granted, a few will eventually find their way inside, but the larger wolf spiders usually can make their way through the smaller cracks.

Good Luck,

Gary


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## jackdale (Dec 1, 2008)

Try hanging a crumpled bag in the vicinity. Wasps think it is another wasp net, they are territorial.


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

There are all kinds of Yellow Jacket traps on the market if
you have the time to set them. One easy way is to suspend
a piece of meat over a large pot of water. They will eat to the
point of falling in the water and drowning. A small cup of 
pancake batter over the water also works. If you use the spray
on a nest make sure you have a backup can ready to go. The
spray usually stops them dead but may not get into all the cracks
& crevices, it really makes them mad if they live through it.
Good to have an escape route ready, hard to escape very far
on a boat, though. Be careful, they are double nasty and the
stings really hurt. Some people are really allergic to the stings.

Dabnis


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

My favorite story is about a guy that waited until night, doused a nest in a tree with gasoline and lit it on fire. Yes, the entire tree caught fire, fell on his house which also caught fire. Very effective on the wasps.

Based on that lesson learned..... open the seacock to your engine, cut the line right off. I give the wasps about 30 minutes.

Or try the crumpled bag thing first.


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## Sublime (Sep 11, 2010)

jackdale said:


> Try hanging a crumpled bag in the vicinity. Wasps think it is another wasp net, they are territorial.


I might try this.

Regarding spiders-sometimes things get interesting. A small black jumping type spider got pissed off about me messing with some reefing lines. He jumped down on deck where another spider of the same species was sitting. The one on deck immediately ran towards the recently evicted spider and they had a death match right there on deck. It was quite gory.


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## Dfok (Apr 11, 2010)

death of insects is in proportion to the can used to kill them, seemingly regardless of the contents of the can. IE - a 16 oz propane can kills more than a 12 oz bug killer but not as much as a 20 pound propane tank (if properly aimed). Note the 20 pound tank will damage gel coat, fiberglass and lead keel but it will also KILL BUGS. Aim and patience is key.


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## Boasun (Feb 10, 2007)

Dfok said:


> death of insects is in proportion to the can used to kill them, seemingly regardless of the contents of the can. IE - a 16 oz propane can kills more than a 12 oz bug killer but not as much as a 20 pound propane tank (if properly aimed). Note the 20 pound tank will damage gel coat, fiberglass and lead keel but it will also KILL BUGS. Aim and patience is key.


You are not suppose to be throwing the cans at them. You are suppose to be spraying the little buggers.
Flamming propane can kill those little buggers, and peel the paint off the side of your boat, char the wood and so forth...So you may need the local fire department standing by.


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## Jurgy (Feb 6, 2009)

Boasun 

I think the propane is used to freeze them, just fog them like a CO2 fire extinguisher by inverting the bottle. 

One note however, propane is heavier than air and will settle on the cabin floor. It will make a very pretty flame and whoosh when it finds a spark. And soon the insect problem will be gone forever .....


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## dnf777 (Jun 23, 2007)

Minnewaska said:


> My favorite story is about a guy that waited until night, doused a nest in a tree with gasoline and lit it on fire. Yes, the entire tree caught fire, fell on his house which also caught fire. Very effective on the wasps.
> 
> Based on that lesson learned..... open the seacock to your engine, cut the line right off. I give the wasps about 30 minutes.
> 
> Or try the crumpled bag thing first.


I was going to suggest a can of hair spray and a bic lighter. But you got me beat on that one!

For the yellowjackets, I found setting a shop vac turned on near their nest entrance with water and a little liquid detergent in the vac cleans them out quickly. Taught to me by a tree specialist.


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## peptobysmol (Apr 30, 2009)

Jurgy said:


> Boasun
> 
> One note however, propane is heavier than air and will settle on the cabin floor. It will make a very pretty flame and whoosh when it finds a spark. And soon the insect problem will be gone forever .....


I beg to differ. Your next bug problem will be worms


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## Jurgy (Feb 6, 2009)

I looked in on my boat today as the weather is getting better. By the looks of the moldy head ... I'll either have to get my first mate to work soon, or try the propane trick and give the vessel to the worms !!


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