Paper Wasp Making a Nest in Our Coop

[kynewbchickie]

I knock the nests down too, not always at night but I’m not allergic to the stings. People that are have to be more careful. I don’t find the wasps dangerous to the chickens, but I don’t like fooling around in there when wasps are around. They can hurt me!

A quick story. When we had 2 week old chicks in the brooder in the coop, my wife stunned a red wasp and dropped it in the brooder. It was a blast watching the chicks play keep away until they finally ate it. They pecked it to pieces to get sizes they could swallow.

I can just see the little chicks having a ball!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I knock the nests down too, not always at night but I’m not allergic to the stings. People that are have to be more careful. I don’t find the wasps dangerous to the chickens, but I don’t like fooling around in there when wasps are around. They can hurt me!

A quick story. When we had 2 week old chicks in the brooder in the coop, my wife stunned a red wasp and dropped it in the brooder. It was a blast watching the chicks play keep away until they finally ate it. They pecked it to pieces to get sizes they could swallow.

What a sight to see!

I tried giving a stomped yellow jacket to the chickens since I had read they liked to eat them. They came up to it, looked at it carefully, and BACKED away with great trepidation as if to say, "I have been stung by that thing before and don't want to eat it!" Just imagine FOUR or so hens all backing up at once!

Fortunately I don't have yellow jacket problems in the coops when the chickens are in there. But they do make nests under the ventilation caps outside the coop and under our deck, etc.

They make a bug vacuum that I tried but the battery didn't last long. It was supposed to give a shock to kill the bugs. I couldn't recommend it unless you get a durable one.

 

[Desirai]

paper wasps are relatively harmless.. when they have larva in their nests they can get defensive but rarely aggressive.

 

[3 NH reds]

I'm allergic and don't always have an Epipen on hand that's not out-of-date, and I live more than 30 minutes from the nearest hospital. The caterpillars around here are beneficial to my chickens' diets, there aren't any that are listed as "toxic" in my neck of the woods.

I am allergic as well so the peace flowers and happiness does not work for us. I got attacked last year because a wasp nest was outside of the layers coop. I was filling the oyster shell and next thing I hear the swarming sounds and got stung a couple of times and had to go to the doctors. Use any good poison and don't worry about it, it had no effect on the birds I just went out and scooped them up.The first spray I used last year when they called the tractor home just ticked them off and it took 3 min for them to die. A friend gave me spectraside pro from home depot and it dropped them at once

. If you are worried about poison use automotive brake cleaner, it should drop them right then and there but that means getting in close. wait for night and do it.

 

[kynewbchickie]

Quote:
I usually put my husband up to removing them. LOL He takes care of the wasps; I take care of the spiders and snakes that find their way into areas they shouldn't be

 

[ashcons]

I agree with killing them at night when they're sluggish and inactive, but I disagree with the brake cleaner. Getting that stuff in his eyes wouldn't be fun!

 

[hiddenflock]

Centrarchid: I was just concerned they would sting our birds. And what kinds of poisons won't hurt the chickens, by the way?

 

[centrarchid]

Centrarchid: I was just concerned they would sting our birds. And what kinds of poisons won't hurt the chickens, by the way?

I have never had birds in trouble with paper wasps or even bumble bees. Use of pesticides around livestock / poultry is to be avoided if there is risk of it being ingested or inhaled.

 

[chfite]

During the day when the fewest wasps are around, light the nest with a match and let it burn. Leave the burnt nest, they won't be back this year.

But, the wasps won't bother the chickens.

Chris

 

[kynewbchickie]

Wasps are snacks around here - as are bumblebees.