Wasps are a beneficial insect eating some harmful bugs and pollinating plants.

In the past two days, I have had to relocate two wasps nests as I worked at preparing my home for the winter. Now you may wonder why I bothered relocating them rather than just killing them off. The answer is that I wildscape my yard and let whatever lives there live there. I have known about the wasps all summer. They haven't bothered me. I don't bother them. But they were in the way of my skirting project, so they had to be moved.

Here's how I did it. I waited until it was dark and cool out and all the wasps were home for the evening. Then I took a sturdy plastic container (a big yogurt container in one case, a plastic bowl in the other) and a piece of stiff plastic that would slide under the bowl and act a s a lid and went to the wasp nest. I covered the nest with the plastic container and slid the stiff piece of plastic underneath, severing the paper connection underneath the nest. Then I very carefully carried the nest far away from my home (to a predetermined location) and gently set it down, leaving the lid on.

Not a single wasp woke up or stung me. I waited about an hour, then went back with a flashlight to remove the lid so the wasps could get out the next day. They were all sound asleep and did not stir when I removed the lid.

Wasps are a beneficial insect eating some harmful bugs and pollinating plants. I have found that, as I said, if I leave them alone, they leave me alone. Now I can finish my project, and the wasps can continue on their merry way! ;)

Copyright: SuzanneBennett: October 15, 2008