Permethrin Dust

[ChrisJones 7,975]

Got to admit I agree with Shropshire mole, a good puff of ficam is all that is needed. I've treated nests in wet conditions before and not had a problem. I think as long as your getting enough in there beyond the entrance the wasps will walk the powder in and do the job for you. I very rarely remove a nest unless the the customer asks me to but this is done after treatment. What about all the workers that are out foraging? they will come back to the site which has not been treated, yes the will die "eventually" but they will hang around for sometime in my experience hence why I don't remove without doing a treatment first.

 

May I ask why you wouldn't treat a nest above someone's bedroom? You can always get them to close a window for an hour and keep clear from the treated are. Surely the health and safety risks there are far lower to treat the nest from outside than going into a loft with full coveralls on you say you wear, I'm assuming you wear a mask to, plus carrying kit up there to either treat or remove the nest in your case. All this in the height of summer in an insulated loft that is going to be absolutely roasting also taking into account the health and safety factors that your working in a confined space.

 

This reminds me of that programme the lady killers when that lady and her daughter treated the nest in the compost heap, digging it up spraying areoles into the air and all over one another making a complete hash of it when all was needed was to walk over quietly and a couple of puffs with a bulb duster and jobs a gooden.

 

Sometimes the entrance to the nest isn't where your lance is. The railway job the nest entrance was a half a metre from where they were showing. A good puff of Ficam surrounds the entrance and moisture condtions make it inert almost immediately. Not in all cases but in many that I'd treated over the years.

 

How do you lads treat nests where they're showing from soffits and fascias? Where the entrance to the nest is quite a way from the insects are showing from? How do you treat around ponds and water courses? Anyone ever use crawl boards, in lofts?

 

I fully understand about PPE, Risk Assessments and health and safety, but I also had a job to do. I couldn't remove the nest on every job but where it was possible, I would. I would treat a nest above someone's room, but I am going to risk a removal where people risk a sting. Have you ever seen any genuine cases of anaphylaxis? And I don't mean people panicking on the phone, saying they're allergic to get you out faster, but genuine anaphylaxis that requires epipens?

 

I have. So I want the nest gone.

 

In the lofts it was the upper half of the bee suit. The ones I've dug out I've used overalls. Exactly the point I was making when this thread started and the dangers of heatstroke. Which is why I said I'd rather take the odd sting and keep moving. I spent a lot of time in the industry, since 99, working on two continents. You might scoff at my methods but sometimes the treatment requires more than a puff of insecticide. If I can get away without using insecticide I'll take that option, providing it won't effect the treatment. I'm quite happy to take the nest and relocate to another area... Gently release them back into the wild...

 

Not Capt Cautious - but surely is it worth the risk of damage to ceiling (or you on rusty nails etc) by hanging on, whilst doing a wasp nest.

 

 

You make £40.

if all goes tits up, a claim on your insurance, the excess to pay and higher premiums next year. Think most folk on here would avoid your way to dealing with wasps, not saying your wrong, just different. And like lurcherchris said after removing the nest there will be loads of "nusiance" wasps around who are going to be in the stinging mood for quite sometime after their "house" was removed

 

Ever used crawl boards, in a loft? Ever had to hire a cherry picker to hit nests that HSE would imprison you if you even thought of using your ladders?

 

I'm probably giving the impression here, that I do wasp jobs a little like Steve Irwin. Not all of them, no, but some! I did a lot of the standard, turn up, dust, sign, jobs too but I had a lot that required a little more attention. I made much more than £40 on some of them. Those tended to be the follow up from a failed treatment from another tech. Others were in industrial settings, hospitals, factories, and even prisons. I've done jobs that I haven't charged for.

 

Most people probably would avoid my method. But the beauty of this is that none of us really know each other and it's easy to sit a audit someone's work from behind a keyboard. The vast majority of my jobs were as mundane and predictable as yours are. It's the same species afterall. But you get the odd one that requires a little more than what it says in the manual. If I get to go a bit Bear Grylls on it then I'm going to jump at the chance. Because f**k it! Why not?

[shropshire mole 190]

 

Got to admit I agree with Shropshire mole, a good puff of ficam is all that is needed. I've treated nests in wet conditions before and not had a problem. I think as long as your getting enough in there beyond the entrance the wasps will walk the powder in and do the job for you. I very rarely remove a nest unless the the customer asks me to but this is done after treatment. What about all the workers that are out foraging? they will come back to the site which has not been treated, yes the will die "eventually" but they will hang around for sometime in my experience hence why I don't remove without doing a treatment first.

 

May I ask why you wouldn't treat a nest above someone's bedroom? You can always get them to close a window for an hour and keep clear from the treated are. Surely the health and safety risks there are far lower to treat the nest from outside than going into a loft with full coveralls on you say you wear, I'm assuming you wear a mask to, plus carrying kit up there to either treat or remove the nest in your case. All this in the height of summer in an insulated loft that is going to be absolutely roasting also taking into account the health and safety factors that your working in a confined space.

 

This reminds me of that programme the lady killers when that lady and her daughter treated the nest in the compost heap, digging it up spraying areoles into the air and all over one another making a complete hash of it when all was needed was to walk over quietly and a couple of puffs with a bulb duster and jobs a gooden.

 

Sometimes the entrance to the nest isn't where your lance is. The railway job the nest entrance was a half a metre from where they were showing. A good puff of Ficam surrounds the entrance and moisture condtions make it inert almost immediately. Not in all cases but in many that I'd treated over the years.

 

How do you lads treat nests where they're showing from soffits and fascias? Where the entrance to the nest is quite a way from the insects are showing from? How do you treat around ponds and water courses? Anyone ever use crawl boards, in lofts?

 

I fully understand about PPE, Risk Assessments and health and safety, but I also had a job to do. I couldn't remove the nest on every job but where it was possible, I would. I would treat a nest above someone's room, but I am going to risk a removal where people risk a sting. Have you ever seen any genuine cases of anaphylaxis? And I don't mean people panicking on the phone, saying they're allergic to get you out faster, but genuine anaphylaxis that requires epipens?

 

I have. So I want the nest gone.

 

In the lofts it was the upper half of the bee suit. The ones I've dug out I've used overalls. Exactly the point I was making when this thread started and the dangers of heatstroke. Which is why I said I'd rather take the odd sting and keep moving. I spent a lot of time in the industry, since 99, working on two continents. You might scoff at my methods but sometimes the treatment requires more than a puff of insecticide. If I can get away without using insecticide I'll take that option, providing it won't effect the treatment. I'm quite happy to take the nest and relocate to another area... Gently release them back into the wild...

 

Not Capt Cautious - but surely is it worth the risk of damage to ceiling (or you on rusty nails etc) by hanging on, whilst doing a wasp nest.

 

 

You make £40.

if all goes tits up, a claim on your insurance, the excess to pay and higher premiums next year. Think most folk on here would avoid your way to dealing with wasps, not saying your wrong, just different. And like lurcherchris said after removing the nest there will be loads of "nusiance" wasps around who are going to be in the stinging mood for quite sometime after their "house" was removed

 

Ever used crawl boards, in a loft? Ever had to hire a cherry picker to hit nests that HSE would imprison you if you even thought of using your ladders?

 

I'm probably giving the impression here, that I do wasp jobs a little like Steve Irwin. Not all of them, no, but some! I did a lot of the standard, turn up, dust, sign, jobs too but I had a lot that required a little more attention. I made much more than £40 on some of them. Those tended to be the follow up from a failed treatment from another tech. Others were in industrial settings, hospitals, factories, and even prisons. I've done jobs that I haven't charged for.

 

Most people probably would avoid my method. But the beauty of this is that none of us really know each other and it's easy to sit a audit someone's work from behind a keyboard. The vast majority of my jobs were as mundane and predictable as yours are. It's the same species afterall. But you get the odd one that requires a little more than what it says in the manual. If I get to go a bit Bear Grylls on it then I'm going to jump at the chance. Because f**k it! Why not?

 

For me and most others on here, would observe wasps going through a hole either a crack in brickwork, soffat boards, under a tile etc etc, dust this hole with ficam using a dust stick or similar device which mostly means no ladders , do paper work, collect money and leave.

 

Yes have seen genuine analphalaxis, they need more than epipens - more IM addrenaline, nebs, iv hydrocortisone, chloraphenamine + Diesel

BUT by taking the nest BEFORE all wasps have had a chance to go in and pick up the dust, will only help more people to get stung, IMO

 

 

Each to their own

 

ps. yes do use crawling boards when needed

 

Can treat wasps around ponds the same as any other with targeted powder to the entrance and the wasps will walk it in

[ChrisJones 7,975]

Each to their own

 

[lurcherchris 5]

Sorry if I sounded like I was having a dig at how you do things Chris, that wasn't my intention and provided someone is getting the job done effectively whilst maintaining a professional service which by the sounds of it you were by "tidying up behind others" who am I to critisise. Just interest to hear a bit more of you tackled things. Like Shropshire mole says "each to their own"

[budgie123 163]

We use crawling boards and after considerable time trying to source a good product we baught sx environmental ones.

Not cheap but you get what you pay for and they are a superb product.

 

Only issue is height of roof which has prevented getting them in at times but very rarley.They provide you with a good stable platform to work from.

 

On every job I inspect roof space if accessable and remove every nest which is accessable.

A removed nest means no call back and no issue with associated insects.

 

2 of the worst carpet beatle jobs I have ever come across have been associated with wasp nests with the numbers to be seen to be believed.

 

I was able to locate nests on both jobs and when you broke the nest up they were full with carpet beatle larvea which must have fed on wasp larvea left in the nest.

Nature is amazing.

 

The only issue I have treating nests in roof spaces is the quality of products available.

Sorex wasp nest destroyer mki and 2 were a fantastic product and you could treat a number of nests with the same can if you used it sparingly and sat back and let it do its job.When you broke nest up to remove them it amazed me with even large nest how this product had knocked the wasp flat.

 

Last season we used Sorsec Wasp nest destroyer which was ineffective with poor knock down needing 1 to 2 cans for a nest and even then nest could be still active when breaking them up.

 

We have gone to the digrian product this year and will also try the killgerm foam.

 

What products are others using?

 

In respect to PPE i would never commence treating a nest without thick pair of overalls and bee vail over the top.

 

On a treatment in a garden a number of years ago a nest on a rockery appeared to be below ground and I pulled a shrub up to locate nest entry piont but the nest was in the shrub and it broke open as I lifted it. The reaction was instant and wasps were all over my trousers as at that time I only wore the vail. They stung through my trousers went up my trousers and stung me through my socks and went up my trouser legs.

 

Prior to treatment the customer reported they were going to deal with it but thaught they would get a proffesional in. I looked realy proffesional running round the garden like a lunatic. I retreated to my vehicle outside the garden but some of the wasps followed me all the way.

 

When treating nest in air bricks I have had them stuck in the leather section of the gloves trying to sting you. A very small percentage of nests I treat every year show a level of aggression which has tobe seen to be believed. Confidence in PPE is essential.

 

On trianing courses a number of people delivering the trianing have come out with the statement I have never used ppe when removing nests from roof spaces. Something I treat with the contempt it deserves every time I hear the comment,

 

It is a fact particularily if you use a torch with a red filter that you do not see the aggression from wasps you see in an external environment but at times they are every where dealing with them without ppe is totally rediculous just my ipinion.

 

Hope we all have a good season all pundits are predicting a bumper season with weather being very suitable for wasps.

[DIDO.1 22,838]

Iv done a couple of nests with the sx foam this year and it seemed to knock em for 6. Never used foam before so can't make comparisons

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

Nests coming in, thick and fast....I feel that it is gonna be a good year,...a very good year...

 

Stay safe now lads....

Edited June 29, 2015 by Phil Lloyd

[BRY 79]

Only treated 5 so far this year very very slow

[Rowan 308]

wasp nests slowly trickling in , but am still getting mole jobs,,2 new ones today.

[shropshire mole 190]

Only 2 wasp jobs so far, but plenty of bumble bee calls, which result in education and leave

[Rowan 308]

Only 2 wasp jobs so far, but plenty of bumble bee calls, which result in education and leave

 

Yep had them too.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Rowan

[ratattack 111]

We use crawling boards and after considerable time trying to source a good product we baught sx environmental ones.

Not cheap but you get what you pay for and they are a superb product.

 

Only issue is height of roof which has prevented getting them in at times but very rarley.They provide you with a good stable platform to work from.

 

On every job I inspect roof space if accessable and remove every nest which is accessable.

A removed nest means no call back and no issue with associated insects.

 

2 of the worst carpet beatle jobs I have ever come across have been associated with wasp nests with the numbers to be seen to be believed.

 

I was able to locate nests on both jobs and when you broke the nest up they were full with carpet beatle larvea which must have fed on wasp larvea left in the nest.

Nature is amazing.

 

The only issue I have treating nests in roof spaces is the quality of products available.

Sorex wasp nest destroyer mki and 2 were a fantastic product and you could treat a number of nests with the same can if you used it sparingly and sat back and let it do its job.When you broke nest up to remove them it amazed me with even large nest how this product had knocked the wasp flat.

 

Last season we used Sorsec Wasp nest destroyer which was ineffective with poor knock down needing 1 to 2 cans for a nest and even then nest could be still active when breaking them up.

 

We have gone to the digrian product this year and will also try the killgerm foam.

 

What products are others using?

 

In respect to PPE i would never commence treating a nest without thick pair of overalls and bee vail over the top.

 

On a treatment in a garden a number of years ago a nest on a rockery appeared to be below ground and I pulled a shrub up to locate nest entry piont but the nest was in the shrub and it broke open as I lifted it. The reaction was instant and wasps were all over my trousers as at that time I only wore the vail. They stung through my trousers went up my trousers and stung me through my socks and went up my trouser legs.

 

Prior to treatment the customer reported they were going to deal with it but thaught they would get a proffesional in. I looked realy proffesional running round the garden like a lunatic. I retreated to my vehicle outside the garden but some of the wasps followed me all the way.

 

When treating nest in air bricks I have had them stuck in the leather section of the gloves trying to sting you. A very small percentage of nests I treat every year show a level of aggression which has tobe seen to be believed. Confidence in PPE is essential.

 

On trianing courses a number of people delivering the trianing have come out with the statement I have never used ppe when removing nests from roof spaces. Something I treat with the contempt it deserves every time I hear the comment,

 

It is a fact particularily if you use a torch with a red filter that you do not see the aggression from wasps you see in an external environment but at times they are every where dealing with them without ppe is totally rediculous just my ipinion.

 

Hope we all have a good season all pundits are predicting a bumper season with weather being very suitable for wasps.

Don't you use an oil based insecticide in a 1litre Gloria? Far more effective than any spray cans! Instant knockdown and it kills the larvae in the near. Any nest easily accessible gets that from me with the poles and dust for stuff at height.

 

Totally agree with the PPE too, only an ass treats any bees or wasps without it on! No room for hard men in this line of work, I too have been chased by a huge swarm of wasps even before I treated the nest, all I did was move the clematis away with the pole and bloody hell they were out in a flash!! A good couple of hundred in no time! Proper stream of wasps like a cartoon followed me down the garden as I legged it wearing full PPE, without it I would probably be dead! !

[ratattack 111]

Good luck to anyone treating a nest like that without PPE! This is one from last year in a very low loft!!

[shropshire mole 190]

Where ever possible, I try and locate where the wasps are entering from outside and dust this, rather than tackle the nests in the loft. Works for me

[unclepesta 101]

Iv done a couple of nests with the sx foam this year and it seemed to knock em for 6. Never used foam before so can't make comparisons

i found the foam alright it works quite well.. i always seem to use it to close to the nest, it just melts and falls apart..but works. so i only use it on ones i can access and need removing.. safer than dust for removal jobs.. ive done a few already and removed em using foam it can be a little messy with nest break up but no dust to worry about.