# How mad are these fellas



## Smithers (Feb 17, 2012)

Found this buzz'n round the backdoor.....be a shame to knock the nest off...might see hwo we co exist for a while :/

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## Monitor_Keeper (Feb 17, 2012)

get the matches


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## KingSirloin (Feb 17, 2012)

TeKnO said:


> get the matches


 .....and the WD40


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## dihsmaj (Feb 17, 2012)

my dad was stung twice by one of those a week or so ago.


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## imported_Varanus (Feb 17, 2012)

tekno said:


> get the matches



BOO!! Almost akin to "get the spade".

Nice one, mate! Did you notice her collecting spiders over the last few weeks as a food source for her younguns? Or perhaps she's yet to begin??


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## Tristan (Feb 17, 2012)

do wasps bite or sting? do they have a stinger in their abdomen? i always thought they bit, i recall being attached by a swam of paper wasps and had a few stuck to my cloths and they were clearly biting and holding on with there head\mouth\pincer\bitey bits


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## Boof47 (Feb 17, 2012)

What type of wasp is that? Looks bloody mean


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## Robo1 (Feb 17, 2012)

Mud Dauber Wasp? Need someone with more experience to confirm though.


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## dihsmaj (Feb 17, 2012)

Tristan said:


> do wasps bite or sting? do they have a stinger in their abdomen? i always thought they bit, i recall being attached by a swam of paper wasps and had a few stuck to my cloths and they were clearly biting and holding on with there head\mouth\pincer\bitey bits


sting. the wasps that were biting you must have been trying to grip onto you so they could sting, been stung by a bullant and it did the exact same thing.



Boof47 said:


> What type of wasp is that? Looks bloody mean


vespid/potter wasp


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## Venomous1111 (Feb 17, 2012)

It's a mud dauber wasp (sceliphron laetum) and wasps bite and sting..


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## congo_python (Feb 17, 2012)

Their actually black and yellow Hornets and pretty much harmless leave them alone to collect all your spiders.


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## dihsmaj (Feb 17, 2012)

no it's not congo, venomous1111 was right,


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## Beloved_Reptiles (Feb 17, 2012)

Get them out of there Brett! They are one of my biggest hates! I am terrified of wasps/hornets and I think that big bastard would be keeping me indoors!


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## Boof47 (Feb 17, 2012)

Didn't know they ate spiders. How do I attract them to my house? haha


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## Asharee133 (Feb 17, 2012)

deoderant and a lighter hehe


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## dihsmaj (Feb 17, 2012)

Boof47 said:


> Didn't know they ate spiders. How do I attract them to my house? haha


they aren't spider hunters.


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## Venomous1111 (Feb 17, 2012)

congo_python said:


> Their actually black and yellow Hornets and pretty much harmless leave them alone to collect all your spiders.



A black a yellow hornet is more of a description not a species, and yeah there pretty much harmless unless your allergic.



dihsmaj said:


> they aren't spider hunters.



They do hunt spiders mate..


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## Wrightpython (Feb 17, 2012)

Those fellas dont hurt ya its the little paper wasps that sting. They dont actually eat spiders themselves they are nectar drinkers but they do collect spiders to place an egg on so the little grubs have a meal waiting for them when they hatch. the spiders are still alive just paralized so stay fresh until there eaten by grubs. If they morph into wasps they will come back over and over to roughly the same spot to build new nests. These guys are lone hunters and therefore avoid confrontation unlike paper wasps that work as group to feed and protect young.


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## imported_Varanus (Feb 17, 2012)

Nice bit of info, mate! I've seen one of these guys tackle a large huntsman (not the human variety, the spider), had trouble getting off the ground with such a large spider!


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## dihsmaj (Feb 17, 2012)

Venomous1111 said:


> A black a yellow hornet is more of a description not a species, and yeah there pretty much harmless unless your allergic.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


well i'm an idiot.


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## Manda1032 (Feb 17, 2012)

Ummm, nah! You can keep them. I have an intolerance to bee and wasp stings. I tend to get quite ill. I still have a huge calcified lump on my head where I was stung by a bee about 15 years ago


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## damo77 (Feb 17, 2012)

Regularly see them dragging huntsmans around our place. I am a bit scared of huntsmans so i like them


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## Smithers (Feb 17, 2012)

Thanks for the input peeps,...I'll not be cooking it it will stay till it needs to go....I've not yet seen any spider action as yet but will keep an eye out,....it getting clay from next door as they are putting a trench in and with all the rain comes free nest building material. I am allergic to bees so might be a bit cautious :/


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## MR_IAN_DAVO (Feb 17, 2012)

Hey guys/girls, yah have never heard of anyone getting stung by one of these critters. 
Mostly they just keep to themselves & leave everything else alone except grubs & spiders.

I have seen on 2 seperate ocassions a different more bigger & orange hornet drag a large wolf spider or huntsman at least 100 meters backwards over the ground to the exact same spot where it laid or was going to lay its eggs in a burrow in the ground. How the hell they can do that through gardens & over logs etc backwards & go straight to thier hole has got me buggered.
Better compass map than i have got.

Cheers
Ian


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## Smithers (Feb 17, 2012)

I did watch it trek up and over the fence and back several times with a load of mud the went inside the hole at base and packed it in there,....when it flew out it stopped at in font of me did a bit of a up and down then swung around and back over the fence to get more mud, fascinating critter.


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## Justdragons (Mar 5, 2012)

I have sat there for a few hours before and watched one of these build its nest. Was amazing. Hard little workers.


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## tarafritz2011 (Mar 5, 2012)

Oh god... I can not deal with wasps. If this was my backyard, I would have run inside screaming like a dork... and stayed there for the rest of the day


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## CrystalMoon (Mar 5, 2012)

I am so pleased you are co-existing with them B  I say live and let live  I am allergic to bees and most stinging critters, but I never kill them... They are all beautiful and serve a purpose unlike a lot of people


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## Smithers (Mar 5, 2012)

CrystalMoon said:


> I am so pleased you are co-existing with them B  I say live and let live  I am allergic to bees and most stinging critters, but I never kill them... They are all beautiful and serve a purpose unlike a lot of people



lol to true my dear


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## Justdragons (Mar 5, 2012)

tarafritz2011 said:


> Oh god... I can not deal with wasps. If this was my backyard, I would have run inside screaming like a dork... and stayed there for the rest of the day



Lol dork, I havn't heard that in years.. Gold.


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## tarzans_girl (Mar 5, 2012)

Great photos. I find wasps fascinating. We have many different species nesting around and in the house. I find if you just stay calm they are too and have never been stung.
Thought you might like to see this. The wasp is _Abispa ephippium_ and is 3cm long. I love the funnel entrances they make. Took this on my phone so a bad pic. Will crack out the camera if it ever stops raining!
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These wasps sometimes buzz around your face staring directly at you - I think they are merely looking for caterpillars in orifices!


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## Bluetongue1 (Mar 5, 2012)

A few additional points...

Simply because they are reluctant to sting humans does not mean that they don't sting. They are capable of paralysing prey so they capable of injecting toxins into humans. If you were unlucky enough to put your hand on one or slap one that has landed on your bare skin without you seeing what it was, you would likely get stung.

The main reason that wasps and ants that sting will bite you first, is that they need a firm purchase in order to push their stinger into your flesh. Unlike bees, they can sting multiple times will no ill effect on the wasp or ant. Unfortunately, the bite from some of the larger ants is as nasty as their sting. I have plucked off a biting bulljoe, only to have it leave its mandibles embedded in my flesh.

Wasps will build their nests where there is some form of shelter. Mud daubers in particular are careful to construct their nests out of the weather. As the eaves of houses afford excellent protection it is not unusual for them to build on the upper sections of outside walls.

You do not have to kill it to get rid of it. Wait until it leaves the nest and then scrap the nest off from where it is attached. Throw some water over the area or hose it. The wasp will hang around for a while when it returns but will eventually move off to a more secure site to build its nest. 

Blue


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