Wasps / Mud Daubers

S

ShawnL

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Jul 29, 2020
146
Catalina 22 3603 Calumet Mi
I was doing some work in the boat today to (hopefully really soon) finally get it in the water and noticed that there was a small wasp / mud dauber nest starting in the aft area of the pop-top. It was small, about 1/2 the size of a golf ball. I was able to catch it when none of it's inhabitants were home and smash it, then close the boat up. But about 15 minutes later I noticed one on the deck by the crib boards trying to find a way in. I'm sure it'll find a way. They don't have the best seal.

Anyone have any good ways to get rid of them? I hate to spray, because it makes a mess. Thanks
 
Jacktar

Jacktar

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Sep 14, 2014
1,278
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
Put 2-3 old style moth balls (naptha not new stuff)in old sock and throw in back recesses of boat in 2 to 3 places . Wasps hate the smell and will stop seeking entry below.
 
Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,937
O'Day Mariner 19 Littleton, NH
Wasps attack my bees, yellow jackets steal from the bees too. I put out yellow jacket traps early in the Spring. The traps can be bought at Lowes and Home Depot and Walmart. They consist of a plastic container that is entered through a cone into another cone, much like a crab trap. The bait is a cloth patch soaked in a mild order with the scent of meat. Wasps are carnivorous. If you get the trap out early enough, you might catch the Queen before she is sequestered in her nest. Otherwise, you'll catch most of her offspring. Hang it from the boom or the forestay. No poisons.

-Will
 
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Peggie Hall HeadMistress

Peggie Hall HeadMistress

.
Dec 2, 1997
8,913
- - LIttle Rock
Mud daubers LOVE vent thru-hulls, especially waste tank thru-hulls. Unless you want to deal with a blocked holding tank vent, check and scrape out it's thru-hull regularly.

--Peggie
 
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Peggie Hall HeadMistress

Peggie Hall HeadMistress

.
Dec 2, 1997
8,913
- - LIttle Rock
Screens get clogged by dust, pollen, air pollution and, if metal, corrosion...creating more problems than they prevent. The best solution: replace the "vent" thru-hull--which are actually designed to keep sea water out of fuel and water tanks, but boat builders use 'em on waste tank vents too because it costs 'em less to buy the same ones in bulk--with an open bulkhead, aka "mushroom" thru-hull. Not only does this greatly improve the tank's ability to "breathe," essential to preventing odor, but it also allows you to put a hose nozzle against it to back flush the vent line every time you pump out and/or wash the boat, preventing vent blockages. Anything that tries to set up housekeeping in it will get a water slide ride into the tank.

--Peggie
 
Gene Neill

Gene Neill

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Sep 30, 2013
3,582
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
pclarksurf said:
Close your ears naturalists — cypermethrin : BUT kills all insects good and bad — use sparingly to nuke a nest ( inside the mast for example) , but be mindful of pollinators and water ( toxic to fish). Maybe not the first choice but if / when you need a howitzer:

Click to expand
I keep some of that on hand, "Viper" brand. Never mind a howitzer, it is the nuclear weapon of insect control. All the hippies on the Facebook gardening groups I follow will soil themselves with rage at the very mention of it. That, and Roundup. :biggrin:
 
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R

Rillo

.
Apr 21, 2019
17
Catalina C22 Bear Lake
Here’s another idea that works as well as anything. I keep a spray bottle with water and dish detergent concentrate. Kills wasps in about 10 seconds. Has something to do with clogging up their breathing apparatus.
 
Jacktar

Jacktar

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Sep 14, 2014
1,278
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
Seriously the moth balls in a sock keep them out of boat and avoid all that waspicide stuff.
 
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