I think I have a wasp's nest in my chimney

[Ian]

I removed our wood burning stove a couple of months ago, to repair it. At the time, I sealed off the flue with a plastic bag, to keep dust and draughts down.

Today, I noticed there were at least 4 wasps in the bag. Suspecting the worst, I went outside and looked at the top of the chimney with a pair of binoculars. Yup - wasps flying around.

So, what do I do? I can't get up there to spray them. I was going to have the chimney swept before I put the stove back, but I don't think the ramoneur would be too pleased to find he'd disturbed a wasp's nest. Or, I could re-install the stove without having the chimney swept (it should be reasonably clear) but that won't be for a couple of weeks. Will they have built a big nest and blocked the chimney by then? IS it possible/advised to smoke them out like that?

Any ideas/advice?

Cheers

[nomoss]

I would suggest lighting a small fire to smoke the blighters out before sweeping the chimney, as it is quite possible that it is completely blocked.

[Gardian]

That sounds like good advice.

If however that doesn't work, maybe a chat with the ramoneur? Agreed, he probably wouldn't be keen on attempting a sweep, but he'll have encountered the problem before and would probably have a better solution than any of us could come up with.

[Ian]

Thanks, nomoss, but since I posted, my french neighbour phoned the local (volunteer) pompiers.

Yes, they'll deal with it.

We'll have to wait for a few days till it's convenient, and it'll cost €80, but it'll be done. And, I'm more than happy to pay them - they're all volunteers.

In the meantime, I may look for some form of smoking poison - there's a very good draught in the chimney, so I could place it in the horizontal t-piece, where the stove slots in, and let it smoulder away. On the other hand, I may just leave well alone......

Thanks

[ericd]

Burn them !

[Loiseau]

If your pompiers aren't interested in coming out, like mine weren't, turn to "pages jaunes" for things like "hygiene, dératisation, désinsectisation, désinfection" in your department, and some suitable enterprise will come up in the area.

[alittlebitfrench]

Be careful, they may be Asian Hornets (frelons asiatique) and they have a nasty temper if you pîss them off.

Pay your 80 euros. We paid 85 euros to get rid of our Asian Hornets nest. Took 15 mins.

[mogs]

Last week I found a wasp nest in our pool shed. I bought some stuff, which cost 30 odd euros but could be sprayed from a distance of 10 metres.

It killed them instantly. Very strong product. Perhaps you could spray up your chimney, wear a mask though. It was an "Actif" brand.

Good luck with the annoying creatures, do they have a useful purpose?...

[Alan Zoff]

If you Google the subject, you can find quite a lot of information on the pros and cons of wasps, with some surprising pros - but not enough perhaps to justify leaving a nest of them inside the house.

[Ian]

Well, the Pompiers (two of them) came yesterday evening.

They

erected ladders to the top of the chimney, then one climbed up for a

look. "No more wasps, but perhaps the start of a small nest" was what I

think he said. Anyway, he sent the younger guy up (in full isolation

suit) to spray in and around the chimney.

Then we settled down

with a beer, while he completed the paperwork. €80 in total, to be paid to the local Tresorie. Perhaps, it was unnecessary, but I'd rather be certain.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

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[grumpyaudeman]

Quotes

Be careful, they may be Asian Hornets (frelons asiatique) and they have a nasty temper if you pîss them off.

Good luck with the annoying creatures, do they have a useful purpose?...

My 21 years of knowing Asian Hornets are they are not hot tempered and probably less aggressive than the European species and they do not fly at night

As for a purpose yes many garden pests are whipped away and eaten

Paper Wasps are the worst

[Alan Zoff]

I used to tolerate the paper wasps that regularly built their "umbrella" nests on our shutters. They didn't trouble us as long as we left them alone and they tended to avoid coming into the house, even if the windows were wide open. They are however very protective of the nest, which I discovered when I tried to reposition a shutter to keep a nest out of the full sun. At some critical point I was regarded as a threat and was chased across the bedroom by the whole swarm. I received several stings on my arms but am apparently very fortunate in not being very susceptible to their poison so it felt little worse than nettle stings. I later discovered that they can be very serious - even fatal - for some people; so, somewhat reluctantly, I now discourage their nest building in the interests of family and other guests who might not be so lucky. Shame, really, as I used to be fascinated by the nests and, as has been mentioned, they are useful for pollination and controlling other pests.