8/7/2019 Destroying wasp nests: a step-by-step guide with Abbie and Mark Jury

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Friday, February 18, 2011 T ARANAKI D AILY  NEWS 11

G ARDENING www.taranakidailynews.co.nz

sleyaprocera

Brazilianbeauty: TheWorsleyaproceraisalsocalledthe Empressof Brazil. Photo:MICHAELJEANS.

st special plants flowering in ourthis week are the Worsleya(syn. W. rayneri) and they are

y special because they have theful common name of Empress of 

which tells you where they comeThey are also extremely rare in

ion, a very beautiful lilac-blue inand generally regarded as almostible to grow as garden plants. We

wo growing in different positionsarden where they are just left to

wn devices with no specialent at all. When we had antional tour of clivia enthusiasts

h, a number were also bulbados and they were genuinelysed that we could grow and floweroice bulb in the garden. They are

usually grown as really pernicketycontainer plants. True, our flower spikesdo not match the 150cm in height thatthey are reputed to reach, but theflowers are large and a most unusualcolour in the bulb world.

There is only one species of worsleyabut if you go back a step to the extendedfamily, they are related to hippeastrums,crinums and amaryllis. Apparently in

Brazil, they grow on steepgranite cliffs besidewaterfalls (where it is hardto imagine a flower spike of 150cm) but our gardenconditions in no wayresemble the natural habitat.The foliage is reallyinteresting, arching in asemi circular, sickle fashion.These bulbs are not for theimpatient gardener. Markwas standing looking at oneof ours with Aucklandplantsman, Terry Hatch,who originally supplied it tous. They agreed that was along time ago, maybe asmuch as eight years. Markfound the label and it was infact 15 years. It had taken 13

years to flower the first time. Time flies,apparently, when you are a gardener.Sadly, both ours are the same clone (onewas an offset) and you need two differentclones to get viable seed. PukekuraPark’s worsleya in the Fernery is notgoing to flower this year so if any localreaders happen to have one in flower, wewould love to swap pollen.

– Abbie Jury

The gecko familyA kind reader from the herpetologicalsociety (www.reptiles.org.nz) rang totell us that our gecko is most likely aheavily pregnant Hoplodactyluspacificus. This is good because it mustmean that we have at least tworesident gecko but it did necessitate aname change. Geck, or Gok wasquickly renamed Glenys (Mark’schoice). She has been out sunbathingmost days but apparently when shegives birth to her live young (probablytwo of them), we will no longer see herbecause she is largely nocturnal bynature, though we may catch sight of her babies which will apparentlyresemble matchsticks with legs. Alas,

the babies are vulnerable to everypredator you can think of, includingother geckos, but we have our fingerscrossed that this may indicate ahitherto unsuspected resident geckopopulation.

The flocking kereru have nowincreased to more than 20 and we arenone the wiser as to why they arecongregating here but we are pleasedto have them around. They arrive inpairs or threes. Mark’s theory is thatthey are either introducing theiryoung to their uncles and aunts orthey are swapping slaves, or maybetroublesome adolescents.

– Abbie Jury

Photos:ABBIEJURY

troyingwaspnests:a step-by-stepguideAbbie andMarkJury.

1Wasp nests need to be killed off or they can build up to a dangerous sizeand over-winter. If you see a few wasps, follow them to see where thenest is. These can be in holes in the ground, in dense vegetation, in

holes in walls and, on occasion, in your house roof. It is probably best to callthe professionals for any inside your house, but garden nests can be dealt tosafely and easily.

2We use a very small quantity of Lorsban (available to approved handlersonly) but any powdered insecticide will work. Carbaryl is widely used.The critical detail is that it needs to be in powder form because you are

relying on the wasps unwittingly transferring the powder into the nest. Usegloves whenever handling insecticide as a safety precaution.

Mark has a measuring spoon wired to a pole about two metres long. Youneed a steady hand but this means he never has to get near the nest andhe has never been stung using this approach. It takes under half a

poon to kill most nests, depending on the accuracy of your placement.

4Morning is the best time. The wasps are a little dozy because they havenot yet warmed up and most are out foraging. As they return they willtake the powder in. We do not recommend evening or dusk. You are far

more vulnerable to attack when they are all in residence. Move lightly andquietly to sprinkle the poison around the entrance, ideally on the inward side.Heavy footed stomping or noise will put the wasps on alert. It only takes amatter of an hour or two to kill the nest out if you get your placement of theinsecticide right.

5If you want a more organic approach, you can kill them with petrol fumesbut you have to get closer and the risk of being stung is higher. Partiallyfill a small bottle with about 200ml of petrol and plug the top of it into

the entrance hole to the nest so the fumes and liquid flow in and it blocks theexit. The biggest drawback here is that you need to do this on dusk or at nightwhen all the wasps are in residence. It is the fumes that kill them. Do not setfire to it. Move very quietly and lightly. Generally nests have guard waspswhich will fly straight at you. For this reason, Mark strongly favours theinsecticide in the morning.

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