Do wasps sting birds? (1 Viewer)

Keith Bradley

Well-known member

• Aug 31, 2005

• #1

Hi chaps and chappesses

I have a small back garden with three conifers at the foot of the garden. Within the last fortnight or so we have become aware of a sizeable wasps nest within the conifers (about a foot in length I would say - at least from my wife's hand signs, I can't bring myself to look!). This nest is within a few feet from the bird feeders and some birds, house sparrows in particular, have seemingly become inquisitive with the coming and going of wasps. It's hard to tell if the wasps are bothering the birds (or vice versa), all I have seen is the type of reaction that would indicate the birds may have got too close at some stage, and reacted by flying away a short distance. A few days on and the Blackbird, sparrows, blue tits, robin etc. still come to feed even thought he wasps are flying among them.

My wife and I have decided that we will let nature take it's course and not destroy the nest, and after reading up on the 'net, I am happy to leave the wasps nest be until they have all died off, or disappeared for the Winter. But my main concern is that the wasps will scare the birds away - if thats the case I may need to rethink my actions.

Anyone able to offer any help? :h?:

Cheers
Keith

 

J

JeffMoh

Well-known member

• Aug 31, 2005

• #2

Hummers seem to think so

I don't know if wasps, bees etc. sting birds. However, I've noticed that hummingbirds at feeders will always back away from such insects -- even though they won't necessarily back down to humans or cats!

 

jurek

Well-known member

• Aug 31, 2005

• #3

Wasp can sting birds, but birds tend to be too quick.

I advise - just do nothing unless wasps keep the birds away from food.

 

M

Mary Evelyn

New member

• Aug 31, 2005

• #4

I may well be wrong but I have never known the birds here to be bothered about Bees or Wasps.

 

Talon 1

Well-known member

• Sep 1, 2005

• #5

I watched in my garden while sipping on a rather nice glass of Australian Shiraz of sparrows taking Flying ants out of the sky. very Acrobatic in some cases.
A wasp or a bee (not sure from the distance) was condemed to his fate straight away . :eat:

 

Keith Bradley

Well-known member

• Sep 1, 2005

• #6

Maybe then I should be worried for the wasps sake?, they don't seem to be bothering the birds, as at this moment (as I type) a lone Dunnock is feeding on the lawn with 3 sparrows sitting above the wasps nest on the conifers. I'm becoming more concerned about myself as it's time to cut the grass - looks like I'll have to cut it during the next chilly spell! B

Keith

 

Hanno

Ho Ho Ho

• Sep 2, 2005

• #7

Apart from whether the wasps bother the birds (or you), you might also want to check out the legal situation. If I am not msitaken, in some countires, e.g. Germany, it is illegal to remove Wasp nests.

 

M

Mary Evelyn

New member

• Sep 2, 2005

• #8

Hi Hanno,

It is ok and legal to remove a wasps nest in this country,as far as I am aware. Although personally, unless it was a danger to small children.I wouldn't have it done.
We had one in the eaves a few years ago and left it alone.

 

Keith Bradley

Well-known member

• Sep 3, 2005

• #9

I'll be leaving it well alone, I don't want to kill wasps any more than I do any other living creature. I even rescued (I think?) a wasp that was drowning in the bird bath, I'd like to think that when (or if) it recovered and flew back to the nest it would tell it's friends what a kind soul I am - but perhaps my heart is too close to nature?, or I'm just plain daft!

It's been a feeding frenzy with e birds this morning (the usual: Dunnocks, Robin, House sparrows etc.) so I don't think they're bothered after all - no luck with a RC Starling yet though!

Keith

 

B

bluetit

Well-known member

• Sep 3, 2005

• #10

No Keith, you're not daft, I rescue ANYTHING within rescue possibility all the time and have done so all my life and that includes wasps most certainly!
I have a wasps nest right by my backdoor, and not for the first time either, they don't bother me , I don't bother them. Occasionally one strays into the kitchen ( backdoor ) and I just usher it out again, I assume attracted by lovely smells of fruit, meat or whatever.
Although this year they've been having a hard time as my resident blackbird family has decided to eat them if and when they emerge from the nest, now I haven't seen one for a while ( wasp, that is ). ( I mentioned this on another thread before and some people may be very bored with hearing it, sorry.)
Just as a by-the-by - I hate it when a poor wasp strays into the airspace of some ignorant idiot and they start flayling around and trying to wack it! Be very lucky in the first instance to hit it but apart from that it puts the wasp on defence alert and into attack mode! I mean how would they react if someone just tried to clout them???? ( The idiot, I mean. ) With VERY few exceptions will a wasp just have a good nosey, even a rest on you to have an even better nosey and then beetle off.
Bluetit

 

Last edited: Sep 3, 2005

B

bluetit

Well-known member

• Sep 3, 2005

• #11

Just been reminded by My Beloved that a few years ago we had bumblebees in the same nestbox as the bluetits, we worried terribly for a few days about the situation and then never saw another bumblebee emenate from the box. In due course the chicks fledged and when we checked the box there was no evidence of any murderous goings-on. Ergo - the bbs must have b......d off on their own accord or else the bluetits made some fierce noises in their direction first and then they b.ed off.
Of course wasps MAY have been a different story.
Bluetit

 

M

Mary Evelyn

New member

• Sep 3, 2005

• #12

Hi Bluetit,
I have to be honest and say I am not a lover of wasps although I would never hurt them.I work alongside bees all the time in the garden and have planted many bushes to attract them and butterflies and although I was once stung by a bee,I am happy and love to see them.Wasps on the other hand make me real nervous.Come October when they start to take to the apples and get drunk ha ha,I keep out of the way and get my hubby to do the chores in that area.At this time they also get a bit bad tempered.I don't like them in the house either,I quickly leave the room and allow someone else to escort them out.I do understand why some people are afraid of them and Hornets.
However,I do think it is sad that some people, think they are worthless, as they don't do any harm. :bounce:

 

Hanno

Ho Ho Ho

• Sep 4, 2005

• #13

I have been stung by Wasps more often then I'd like to remember (some of the African and Asian species are quite agressive), but I leave them well alone, they do serve a purpose, after all.

 

KnockerNorton

Well-known member

• Sep 7, 2005

• #14

There was an article in Ringing & Migration, last year I think, of the incidence of wasps killing birds in mist nets. In one case, they also started cutting chunks off and carrying it away! Others were stung on the eye, which swelled up and quickly killed them. Others were just stung to death.

The theory is that if a wasp gets tangled in a mistnet it will release a pheromone that incites other wasps to attack. Most of the time it probably wont come to much, but a problem occur if the net was then set up again at a later date int eh vicinity of a wasp nest. The lingering pheromone could then get the wasps to attack anything in the net.