THE "WASPINATOR" REALLY WORKS!

THE WASPINATOR LOOKS LIKE A WASP NEST TO A WASP

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REALLY, IT WORKS!

Saturday, 8:00 AM.  73 degrees F at the ferry dock, 68 on the back porch.  The sky is clear, the humidity 68%  The barometer is rising somewhat, currently at 29.88".  I is an auspicious start to the day, with the forecast of days of fine weather to follow.  I can get back to painting the front porch.
   After being rather painfully stung by a yellow jacket while eating lunch on the back porch several days ago, I rummaged around and got the Waspinator out of the storage box on the porch and hung it up. I had neglected to do so earlier and the result was a painfully swollen hand.
   We bought two Waspinators several years ago through an advertisement in a magazine. They cost around $10 each plus shipping.  I was skeptical, as they didn't look much like a wasp nest to me...but evidently they do to a wasp.  It worked very well for two seasons and then I neglected to put it up this spring.  Since I hung the Waspinator back up we have had no stinging insects to bother us while eating or sitting about.  The result is virtually immediate.  The only proviso is that if there is an active wasp nest already established nearby they may not be scared off.  It is best to hang the Waspinator up in early spring, before wasps are active.
   The Waspinator really works!
   How does it work?   Wasps and hornets are territorial and will stay far away (about 200 feet) from the nests of other wasps.  The Waspinator is a polypropylene bag with a photo of a real wasp nest printed on it; the printing mimics the papery appearance of a real wasp nest.   In addition, wasps are predatory on other insects, so a lot of insects, evidently including  hornets and other  stinging insects, also stay away from what is perceived to be a nest containing many enemy wasps.  The Waspinator does not kill or injure wasps (which are beneficial insects) or anything else...it just repels them, so you can sit and enjoy your lunch or your nap.  It weighs virtually nothing and can be crushed and carried to the beach or on a picnic, and when hung up will immediately do its job.
   The Waspinator was an idea that came to a UK businessman, Hugh Brunfelt, a few years ago while he was stuck in traffic listening to a BBC program on the territoriality of wasps. He immediately thought of creating a fake nest to scare wasps away.  He checked the idea for a wasp-repelling decoy out with University entomologists and began producing them in 2005.  They have become popular in the US and Canada as well as the UK.
   This is one of the greatest environmental products I have ever encountered.  We have a tenant in our downstairs apartment who is very allergic to wasp and hornet stings and we have hung one up on her patio as well, and it works for her, too.
   We took the Waspinator idea a step further and found a real wasp nest (they are abandoned by winter) and used that as a deterrent for a while also, but a real nest can be difficult to come by and will deteriorate and fall apart after a season or too.  The Waspinator will last you many years.
   You will be happy you got one.