How Do You Get Rid Of Wasps At The Top Of The Mast?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Soapy water is a good wasp killer; some wasp aerosols ARE soapy water. Remember those cartoons of someone knocking over a wasp nest and then running for his life to a pond with a swarm of angry insects in pursuit? That's real. The first one that stings you releases a pheromone (like a hormone but a smell) that attracts the others to sting you. When you feel that first one, run like hell, which is tricky if you are at the top of your mast.

My Father was tearing down an old barn and had the wasp spray. He would spray a nest and run, being chased by wasps. The men he had hired to help him watched, then one put some chainsaw gas in a Ball Mason jar, walked up to a nest, threw it on them and they never left the nest, gasoline kills them instantly.
I’m not saying use gas on your boat, but it was funny how much better it worked then the marketed wasp spray.

I still say call an exterminator, and watch from a distance. They do this stuff for a living, I bet they will do a better job.

[Jules_M]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

When you feel that first one, run like hell, which is tricky if you are at the top of your mast.

Thus the need to get rid of them before going up. I've been up over 50' and I can imagine how I'd react if I inadvertently riled some wasps. Add to that the reaction your deck grinder might have when you're up there screaming.


No. Before you go up, they have to come down. Dead.

[sailorboy1]

wait for a warm hot day so that air is flowing up the mast like a chimney and spray a bug bomb into the mast and let it travel right up the with air flow and kill that little buggers off

[David1033]

Originally Posted by Jules_M

Thus the need to get rid of them before going up. I've been up over 50' and I can imagine how I'd react if I inadvertently riled some wasps. Add to that the reaction your deck grinder might have when you're up there screaming.


No. Before you go up, they have to come down. Dead.

~OK. Point taken. The image of you up the mast, screaming, convinced me. When we pick up our boat at the Northern end of the Adriatic, I'm going to paint the mast tops with some sort of deterrent, so the critters don't settle in. Prevention better than cure?

[barnakiel]

I would let them be.


Otherwise smoke solves the problem. Especially if this is a wooden boat. ;-)


b.

[atlroofman]

Put the vacuum cleaner hose on the outlet so it blows out air. Spray wasp spray into the mast hole at the bottom while blowing it up the mast with the vacuum.

[Outcasts]

In the Dead of the night...



https://youtu.be/7s95ESXotAk



Bees bite

[Jules_M]

I just ran another dose up to the top then watched through the binocs. Saw a few fly around but none entered the mast. Guess this will be the process until they find a friendlier mast. And there's a lot of them around attached to boats that never move.

[Redcoat]

Originally Posted by deblen

Spray Raid inside the mast(Thru an existing hole). It will rise & discourage them. / Len

Your suggestion is the only one that makes any sense in this thread.

[cyan]

This won't be a very good idea on a boat, but a ridiculously effective (but messy) secret weapon for airborne wasps is spray paint.
Krylon fast-drying is best in my experience.
Clear color is probably a better idea than lime green, though. Trust me there.
They'll just drop to the deck and walk around with wings that no longer work.
Seems a little mean, but so do they.

[PSea]

Smoke them out. Use something at the base of the mast and let the smoke rise.

[rossny]

Many types of wasps are as some mentioned are not a problem until attacked. I have had success many times using their non competitive nature. Simply hang a brown paper bag which has been inflated or filled with foam peanuts and tied and hung near the nest. It looks like another competing nest and they leave in a day or two. There is a commercial version in garden stores made of grey material that you can fold back up and reuse. Easy and no poison added to your world...or mine.

[Kenomac]

Lots of really stupid suggestions and ways to get hurt on this thread.

I was a beekeeper and house painter. Soapy water kills wasps. Generally, there’s no need to be afraid of them, most (except for yellowjackets) only sting when you apply pressure to them with your hands or feet when they get trapped by accident.

[Triton44]

We successfully used good old mothballs. Not the pleasantly scented ones, or the newer less odorous. You drop them into the base of the mast and the vapors rise and drive off the little buggers. It’s simple, it’s safe, it’s affordable and it works. The hard part might be accessing the base of the mast. If so find a halyard pass thru and feed them in there. They can be crushed smaller if need be. To avoid the odor in the boat, seal the base with a plastic bag and tape tight tot he mast. Taping it on also keeps it out of the bilge and away from pumps etc. Only takes a few days to work and lasts as long as the product is active.

[Solsun]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Utilize Permethrin spray when one goes up mast, it has long lasting effect, a nerve agent to insects but not harmful to mammals. My favorite insecticide, works on tents, netting and clothing for many months and repeated washings.

Spray some on the mast and any nests and then retreat for a few minutes to allow it to do its work then return.

The one thing I would worry about the most using any pesticide would be the potential for degradation of lines and plastics contained within the mast. Some of the formulants used in some pesticides are not poly- or plastic-friendly and could result in more rapid degradation of your halyard. Just something to consider. If the permethrin you used on tents or clothing, made out of plastic materials (nylon, polyester etc.), didn't result in any fabric deterioration then it should be fine for halyard lines, but you never know.
Cheers