• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Wasp Season

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
To bad you you used raid on that nest, hornet larvae make dang fine fish bait. Big slab bluegills are some good eating. Chris
 
Carteret Kid said:
Don't they eat hornet larve in some Asian cultures?

No they eat silkworm larvae, you can even buy it canned in the grocery stores over here. It's not too bad but I can't eat a lot at one sitting. Chris
 
Blackhand,
Why would that work when they hang outside all winter and then hatch in the spring? Just Curious.
volatpluvia
 
volatpluvia said:
Blackhand,
Why would that work when they hang outside all winter and then hatch in the spring? Just Curious.
volatpluvia

Apparently there are no viable eggs in the nest that overwinters...(see below)

"The colony is founded in early spring, soon after the queens (mated females) emerge from hibernation. As the colony matures, males and the next year's queens are produced. These queens mate with males and are the only members of the colony to survive through winter. In late summer or fall, the founding queen, workers (unmated females), and males all die. The newly mated queens hibernate, typically in piles of wood, in vegetation, or in holes. The following spring they emerge and begin the cycle anew. A similar life cycle is found in bumble bees."
From - http://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/insects/wasps/paper_wasp/


"Life Cycle: Paper wasps are semi-social insects and colonies contain three castes: workers, queens and males. Fertilized queens, which appear similar to workers, overwinter in protected habitats such as cracks and crevices in structures or under tree bark. In the spring they select a nesting site and begin to build a nest. Eggs are laid singly in cells and hatch into legless grub-like larvae that develop through several stages (instars) before pupating. Cells remain open until developing larvae pupate. Sterile worker wasps assist in building the nest, feeding young and defending the nest. A mature paper wasp nest may have 20 to 30 adults. In late summer, queens stop laying eggs and the colony soon begins to decline. In the fall, mated female offspring of the queen seek overwintering sites. The remainder of the colony does not survive the winter."

From - http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg348.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Muskeg Stomper said:
Tell me how to best make wads from wasp nest
Not much "making" involved. You just tear off a chunk and stuff it down the bore. That's my method anyhow.
I would like to know also.But I need a little more detail though. :confused: Do you put 1st-powder,2nd-wasp nest stuff,3rd-shot,4th-wasp nest stuff?Or do you use something else with the wasp nest stuff?Maybe a card or patch between powder and shot,then wasp nest stuff on top of shot. :idunno:
 
You got it.Any part of the nest can be used but the chambers pack nice and tight.
 
Do you put 1st-powder,2nd-wasp nest stuff,3rd-shot,4th-wasp nest stuff?Or do you use something else with the wasp nest stuff?Maybe a card or patch between powder and shot,then wasp nest stuff on top of shot.
You've got it...it ain't rocket science. You can use just the nest material alone but you can also throw a card or two in there if you want. If you're just using nest, you want to ensure that you pack enough down the bore to keep your shot tight in the column.
 
YOu can load hornet or wasp nest in you smootbore a couple of ways:

1. Break off a piece(chunk) with your thumb and index finger that is wider than the bore of the gun, and stuff it into the muzzle to drive down the barrel;

or

2. Break off some of the nest, put it between your two palms, and rub the hands together to break the nest up into small fragments. Then carefully trickle the fragments into the barrel, as you would load a PIPE with Tobacco. If you have never smoked a pipe, you might have to find someone who does to show you this "Trick".

The advantage of using smaller fragments is that they Fill the entire bore, and are easily compacted with your ramrod, to form a complete seal.

With the chunks shoved down, sometimes they load crooked and you don't get as good a seal. Chunks work well so long as you don't rush things. Make sure the chunks are centered over the muzzle before you press them into the bore.

The SEAL that any wad provides IS THE ENTIRE reason for using wads in shotguns. They keep the gases behind the load of shot( Or PRB load) and give uniform velocities for better consistent patterns. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the info.I thought that`s how you did it,but wasn`t 100%.I`ll be looking for nest this winter. :wink: You would be crazy to fight the bees for their home now. :youcrazy:
 
Just struck paper gold again :shocked2: another big ol nest in the backyard.I have to take care of em now .I have too many grandkids runnin around.Time to do the midnight sneek on em again. :hmm:
 
Back
Top