Outdoor brewing-swarms of wasps!!

[NicoleBrewer]

So I brew both beer and hard cider and I brew outdoors. Today with my cider I had swarms of wasps and flies all around my setup and in my pot! I am absolutely petrified of bees, especially in those quantities but aside from that I'm afraid of infection. Anyone else with the same issues?

 

[nvious23]

So I brew both beer and hard cider and I brew outdoors. Today with my cider I had swarms of wasps and flies all around my setup and in my pot! I am absolutely petrified of bees, especially in those quantities but aside from that I'm afraid of infection. Anyone else with the same issues?

I usually get the big bumblebees flying around, nothing in the brew kettle yet. I notice the wasps are super active right now and something in the boil definitely attracts them probably the sugary wort.

 

[NicoleBrewer]

It's horrible. I have a white faced hornet and at least 10 wasps in the little that's left in my pot and they're all over the outside of it too. I hate to leave my expensive equipment outside because i live on a main road but they swarm me every time I go out there! This ha never happened to me before. Now I feel like I can't go anywhere today in fear that someone will steal by equipment

 

[MaxStout]

Maybe you could put a piece of wire mesh over the kettle to keep out the bugs but allow steam to pass?

 

[flars]

It's horrible. I have a white faced hornet and at least 10 wasps in the little that's left in my pot and they're all over the outside of it too. I hate to leave my expensive equipment outside because i live on a main road but they swarm me every time I go out there! This ha never happened to me before. Now I feel like I can't go anywhere today in fear that someone will steal by equipment

You need to move north. The nights are cooler so you can just wipe them off the equipment. Yes, a bumper crop of wasps and hornets this year. Plants have been well pollinated though.

 

[NicoleBrewer]

You need to move north. The nights are cooler so you can just wipe them off the equipment. Yes, a bumper crop of wasps and hornets this year. Plants have been well pollinated though.

I live in New England so we do get cold nights. Today is a beautiful 70 degree day. I really wanted to get out for the day but now I'm stuck home till night time so I can reclaim my equipment. I don't dare leave my equipment out front and leave my house. My husband would kill me! Lesson learned I guess, brews will be done on the back deck for now on

 

[DuckiesRevenge]

My last brew ended with a hornet in the wort. I didn't notice it until it was almost to pitching temp. The beer turned out great so there weren't any issues with fermentation. (Hornet must have been sterilized with the boil.)

They were annoying to deal with but I'm thinking that the wire mesh idea is pretty good! Might try that next time.

 

[Anelda]

Wasps love to eat apples. When I was a teenager, my parents had a fairly large piece of property in Connecticut that had several crab apple trees. There would always be tons of wasps eating the fallen apples. They probably smell the easy source of sugar and are defensive of it.

Now, I don't have a solution with getting rid of the wasps other than setting up a different sugar source to distract them. They probably won't be completely gone until the first frost.

I miss New England.

 

[stpug]

Can't you put the lid on, crank the burner, and be done with them

 

[BigFloyd]

I live in New England so we do get cold nights. Today is a beautiful 70 degree day. I really wanted to get out for the day but now I'm stuck home till night time so I can reclaim my equipment. I don't dare leave my equipment out front and leave my house. My husband would kill me! Lesson learned I guess, brews will be done on the back deck for now on

Does your husband get to enjoy the beer you brew? If so, he needs to "man up" and go do battle with the flying critters to reclaim your brew kettle.

 

[MaxStout]

Here's the solution....

 

[JonM]

One reason why brewing in the freezing cold Wisconsin winter is so great is there ain't no bugs.

 

[MaxStout]

We're inundated with yellowjackets, due to our mild autumn. I have 2 apple trees in my back yard and they are all over the wind-fallen fruit. I've been stung 3 times so far. I'm hoping for a few nights of frost this weekend, as that usually cuts the population down.

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

My trusty australian shepherd loves nothing more than eating bees and wasps she's very handy to have around on a brew day.