Wasps and caravan airconditioners don't mix.
Submitted: Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 09:39
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Member - Boo Boo (NSW)
We were in
Adelaide last week and thought we would try the aircon in our caravan.
Well it sounded like a 747 taking off so when we got to
Melbourne this week I put it in to get fixed.
An hour later he rang to say it was fixed and that there was a wasp nest on each fan throwing them out of balance.
I will now turn the aircon on once a monthe to try and stop that problem happening again.
Anyone else had that same problem?
Reply By: Bushranger1 - Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 10:19
Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 10:19
G'Day Boo Boo,
I assume you mean those pesky mud wasps!
I had them build a nest in the muffler of my brush cutter. It took me ages to track down the problem. Checked the spark, dismantled the carby all ok. Hmm no air from the exhaust? Took off the muffler & it was full of paralysed spiders & dry mud!
2nd issue I had with them was when we came back from holiday & they built a nest above the screen door. It was dark & my wife opened the door only to have a broken mud nest full of paralysed spiders fall on her head! She was pretty freaked out & I did not laugh at all!
Yea right.
Did you know there was an aircraft crash caused by them building a nest in the Pitot tube of an airplane? This tube allows the airspeed readings to be taken but do to
the pilot having erroneous airspeed info he crashed the plane.
Cheers
Stu
AnswerID:
472658
Reply By: Ozhumvee - Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 11:05
Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 11:05
We have the same problem with pretty much anything in the shed that has a small orifice they will block it up with mud.
I fit rubber chair tips or rubber corks to the exhaust on the whipper snippers, chainsaws, air tools, spray guns etc. Any tubing or conduit is fair game to them too.
I have found that if you spray the exhaust ports with Lanotec or similar they will leave it alone.
Funny when someone borrows the whipper snipper and can't start it, rubber cork does just the same as mud!
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Bushranger1 - Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 11:28
Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 11:28
G'day Peter,
Good idea about the Lanotec. I stick a bolt in the exhaust hole to stop them now.
You know what they say about lending out your power tools?
"Two things you should never lend out are your power
tools or your wife. If you do they come back in worse condition than before you lent them out." The last bit of the saying does not quite go like that but if you have heard it before you will know how it goes!
Cheers
Stu
FollowupID:
747508
Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 15:51
Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 15:51
We've got a fridge magnet, or something similar around here that says:
"It's better to give, than to lend, and costs about the same"
Too true, I'd suggest.
FollowupID:
747531
Follow Up By: Member - Richard H - West NSW - Saturday, Dec 17, 2011 at 17:18
Saturday, Dec 17, 2011 at 17:18
Or one of your sharp knives.
I caught
mine using a Victorinox
kitchen knife as a lawn edger.
You need to watch out for paper wasps too, they're sneaky little buggers, and will defend their nest. When they sting you it's like someone shoving a red hot nail into your flesh.
FollowupID:
747594
Reply By: Allan B (Member, SunCoast) - Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 13:17
Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 13:17
Hi BooBoo, Those mud wasps are a way of life here. Apart from building their fist-sized nests on verandah rafters etc they love filling up entries to piping such as air conditioner drain pipes. I have found it necessary to cover all these with insect screen mesh. That includes the air conditioner fan unit and the hot water heat pump fan. That has solved the problem and maybe you could add screening to your a/c fan housing.
By the way, they can build a nest in just a few hours, so running the aircon once a month may not solve the problem. When we first moved here we had no insect screens on the house and had mud nests built even on clothes hanging in the en-suite. But worst of all was one under the pillow on the bed! Only found it when I slid my arm under the pillow and was alarmed to feel a wet lump. Thought it was a cane toad..... they are another problem here, but not many other problems on the Sunny Coast. LOL
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Follow Up By: Member - Boo Boo (NSW) - Saturday, Dec 17, 2011 at 17:06
Saturday, Dec 17, 2011 at 17:06
Good onya Alan
I thought it was a good idea. Now I will have to see where they get in and block it when not in use.
FollowupID:
747593
Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 16:01
Friday, Dec 16, 2011 at 16:01
Boo Boo,
Some years ago, when we were still living down the Diamantina, the wife went to town in our then 80 series wagon. Came
home complaining about how "dead" it was, wouldn't pull, too slow etc etc.........Oh, and it's making a funny roaring noise when you accelerate???
Took the scoop off the
snorkel, and discovered a wasp nest, moulded into the bend in the top of
snorkel. It was about 100mm long, and probably restricting the
snorkel by 30-40%. Removed it, and collected a few brownie points.
Always had problems in the workshop too, with nests in air
tools etc, as someone else mentioned.
Bob.
AnswerID:
472688