Smoke and T

[harwin]

Anyone tried effect of smoke on T? Since smoke is used to calm down bees and in the Army if there is a hornet attack they will use a smoke bomb. Does smoke like those used on bees have any temp effect on an aggressive T?

thanks,

 

[cricket54]

No haven't heard of anyone who has tried that, but I'm glad you mentioned that it works on hornets. Wondered what in the
world people did with them. Guess it would work for
a disturbed yellow jackets nest as well. Saw some
people destoy a hornets next by setting it on fire. They
are the insect that gives me nightmares. Once they
are stirred up there is no going near the area.
They are hard to get rid of once they a nest shows
up in your area. You are stuck dealing with them
for a couple years it seems. I know they are a beneficial
insect, boy are they neat to watchkilling off flies, but
I don't like having them flying around. Sorry about being off topic.
Sharon

 

[Longbord1]

we killed a wasp nest and now we haven't seen any in a while the best time to do it is when they are hibernating we used water on them though. also i would like to try that smoke thing but im not sure if wasps have the same kind of breathing aparatus as Ts but is worth a try right?

 

[harwin]

I don't think the purpose of the smoke was to kill the wasps...

Just to stop them from attack-mode perhaps it just confuses them or perhaps it calms them down like how honey collectors will first smoke the bee hive before opening it up.

 

[Sheri]

I think the smoke works to make them docile b/c it cuts down on the oxygen supply. The wasps here (winnipeg) are so bad in late summer that if you go outside a 7-11 there are literally 50 hanging around the garbage cans and doors. They are inside all of the donut places, inside the 7-11 stores - absolutley everywhere. I have wasp traps all over my yard, and I would catch at least 100 perday. You are suposed to clean them out and reuse them, but there are so many that I can't, so I carefully throw them out and replace them. We also have a bad hornet problem but they aren't as bad, but I have been stung by one. It swelled to the size of a baseball and hurt like hell. You have to be careful by parked cars because there will be many around dirty bumpers eating the remains of dead bugs. It is truly horrific and I dread august and september every year because of it - I won't even go camping. And don't even ask about the mosquitoes here!
I would be interested in hearing everyone else's bug horrors - maybe I won't feel so bad about our summers.

 

[oxbaker]

I'm surprised there's any room for hornets and wasps in Winnipeg with all the mosquitos that hang out and take up space there. My band toured out there a couple years ago and it was bloodsucking murder.

 

[harwin]

Tarantula Hawk Wasp
http://www.nps.gov/moja/mojaantw.htm
Seems like they have a relationship with T

 

[PrincessToad]

Not an Expert.....but

I think this has been discussed in other threads and if I remember correctly Nicotine is a form of pesticide to T's. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[harwin]

It was discussed but that smoke discussed was from ciggarate/cigar and incense which I think is different from that used by honey bee collectors. Nicotine is a pesticide that is true.

Furthermore those discussion were not about application of smoke with T. I am looking into the possible applaication of smoke like it is applied in calming honey bees.

search result

 

[PrincessToad]

Sorry, I didn't not read your post as clearly as I could have. :8o I don't know why I assumed you meant cig smoke.

 

[cricket54]

Yellow jackets are bad like you say the wasps are in
Winnipeg in Connecticut in Sept & fall, when the flowers
are dying off. Hornets get bad because they are also running
out of food, but I didn't see much of them there. I
had a bad time trying to get in my car because they
all were hanging out to be warm. Felt sorry for
them but yech!!! Tarantulas, other spiders are smarter,
they don't make such a pest of themselves. I had
never thought of trying to burn something or use
nicotene to chase them away. Wish I had though of
it. They are the only insects I run away from.
sharon

 

[Code Monkey]

The reason it "calms" hymenopteran bees/wasps is a factor of their social lifestyle and alarm heirarchy. The smoke fools them into thinking that their nest is potentially on fire and that takes precedence over dealing with the merely annoying man. They forget about hunting you down and watch their nest/hive closely for problems.

So, I'd say it has as much chance of working analogously on a T as it would a beaver.

 

[Vys]

Ah, who knows, smoke in the nostrils of your average beaver might result in '! SMOKE! -ALL NEARBY BEAVERS DROP YOUR JOB AND GAIN RABIES; KILL-SQUAD MUST BE FORMED IN 3 SECONDS!' followed by the sounds of small running feet and crunching bones and the screams of the dying.

Perhaps when enough T's smell smoke their minds will start going: '..Ssmoke.........that's iit..., starting nanopart of The Grand Masterplan' whereafter little red lights appear in their eyes.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Wow, its good to you you back code!

Jon

 

[Sheri]

I think the beaver is like the official animal of Canada.
(yes I know...)
However, I would think that you could smoke out a beaver dam pretty well. They woukd vacate it right away to avoid the smoke. Therefore the analogy may not be as effective as you had hoped

 

[danread]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
So, I'd say it has as much chance of working analogously on a T as it would a beaver.

Haha, yeah, it's definitely good to have you back and posting again code. I've missed the healthy dose of sarcasm whenever anyone steps out of line!

Dan.

 

[harwin]

CM,

The reason it "calms" hymenopteran bees/wasps is a factor of their social lifestyle and alarm heirarchy. The smoke fools them into thinking that their nest is potentially on fire and that takes precedence over dealing with the merely annoying man. They forget about hunting you down and watch their nest/hive closely for problems.

I came across that theory on the web too as well as several other different ones . I guess the end response would be to take care of the hive.

Just why and how smoke affects bees is unknown, even though it has been used by beekeepers worldwide for hundreds of years.

Source: Cause of Stinging Bees or Temper

I am looking into carbon gases effects on insects atm... Since Smoke is normally accompanied by alot of carbon gases...

 

[harwin]

This seems interesting... .

SUBSTITUTION OF NON-FLAMMABLE CARBON DIOXIDE FOR FLAMMABLE ETHER IN IMMOBILIZATION OF DROSOPHILA

However...

The CO2 vial method may not be effective for insects with low metabolic requirements.

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by harwin
I came across that theory on the web too as well as several other different ones . I guess the end response would be to take care of the hive.

It's accepted enough that it's the official position of the hymenopteran specialist here in the entomology department with over 30 years experience studying hymenopteran insects.

While there is always the chance, as anything non-quantitative regarding insect behavior, that the explanation may need tweaking, it's been born out in many behavioral studies and is the best one we've got.

 

[harwin]

Thanks for the info CM. I can understand this behaviour from an evolutionary standpoint too since bush fires can easily destroy their hives. To be able to detect, react to any smoke would be advantageous.

Was smoke tested on non-hymenopteran aggresive insects as a control?

I am not any expert on insect, (other than I don't fear them like most people) forgive my ignorance.