Collecting wasp grubs.....

[GhyllManor]

"On a hook, dear Henry, on a hook!"

[GhyllManor]

"On a hook dear Henry, on a hook!"

[Westwinds]

Over the decades I’ve unearthed many wasp nests to gather the grub and this is my take on things. It may be of some help to folks.
As the weather warms up in late spring, Vespa start flying around their local vicinity to collect nest materials. I was shown the ropes of successful grub gathering by my old pal Tom.
Tommy used to take me to various locations usually not far from town, onto rough overgrown areas, allotment association land, riverside venues and waste grounds and we’d stand and watch for aerial activity. He explained that we trying to spot waspy flying in a direct line and therefore we could follow those insects back to their homes and we could mark the spot or at least remember the location and ‘keep an eye’ on proceedings. Sometimes we’d locate ten or more nest sites in an afternoon.
The method described above does work and we’d get grand results, noting the whereabouts and access to the nest sites for the coming months, however the best times for spotting is a nice warm day, if the day sees rain or a heavy cold spell then we didn’t bother with our searches as very few insects would be on the wing.
Thirty years ago ‘Cymag’ was quite commonplace and if we asked a farmer nicely enough the local lads could be given some of this pest control. I wouldn’t advocate the use of it now as times have changed and we didn’t really comprehend the dangers of this at the time, basically it’s derived from cyanide and if the powder comes into contact with moisture it develops HNC gas, which is deadly.
So with the nest located usually in June in the north we’d wait until August (as this gives the hive time to mature and become sizeable enough for the grubs to be of a good size for our efforts.) Setting out before dusk as the wasps fly back home for the night to administer the poison at the entrance of the nest, at this point we’d always pick a hive situated underground as we deemed this type as easier to tackle. Nest’s hanging from trees and too near to people and/or obstructions such as mature tree roots, in old buildings are not worth considerations as the dangers of attack are just too high and for one you don’t want to be undertaking any type of collection near to the general public.
The ‘Cymag’ powder was in an old coffee jar and with the lid carefully unscrewed with our faces covered by and old hanky or shirt, a teaspoonful was laid out at the entrance of the nest, sometimes we’d have to use a spoon tied to a length of stick to get close enough without getting stung or possibly we’d have to place the substance into the nest tunnel as the opening would be overly wide and incoming wasps would miss trailing it into the deep chamber.
One of the things Tom pointed out was for every nest site there are wasp ‘sentries’ that sit and wait close to, guarding the underground hive and are ready to attack anything that comes near or disturbs the site. Once the poison is set down at the entrance the wasps flying back would simply land at the entrance and crawl through the substance, carrying the poison on their feet further into the cavity and overnight would kill the rest of the nest, usually we’d give it a couple of days to calm down before unearthing the prize.
To unearth, simply dig small clumps of earth out following the hole and after a foot or so, sometimes nearer, the first site of the paper like structure would be spotted, from here dig deeper to find the bottom and carefully uncover the layer of earth on top. We’d have a plastic bag open and waiting to receive the hive and if all went well we’d be able to remove the whole thing in one go, usually one lad digging and one watching just in case there were wasps still alive and ready for attack. Removing the bag a safe distance away from the area after we’d tidied up the excavation area so not to leave an open hole.
The hive if removed whole is a wood pulp globe constructed in layers and a nest with five layers (cakes) are deemed to be on the bigger side and these can be over 10 inches across. Within the hexagonal cells hundreds of grubs will be situated in all states of growth ranging from the creamy yellow grubs that resemble a rather fat large maggot to a pale white wasp form, near to hatching.
Some grub gatherers would remove and bake the selected grubs in the oven for five minutes to toughen the skin and use the leftover nest materials for ground bait. On certain occasions we used the grubs the same day, cleaning off any powder residue if spotted. In recent years I have also vacuum packed the cakes and froze them for future use and they seem to be effective but not quite as good as fresh or even baked grubs.
Modern day wasp killer in the forms of spray and powders work and I’ve tried many on the market and kept it simple just spraying a short blast into the entrance at dusk. As always with trying to get this prize, be very careful and aware with someone watching your movements. Many times the nest site has more than one entrance and this can be overseen, resulting in a painful attack. I’ve been stung over fifty times over the years and although I’m glad I’m not affected by ‘anaphylactic shock’ which can be very serious, I can deal with the pain and it is bloody painful!
Grub hunting is dangerous and not for the faint hearted but they can be a fantastic bait on its day. I’ve heard rumours of river Trent match men over the decades paying high prices for a whole hive for secret recipes.
If any of you folks can enlighten me of the Trent match men, I’d love to hear.
Cheers from Westwinds.

[CaneTincaCatcher]

The rag soaked in diesel. Make sure you use with caution ! The last time I used this method it nearly ended in disaster. A wasps nest was located under a conifer tree. A diesel soaked rag was inserted into the nest entrance. I then set fire to the rag and stood back waiting for the wasps to be smoked out,leaving the grubs to be collected.Things started to go wrong when I realised that there is no smoke without fire. The conifer tree became engulfed with flames and the wind was taking the flames in the direction of a neighbours new cedar summer house. Panic ensued until I quickly obtained some buckets of water. Needless to say bread flake is now my bait of choice.

[Chris Bettis]

Wasp grubs are a good bait but there are plenty of others which do not carry any risk. I shall stick to those!

[Richard Jackson]

Knew a few anglers that used wasp grubs when I was younger , never used them myself but I do have good results using wax worms from the local pet shop

[StefanDuma]

Ive used wasp grub on the Trent a few times and its deadly especially for chub, even the soil from around the nest mixed with ground bait attracts the chub.

We usually ran out of grub before we ran out of chub to catch.

Yes the Trent Men would pay a lot for wasp grub.

[Match Aerial]

Knew a few anglers that used wasp grubs when I was younger , never used them myself but I do have good results using wax worms from the local pet shop

Problem is wax worms float.
Difficult to fish them on float tackle.

[Kev D]

Today I managed to get this wasps' nest without resorting to chemicals. It was freehanging in a chicken shed so I knocked it into a feed sack and tied the top .After most of the day in the sack nearly all of the adult wasps were dead .

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[Liphook]

Let us know how you get on with the hens teeth of baits!