Saving the lives of bugs
 

Okay. I'm ready to change my evil ways.

My covered patio appears to be the party spot of large winged insects. When I moved here back in June, I sprayed wasp and hornet nest stuff to shut down any further procreation. It worked. For a while.

The past two weeks has seen a resurgence of different types of nests. I sprayed them over a week ago, but it appears they're building new ones in less than a day adjacent to their original homes.

These are shot from fairly far away with my phone, but I'm not sure if you can make out the type of bug in this one. The one on the left is a new nest, the one towards the right is an older one.
http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/phot...42997_5646.jpg

Here's a closer shot of another. I have about half a dozen of these inside my patio roof.
http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/phot...42998_7142.jpg

My question is this: How can I keep whatever lives and builds these from getting in the house and freaking me out without using nasty insecticides that apparently don't do the trick longterm? I'm hoping there's something I can do that will make them want to relocate to someone else's house. :D

Besides, I'm tired of living the life of a serial bug killer life and am seeking alternatives.

try spraying PAM (the cooking spray) on the affected area (assuming it's a material that won't stain if you put oil on it). Wasps hate the stuff and will avoid it.

These are mud daubers: Mud Dauber - DirtDoctor.com - Howard Garrett - The Dirt Doctor

They are wasps and they DO sting if they feel threatened. The key word here: threatened. They are rarely aggressive.

Nice thing about them: They eat spiders.

It's stucco, so I think I'll definitely give that a whirl. I wonder if they like the regular or olive oil version? :p I'll try it tonight and let you know how it works.
-----Added 3/9/2008 at 12 : 43 : 29-----
Thanks for the info.

This is why I'm always careful to take action in the evening when they're inside the nest. I've heard they will get upset if their nest is tampered with.

vanblah is right. they are wasps.

if you need to get rid of em jewels, try a water hose. my parents place has them back in oz and thats how i get rid of them. they always seem to come back after a while though.

you could try hairspray though :D im sure that'd work!

if you are sick of your murderous ways..repent and become a buddhist monk