CHOICE OF POISON
A friend writes to offer some useful advice about handling a wasp nest. 'You will doubt- less be interested to know that DDT powders are available in forms suitable for treating wasp nests,' he says. 'If you sprinkle the powder, after dark, around the entrance to the nest the wasps become contaminated with it on their journeys in and out next day, and it usually results in the killing of all the inhabitants. I have not had occasion to use this method, but people who grow fruit on a big scale in my part of the country have told me that it is very effective.' I remember the trouble a neighbour had some years ago when his house was invaded by bees and a spray was used to pump DDT under the floor- boards. The room became filled with half- doped bees and the problem of clearing up the mess was partly solved by using a dustpan and a brush. A vacuum cleaner picked up the dead. In this case drastic measures were not entirely successful. Bees were in residence some days afterwards. Moreover, when they finally left, or died, and the fume had cleared, a new swarm arrived, attracted, presumably, by the old honey scent. DDT powder spread on the ventilator through which the bees got under the floor would, I think, have been far simpler, had my neighbour known about iL
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