Wasp Nest Cache

[Dinoprophet]

Since there are already a couple of wasp and hornet threads going, I'll post this question I've had for a while:

 

Has anyone done a cache disguised as a hornet nest who would be willing to share their method? I've wanted to do one for a long time but can't think of a way to do it. My thought was I'd start with a round pretzel jar for the container, I just can't come up with a weather-proof disguise.

 

Please do not post links to caches that have done it, unless they are your own. I don't want to see anyone's cache spoiled.

Edited August 2, 2005 by Dinoprophet

[+2Wheel'in]

Oh yes, I've hunted one here in the NoVA area...very well done. The base for the "nest" was a plastic jar of sorts, and the cache owner used (what I think was) spray foam insulation...type you'd find in an aerosol can at a hardware store. They molded and sculpted it, then painted in grey. Believe me, I and other cachers, approached wtih trepidation. Good luck, your cache is bound to get lots of comments.

Regards,

Bill

[bogleman]

Think - Piñata, use fiberglass (auto body shop or marine supply shop) instead of paper and mould it to fit your container. I am no artist nor have I thought of building one. Build it strong so it will last through many visits. May also want to think of a way to get it down if you want it to look like a paper wasp net (large gray football sized nest), and add to the realism. Don’t go too rural; it may get shot up pretty bad.

[+Rick618]

I was thinking along the lines of paper mache' with the fiberglass. You could layer it around a plastic container to simulate the hornets paper-like nest. Since they come in all sizes as well one that isn't too noticeable would make a great hide.

[+piper28]

I know there are others that feel otherwise, but I know I personally would not do a cache disguised as a hornets or wasp nest. I have no particular desire to disturb the nest thinking it was the cache, only to discover that it's real.

[xvegan88x]

I know there are others that feel otherwise, but I know I personally would not do a cache disguised as a hornets or wasp nest. I have no particular desire to disturb the nest thinking it was the cache, only to discover that it's real.

I'm allegric, so I'll second that.

[+treasure_hunter]

I dont know if I would do that or not, as you have already heard some people are allergic to bees and if I were one of those I would not go looking around a bees nest to find a cache.

 

*Edited to say: Besides what if a real wasp made a nest near where the coords take you and they grab it instead of the fake one.

 

What if they go to another cache and the cant find the cache but they see a wasp nest nearby so they grab it It turns out it wasnt the cache and it had wasp in it.

 

I agree it would be a hard cache to find but you got to think about what could happen if you made one.

Edited August 3, 2005 by treasure_hunter

[+Cache Buzzards]

Hubby and kids are all deathly allergic to bees, wasps and such. We carry an Epi Pen with us at all times because of the life or death seriousness of their allergies. The point is - we'd avoid that cache at all costs.

 

It reminds me of a cache we recently searched for that was intentionally hidden in poison ivy- who would do that and why? Isn't the point NOT to endanger each other?

 

edit for spelling

Edited August 3, 2005 by Cache Buzzards

[+Team Red Oak]

Would you tell people it looked like a wasp's nest in the hint? If not, you may not get many finds. Too many people would never go near a wasp's nest.

[+Salvelinus]

Yes, I found a cache like that. It was this now archived cache. I actually watched a hornet crawling on the thing so I was convinced it was a real one! After several tries, I finally figured it out, but it was a dead ringer for the real thing.

 

The cache was made with a wire basket and had a hing. Not sure what was wrapped around it to make it look so realistic but you may want to contact this active geocacher who was there when the hider made it.

 

btw...the hider of this cache is no longer an active geocacher so you may not be able to contact.

 

Salvelinus

[+Salvelinus]

Would you tell people it looked like a wasp's nest in the hint?  If not, you may not get many finds.  Too many people would never go near a wasp's nest.

 

I wouldn't say a word. I think the fun is to see who does find it and not worry about who would "chicken out". Not every cache needs to be spoon fed.

 

Salvelinus

[+wandererrob]

Would you tell people it looked like a wasp's nest in the hint?  If not, you may not get many finds.  Too many people would never go near a wasp's nest.

 

I wouldn't say a word. I think the fun is to see who does find it and not worry about who would "chicken out". Not every cache needs to be spoon fed.

 

Salvelinus

agreed. In a case like this, only the truly brave would even think to check it. All others will simply DNF it.

 

Personally I think it's a brilliant idea and would certainly welcome the challenge.

[Dinoprophet]

There are some interesting points here. First off, no, I wouldn't say on the cache page what it was. It would be intended as a surprise.

 

I can understand why some might avoid it altogether. To get handle that issue, I can think of several ways to make it non-threatening (in no case would it be dangerous). One would be to make it accessible via some mechanism -- pulleys or something, I've seen many like that -- so by the time you got to retrieving it, you would know it was a cache. There might also be some giveaway pattern that would be visible from a distance (though not necessarily obvious).

 

As for people then thinking every nest they come across afterward is the cache -- I've often wondered that about fake bolts and sprinkler heads and birdhouses and (easily the most dangerous of all) electrical boxes. At the same time, I'd point out that I don't stick my hand under a rock or in a stump EVER before making sure its clear, and I'd certainly take the same precautions for a nest, be it bird or wasp.

 

Thanks for the feedback, especially the cacher who PM'ed me how he did it (basically just sculpted aerosol foam).

[+Team Perks]

I, personally, would love to find a cache that looks like a fake wasp nest. I don't see how it's more risky than a fake electrical box, a fake snake hidden under a rock, or even a fake dog turd...all of which I've come across and enjoyed.

 

I say, go for it, and let the faint of heart post all the purple frownies they want.

[+Kai Team]

If your goal is to frustrate a lot of people (those who are allergic to wasps, like me and others who've mentioned it, or those who just have the good sense not to stir them up), then go for it! We'll just log a DNF, and be less inclined to look for any other caches you put out if we hear what the cache was.

 

The difference with a fake electrical box is that an electrical box doesn't come flying after you if you disturb it.

 

There is little difference with a fake turd, IMO. Both are obnoxious.

[Dinoprophet]

If your goal is to frustrate a lot of people (those who are allergic to wasps, like me and others who've mentioned it, or those who just have the good sense not to stir them up), then go for it! We'll just log a DNF, and be less inclined to look for any other caches you put out if we hear what the cache was.

 

The difference with a fake electrical box is that an electrical box doesn't come flying after you if you disturb it.

 

There is little difference with a fake turd, IMO. Both are obnoxious.

No, the idea is not to frustrate people. Disguising caches as naturally-occurring objects is common. I'm also reasonably sure that my craftsmanship wouldn't fool a cacher for more than a few seconds.

 

The thought that someone might avoid it because of allergies hadn't occurred to me, and I'm happy to hear the concerns expressed; now that it's come to my attention, I can decide whether it is an ill-advised idea altogether or try to design the hide to avoid those concerns. In the example above, if there were a cord to lower the cache from a decent height, you wouldn't be near the cache until after you had found the cord to lower it, rendering its fakeness obvious.

 

I mentioned electric boxes in response to the idea that after seeing a fake wasp nest cache, someone might later grab a real nest thinking it was another fake cache. You're right, the electric box can't fly after you, but I guarantee a lot more people would have a fatal reaction to it.

 

Not that I'm against fake electrical box caches either; I just happen to think the onus of watching where you stick your hand is on the seeker. Do you have any idea of the places bees will make their nests? I never did see the last one I wandered into, just walking along a log in the water.

[CacheNCarryMA]

I just archived Wayland 5.0 - Vespula's Castle so I guess it's safe to post here. ("Vespula" is the wasp genus; the cache was hidden in the Castle Hill conservation area.) Here are the instructions

 

Materials

recycled clear plastic pretzel container from Costco - (~ 2 gals.)

wire mesh (1/2" spaced wires, slightly heavier than chicken wire)

expansion foam

spray paint

nylon cord

screw eyes

 

Steps

-Bend mesh it into a "tube" about a half inch wider than the pretzel jar.

-Poke three pairs of holes in the jar and use 1" pieces of wire to secure the mesh to the jar.

-Trim the ends of the tube and taper them in for the rounded top and bottom of the hive

-Cover the whole thing (except for the lid) with expansion insulating foam ("Great Stuff" is the brand they sell at Home Depot)

-After it has dried, trim the foam with a serated knife

-Spray with gray, black, and white paint

 

I used a tie-wrap to make a loop for hanging - threaded through two holes in the lid. The holes allowed water into the cache until I patched it with marine epoxy. I used 40' of nylon cord to hang it from a branch about 15' above the ground.

 

I think most finders spotted the cord after they scrutinized the hive.

 

I have the cache at home now. I'll see if I can post some pics later.

 

One of the reasons I archived it was that it needed periodic paint touch ups and the last finder found it on the ground. The cord frayed and broke. It was fun while it lasted.

Edited August 4, 2005 by CacheNCarryMA

[+Joe Smith]

I used my Epi-pen the first time a week ago. It was not a pleasant experience and while I didn't die it was VERY bad. I keep a close eye out when I'm caching and if I see bees or wasps I just calmly move away. If I came to a wasp nest i would head straight home, and forget the cache.

 

 

But I'm not saying don't do it, just that I won't hunt it.

 

 

Joe Smith

[+Salvelinus]

We'll just log a DNF, and be less inclined to look for any other caches you put out if we hear what the cache was.

I say the same thing about all those micros hidden in parking lots, guardrails, or stuck on the sides of road bridges. That hasn't stopped anyone from hiding them or looking for them.

 

I say go for it Dino. I bet you get some great logs!

 

Salvelinus

[+budd-rdc]

I've poked wasp and hornet nests with sticks before to see if they were caches, so personally, I wouldn't object to the idea as long as the coordinates are spot-on and some subtle hints (for example, a clever title) are posted as to the nature of the hide.

 

I've seen so many creative and clever camouflaged hides WITHOUT exposing people to unnecessary risks or dangers, so this style would not impress me much.

 

Has anyone done a fake rattlesnake as a cache container?

[+piper28]

As one of those that came out against it, i should clarify my thoughts. I don't necessarily mean don't do it, I'm just saying that I know that I personally would not be likely to mess with something that looks like a wasp nest to find a cache, and I figure there's at least a reasonable percentage of cachers that feel the same way. And I'm not overly convinced that it'd make people start grabbing wasp nests in the future looking for a cache. Common sense should dictate that you only grab the wasps nest if you really think it might be the cache and you don't see wasps that look like they might be ticked off if you grab it.

 

(I'm also somewhat biased because I'm sick and tired of dealing with paper wasps, which seem to have an out of control population in my area. I'm constantly having to spray nests around the house, under the deck, on the bbq grill, in the mailbox, etc because the bastards keep building htem.)

[+treasure_hunter]

I am confused are you talking about a

wasp nest cache:

or a bee hive cache:

????????????????????

 

I probably wouldnt mind searching for this cache and Im not allergic to bees but I know one thing if I got stung by a bees looking around a nest I would be very mad and email the owner and leave a dirty log on the cache page.

 

To sum it up I dont think it is a very good idea. Whats the point of hiding something like that and then have someone snooping around it and them get stung and what if they are allergic to bees you could cause them alot of problems.

[+slumbersix]

Well, speaking of which... This weekend we found a cache that was disguised as a bee or hornet nest. It was very well done, couldn't tell you what it was made out of. It was set way up in a tree and had a device that you used to get it down. The 5 of us had no worries about getting it down. Some people get concerned, others don't...

[Dinoprophet]

I wouldn't object to the idea as long as the coordinates are spot-on and some subtle hints (for example, a clever title) are posted as to the nature of the hide.

Oh, yeah, I'm all about subtle hints and clever titles. My first thought was "WASsuP!"

 

I am confused are you talking about a wasp nest cache...or a bee hive cache

Okay, here's where I confess I don't know the difference. But I'm talking about something like the second picture.

 

Earlier today I realized a funny thing relating to electric box caches and wasp nests: I've found only one electrical box cache. It was attached to a light pole, and naturally the first place I looked was the light's cover, expecting a much-maligned light post cover micro. Instead, I found a wasp nest! Here's the log:

At some point during my hunt, something told me I should check out the lamp post that's furthest south in the area. I'll just lift this thing...

SWEET MERICFUL CRAP! WASPS!! WASPS!!! YAAAAAGGHHHHHH!!! *SMACK* *STOMP* DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!! YAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

And so, a note to future hunters: avoid the southernmost light!

 

Other than that fearsome experience, it was a cool hide. I've heard of such hides but had never seen one. TNLN

 

Edit: I forgot to mention, today is my two-year cache-iversary!

Edited August 5, 2005 by Dinoprophet

[bogleman]

I have been working on a cache for a few days and this topic was fresh in my mind on a visit I made yesterday - close call LOL.

Larrys Coon Hunting Cache. The fine gentelman who placed this cache is well known in the area for some very tricky hides and clever containers. Read the log.