wasp noun See also jasper.
A variant singular forms wasper, wasp.
1942 Hall Phonetics 27 wasp, 79 wasper.
B variant plural forms was, wasper, waspers, was-pes.
1936 LAMSAS waspers (Madison Co NC). c1940 Simms Coll. waspes [i.e., wasps’] nestes. 1942 Hall Phonetics 82 waspers, waspes, was. 1974 Fink Bits Mt Speech 29 waspers. 1983 Pederson East Tn Folk Speech 95 wasper (Cocke Co TN, Jefferson Co TN). 1986 Pederson et al. LAGS 6 of 13 (46%) of LAGS speakers using wasper were from E. Tenn. 1996 Montgomery Coll. wasper (Cardwell, Oliver).
—Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English
2015 wasper, waspers Blind Pig (Cherokee Co NC). The waspers are flying like crazy since warm weather has come on.
2026 wasper (Brasstown) There’s a wasper building a nest on Granny’s back porch right on the door. You better keep an eye on it if you go in that a way.
Like most mountain boys I got eat up with waspers, gaugeing their nests off old barns and houses lookin’ for fish bait. They hurt the worst. Not only did we not have many, but us boys went without a shirt on when school was out. We found this abandoned house and it seemed like there was a wast-nest between each rafter and one got me on top of my shoulder and I hit the ground. Boy that hurt! But we’d fill our Prince Albert baccer cans and head to the river. Trout loved ’em so much you had to get behind a tree to bait your hook…
—Ken Roper
Last night’s video: Dandelion Greens & Eggs – So EASY and So YUMMY || Fried Cornbread with Pepper Jelly.
Tipper
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Hi Tipper and Acorns. I enjoy reading everyone’s posts. Yesterday’s video was such a pleasure to watch. I love it when you go out to collect ingredients for your meals. I can’t garden much anymore and there’s no one to help turn the soil to plant. Last year I went out to the yard and dug holes to plant in. The mower guy and weedeater boy got plum upset when I showed them where they could not work. It was a little patch on the slope of the hard into the ditch by the Holler. I thought they would be happy not to have to hang off of it sideways to cut the grass. The grass grew thick there and I went out there twice a day to tramp it down so my tomatoes, squash, zucchini and peppers could grow. There have been waspers, yellow jackets, bumble bees and today green hornets out on my porch. The bumbles and the brown butterflies are loving my blueberry blossoms. The yellow jackets were in my outbuilding. I walk all around the buildings, cars and trailer twice a day and spot for waspers nests in the eaves and porch rafters, yellow jackets in the outbuildings and ground, bumbles in the ground or cinder blocks. If I find any I come back to them at dusk and hit the full nests with bee spray. Bees in the ground have to be killed with gasoline poured in the hole. Bee spray won’t kill them. I’ve even had to spray nests in my car mirrors and behind the car gas door. It’s a full-time job. Y’all be careful in the tractor shed. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Holler in my prayers. I thank you all for prayers for my son, Charles/Ed, and me. I love y’all.
One of the banes of hot weather annd their sting is painful . Almost everyone I know pronounces wasp as “worst” or “wasst”.
My husband is very allergic to yellow jackets so I dread seeing them for that reason!
I have a lot of stories about waspers, hornets, yaller jackets and the like. I don’t know which ones I have told already, so at risk of being repetitive, I’ll refrain from all of them for today.
I’ve noticed a drastic decline in the numbers of insects of all kinds here this spring. I think it is the extreme drought and lack of available water sources nearby.
I turned my garden sprinkler on for a little while this morning and noticed an influx of butterflies almost immediately. I told them this was a treat and not to expect it too often!
After getting stung by a wasp, I give them all the space they need. Those stings really hurt.
I also enjoyed the dandelion green video last night. A friend of mine gave me a hint to bringing scrambled eggs up a notch…add in a teaspoon or more of sour cream to the mixture. It is a good way to use up sour cream leftover in the fridge. I have also added plain greek yogurt and it does the same magic. Blessings to all of you.
The more years I garden, having not grown up in the country, I’m learning bees don’t care about me, they want that yumminess in my flowers. In fact I’m proud to see I’ve planted something they enjoy. Waspers, that’s a whole other story! They just love to annoy me and I think that’s their only purpose in life! I do wish I’d known the word “waspers” years ago, because I can’t say “wasps” without spitting!!
I can vouch a wasper is a mean bee. I was working outside a couple of summers ago, didn’t see their nest until it was too late. They can fly a lot faster than I could ever run!
I think I’ll stick to good ole nightcrawlers for my fishin bait. I don’t care to fight the wasps for their larvae lol. Now that I think of it…I don’t reckon I’ve ever been stung by a wasp. A hornet popped me right on the back on my calf one time at granny and pawpaws in Clayton and boy I thought I’d had the lick! I cried and carried on for an hour or longer and of course granny got some baccer juice and put it on there and distracted me and I was fine after that. Worst sting I ever remember getting was from a honey bee! I’m still convinced that thing was no ordinary honey bee…but it looked like one. Talk about aggressive! I must have slung my arm around and hit it or something because that thing stung me on the top on my hand and of course it’s stinger was done after that but that thing kept trying to sting me over and over with no stinger. I went in the house to get some baccer juice from daddy to Dr it up, was probably inside for 10 minutes or so and when I came back outside I’ll be derned if that bee wasn’t waiting for me and still trying to sting me. I finally got it swatted down and it died and I examined it close up to make sure it was a honey bee.. Sure looked just like one to me but I’m still suspicious…I think it was a killer bee because it would have killed me if it could’ve lol
Cassie, I’m with you, I will not use wasp larvae unless someone else gets the nest and under no circumstances use any type of liver for catfish bait. When I was very young I made myself sick from eating so much fresh hog liver from a hog my family had killed. I don’t even look at liver if I can help it! I know a member and email friend Gene Smith will be laughing if he sees my comment about liver
Those big red waspers are coming into my house through the chimney as they do every spring and fall. The old timers claim a wasper sting doesn’t hurt nearly as bad in the spring as it does in the fall, but you can’t prove that by me. Don, I have heard that a wasper or any bee sting is supposed to ease arthritis pain. Maybe it’s because the sting will make you forget any other pain for a little while.
Truthfully, I can’t tell one wasp, hornet, or yellow jacket from another. It’s interesting to read that these painful and pesky critters are used as bait because at least they prove to be good for something.
Tipper, I want to thank you for you video about eating Hosta sprouts. I immediately went out to check on my Hostas to see if they were past the sprout stage. Unfortunately they were totally leafed out on the west side of the house. I was discouraged until I remembered those on the east side. It was a happy moment as I said, “look Tipper. There are some here!” I was able to get nine sprouts. I washed them up, poured some olive oil over them, gave a good dose of salt and pepper and baked them at 350° for 10 minutes. They were delicious! So I say Thanks Tipper! If I hadn’t seen you eating them, I would never have tried them. I didn’t get the asparagus flavor you got, but they were delicious.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Enjoyed the dandelion greens episode especially because I had just finished 2 batches of Dandelion jelly. Don’t remember where I got the recipe , but it notes it is a 125 year old recipe and I have been making it for at least 40 years so far! Family and friends love it!
Dandelion Jelly
1 qt dandelion blossoms
1 qt water
1 package pectin
1 tsp. Lemon or orange extract
4 1/2 C. Sugar
In the early morning, pick dandelion blossoms without stems. Boil blossoms with water for 3 minutes. Drain off three cups of liquid; add pectin , extract, and sugar. Boil three minutes. Pour into sterilized jars, seal, and store. This 125 year old will be like honey.
Hope you give the a try. Maybe your grandsons can help with the picking of blossoms! It really does taste like honey! I have picked the blossoms in the afternoon and use lemon juice instead of extract.
I have made it in the past and we loved it 🙂
I ate some of it in the past too! I loved it! I still have the little jar you sent it in.
I see wasp outside all around the edge of the house, they’ve got nest back in behind the siding , have to give them a dose of wasp spray every once in awhile, going to see a doctor today, God bless you friends thank you for praying for me during trying times , God bless you very much
Hi Tipper. I am originally from California, born and raised, and when I was a kid I was scared of bees and waspers! My mom put up a hummingbird feeder and it quickly became a wasper feeder. The waspers used to fly back and forth along the pathway from our front door. Now I have been in Fort Worth Texas for the last, oh, 13 years and the waspers build nests all around my house. I used to have pest control come and take them down cause of my fear, but lately the waspers and I have come to an understanding. I have told them they are allowed to build nest so long as they are not in the doorways, on the cars, the birdhouses or feeders, or basically any place where I might get too close as such. They can build up in the eves and in the trees. I have yet to have one too large. The neighbors probably think I am nuts cause when one tries to build in the wrong place I have me a conversation with them, out loud; now you must not be from around here cause we have a pact, I say, you are allowed here just not that close . 🙂 I am a bit envious of people who can put up bird houses, if I did that it would quickly become a wasper house.
You are my favorite Youtube channel, yours and the girls. Y’all are living the life I dreamed of living since I was a girl. My hope is to one day fulfill that dream. I am 66 years old and looking at the Cherokee County area for a home I might be able to afford. Until then I shall live my life vicariously thru your channels. 🙂
Getting stung one way or another just goes with country living. Growing up the single stings were not remarkable, just the multiple ones. I dread hornets the most. They seem to prefer to attack your face. But wasps or waspers like their nests to stay dry so they build around barns, houses, sheds, etc. which puts them right where folks are. Anybody else here at BP&A ever hear of folks with arthritis wanting to be stung because it helped ?
I surely have heard of bee sting therapy for arthritis. They say it works. I’d try it for arthritis. Some days I’d try anything…
Ron, I have lived in the country all of my life, as you said getting stung is just a way of life. If you crave excitement, get on an open cab tractor and either plow up or bush hog over a yellow jackets nest. Before you know anything about, they will be all over you. One other thing we now have in my area that hurts about as bad as bees are fire ants. I have heard if you are allergic to bees you will also be allergic to fire ants. I can’t say for sure if bee stings help with arthritis but I know from first hand experience, a stirred up nest of yellow jackets will make you forget about arthritic knees!
Crappie love wasper larvae better than anything else
I was thinking just last night about sending you a note re: wasps and yellow jackets I’ve already knocked down five wasp nests which were under construction in the equipment shed at the Bryson City Cemetery, and I’ve seen more queen yellow jackets both at the cemetery and around the house than I can recall in a single year- maybe 8 or 10.
It’s looking like it’s going to be a bad year for them.
The worst are yellow jackets the burrow in the ground. You don’t see them until its too late, then you have to run like the dickens!
In Florida we’d ride down the creeks and look palmmeto fronds hanging over the water with large wasp
nests under them. We’d circle back, the guy in front would smack the nest with a paddle and the driver would hit the gas. If all went well, the nest would drift down the creek with plenty of brim bait, if the motor died it was time for a swim.
LeR team in Florida, we had to be really careful not to stir thoseoy, when I worked on a Lake & Stream Survey team in Florida, we were on constant watch for those nests in overhanging branches along the rivers. I had to take evasive action more than once, but never got stung.
I think I will pass on ever trying to get wasp larvae to use as fish bait! Nope, nadda, no way…………
Wasper’s are out here. Sitting on our porch swing I have already seen two nest and have taken the fly swatter and knocked them down. The boys always went without shirts in the summer and we all went barefooted. One of them got me good when I stepped out of bed and right on top of one. I hollered and danced a gig. They hurt like the dickens, but kids in the country got stung a lot. Keep your videos coming. That is our EVERY night entertainment. I love the cooking videos. I grew up on that food. My favorite story about Aunt Airie was getting the eyes out of that hog head. We always killed 2 big hogs and salted them down. I have worked in hog meat a lot. Daddy and our neighbor men killed all the hogs at several houses. Ray Shular lived a couple of hollers over from us. You can see him on the Heartland Series. Granddaddy lived next door to us and he smoked his meat. We never liked it smoked. Like Aunt Airie, momma was the only one that made the Souse Meat. By the time she finished cleaning it, there wasn’t a hair to be seen. She rolled up brown paper twisted and burnt the hair off. We ate everything off those hogs except the feet, squeal, intestines and the tail. The hog bladder we blew up with a hollow stick and played ball with. Those were good times and hard days. God was and still is so good to us. He always provided.
Drama, two things, I stirred up a nest of yellow jackets one time while trimming my grass with a push mower and got stung about 7 times. My wife could see me through the storm door, I ran in the house and all she said was “I didn’t know you could run that fast!” Later on my wife got stung by a wasp on her foot, I told her “I didn’t know you could dance like that!” She didn’t think it was a bit funny. My Daddy said nothing was wasted on a hog, they even sold the squeal to Chevrolet. The doors on GM cars with the Fischer bodies were bad too squeak when the cars got older.
I am beginning to see wasp and other bees in my area on these warm days. I have never used wasp nest for fish bait. Many people are afraid of snakes, spiders and similar things, I don’t panic but show more respect to any type of bee than anything else. I miss Ken Roper and his comments like this one -stand behind a tree to bait your hook.