Peter,

If you lay on your back in the cockpit and slide under the cockpit bench, you will surprised by a very large area inside the gunnel that serves as a great place for wasps to make a nest. They fly under the seats and up into the protected area.

Once a year they get so bad that I put plastic sheeting down to protect the cockpit floor, place plywood across the cockpit seats to close the space, and place a wasp insecticide bomb in the center of the cockpit floor. This usually takes out all of the critters in the cabin, cockpit and lazarette.

If you sail more frequently and play loud music (my speakers are in the lazarette facing the cockpit) they usually find a more suitable location.

Mike
s/v Wind Lass ('91)
Nissequogue River, NY
I’d rather be sailing :~)

-----Original Message-----
From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> On Behalf Of peter beckerman via Rhodes22-list
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2024 11:56 AM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Wasps

Hi All,    My boat has come out of the storage barn and so begins my 2nd season as a Rhodes owner.     I was having a pretty bad issue last year with mud daubers in my lazarette.  I thought they were getting in through the hatch, so I purchased several kinds of weather stripping over the winter with an eye to seal up the hatch before they can set up shop.  When I went to take a look yesterday I realized that there's a huge area under the cockpit seats that's wide open into the lazarette.  (Apparently I never looked last year, possibly because I didn't like to get stung).   While I work on blocking off that entrance to my boat, I'm wondering if there are any other hidden ways into the boat that I should be aware of?  Has anyone else had this issue?  How did you solve it?
Thanks,
Peter