Hornets nesting in Engine

[Blue Max]

My trike is hangered on a bushveld farm. I noticed that hornets enter the holes on the engine and start making nests..I am especially worried that they will enter the ventelation holes sittuated at the rear of the engine and also the one underneath the magnito casing. As they use mud to build their nest I can only imagine that serious damage can be caused.
Is there perhaps somebody who can give advice on this subject.!!!

[Trikenut]

Yes, but it is rather complicated.
So here it is... Move your trike!

[Tumbleweed]

I would wrap strips of old shade cloth around everything and stick in a few moth balls while you're at it.

[Stephan van Tonder]

Is yours a hornet trike?
Yes I'd also try and put some sort of cloth over the motor and close it so they can't get to it. Other than that not sure how you would keep them away.

[BOATCH]

I have not tried this ,but they say if you wash the engine with jays fluid it wil keep all flying and crauling ins away and it is a good engine cleaner to.

[tandemtod1]

And don,t forget the garlic

[Mogas]

Eish those mud wasps can cause big problems. I had to deal with them for many years while living in the bush in Zim, actually had a tractor engine run a bearing after overhaul when a mud wasp built a nest in one of the oil galleries which went undetected at assembly.
The only really safe way is to block all the open holes quickly as they can find and build the nest in an hour or two.
Moth balls which emit a gas toxic to most insects is a viable option but you will have to figure out where a safe place to have a couple rolling around will be
I would not try the jays fluid, it stinks like a govenment toilet and does not clean engines at all!
Good luck and please let us know if you find a solution that works.

[Blue Max]

Thanks guys, This is what i do.....I sing "perdeby jy moet jou lollery laat staan" every time i close the holes with masking tape when i hanger the trike....!!!

[Morph]

obviously to need to unblock the holes again before flying. Maybe make up a set of cork plugs and string them together . Insert the corks into the holes and tie the end of the string to your dash or mag switcthes or pitot tube cover so that you remmember to remove it before flying

[Blue Max]

Thanks Morph, Sounds like a good plan..will try.

[Trikenut]

obviously to need to unblock the holes again before flying. Maybe make up a set of cork plugs and string them together . Insert the corks into the holes and tie the end of the string to your dash or mag switcthes or pitot tube cover so that you remmember to remove it before flying

This is simmilar to what Louis does...
He puts the keys to the Schools Bush Baby on the Pitot tube cover! This is because he has had many students who are trying to hour build after going solo, come out to the field, Louis signs them out, and they do the pre-flight on their own, then five minutes later come down and say the instruments don't work! All they have to do is take off the pitot cover!
Ciao
Ross

[Stephan van Tonder]

Hauh - pre-flight checks - remove pitot cover. Inspect for foreign objects.
Pre-take-off check
T
M
P- pressures - Pitot clear.
F
I
H
On roll-out - airspeed active otherwise don't get airborne.
Means they have skipped 3 checks before getting airborne. Perhaps they need some more lessons before doing more hour building....

[Trikenut]

Ya sure, I do agree with this, I am very careful during my pre-flight...
But some times you are so excited to fly that you get careless... This is NOT clever!
Ross

[Eyes]

The people have given you valuable advice. Don't ignore it!! Some years ago there was an airliner with over 180 that crashed killing all because these little creatures decided the aircraft was a suitable home and messed up their instrument readings with fatal results!!

[Bennie Vorster]

Just fly more often.