# Any idea how to get rid of wasps???



## shelly_b

We have a horrible wasp problem. As soon as it started getting warm these suckers have moved back in. I have been killing like 5 a day in the house, and there are always atleast that many in the shop. I have an electric flly swatter in the house, which is awesome!! For any of you that don't have one, I suggest getting one if you have an insect issue. You don't have to squish them b/c the electricity causes them to get stuck on it when you touch them. I try to leave them alone(in the shop) but the little things like to dive bomb me getting stuck in my hair and stinging my neck. Any ideas on how to get rid of them?? I know there are many different species of wasps, so I've included a pic of the type we have:


----------



## shelly_b




----------



## JustJoe

How are they getting in, and have you tried finding the nest? Hopefully their not making a nest in your walls or attic. 
I guess you could try finding something that likes to eat wasps to keep their population down. How would you feel about taking on a couple of skunks or wolverines as a pet?


----------



## shelly_b

LOL as long as the skunks are destunk, I wouldn't mind lol. They actually had some babies at a pet store in Florida while we were vacationing one year and they were so stinkin cute And as for how they're getting in, the soffit still has 1 peice that needs put on, so that's a major area, and the vent on the roof is open. I was thinking of putting some type of screen on that, and closing the soffit, but I'm still not sure that would solve it. I'm not sure if the soffit that is done is "bug tight". I can make a trap for pretty much any other pest, but I don't know how to lure in a wasp.


----------



## kdc68

I don't envy you at all…I personally hate wasps and hornets. Here's a way….perhaps others will post a better method…but

1.) Locate their nest
2.) Wait til night (they are at the nest and inactive then)
3.) Put on protective clothing 
4.) Spray the nest with poison thoroughly (wasp/hornet poison…some cans can spray the poison a good distance away and still hit the nest….the further away and still hit the nest the better IMO)
5.) Be prepared to get out of there quickly as they may attack
6.) Wait 24 hours and watch for signs of activity. No activity found ….remove the nest and throw it away outside your shop


----------



## mojapitt

Finding the nest is imperative. Use wasp and hornet spray. Regular bug spray isn't strong enough.


----------



## shelly_b

I go through alot of wasp/hornet spray every year. The problem is there are always alot of nests, not just one. I don't know if it's because we live so close to the woods or what. And there are always nests I can't get to b/c I can see them coming out(shutters for example). The tend to love our front porch too, so it's always a rush to get through the door. It seems the like wood…


----------



## kdc68

*shelly_b* ... you are probably right….Here's a link that may help you identify why your house is a haven for wasps….take it for what its' worth…it's from the internet… *;-)*

http://www.ehow.com/info_8308837_there-many-wasps-around-house.html

.....good luck !


----------



## Stephenw

Wasp traps set out in spring will greatly reduce the population. Get them at Lowes or the Home Depot. Read the package; some traps are only good for yellow jackets while others are for paper wasps.


----------



## HorizontalMike

Yeah, I have about 1,000sqft of elevated decking and find wasp nest all of the time. Have to keep several cans of the "wasp" specific spray around. Spraying in the evening is good advice, and getting rid of the nest after spraying even better. We mostly get the paper wasps and mud-daubers. At least the mud daubers help control the spiders… *;-)*


----------



## davidmicraig

+10 on getting rid of the nests. Traps and swatting the wasps will be a never ending task. I take tours around the yard, my shed, under decks, etc. all the time looking for them. I try to catch them at the start. Mike is correct, evening is the best time to catch them, they are back in the nest and more lethargic at that time.


----------



## gfadvm

Shelly, I'll probably get hammered by the safety police, but I have used gasoline to kill wasps for many years (not indoors of course!). A coffee cup full of gas tossed up onto those nests under the eaves will kill em instantly. I have them bad in the shop attic and can't find their source but I set off one of those Raid "bug bombs" and piles of dead wasps the next morning. I only have to do the bug bombs about 3 times a year. My gas and bug bomb method works on brown wasps like you showed, yellow jackets, and red hornets equally well.

I have pretty severe reaction to stings so I really strive for a 'wasp free' environment.


----------



## Dark_Lightning

gfadvm, there is a product called "RealKill" that will instantly knock wasps to the ground, dead, once they are sprayed, no need for gasoline. Though I can appreciate that gasoline works. Don't want to be on fire…

The new foaming stuff is not as good as the old stuff. I used to spray the nests at nightfall, and the little buggers fell to the ground, with hardly a twitch. With the foaming stuff, I've been dive-bombed by angry wasps before they died.


----------



## gfadvm

My problem with spray wasp killer is hitting them in the air around the nest. A cupful of gas spreads out and knocks them down. (and they are grave yard dead when they hit the ground!)


----------



## rustynails

Put a cake of moth balls in the problem area and they will stay away from that area but it will not kill them. You must find the nest.


----------



## oldnovice

Not to make fun of your problem but maybe the new immigration policy will do something about WASPS!

I have the occasional one or two but to this day I cannot determine how hey are getting in the house. In California houses get tented for termites and that kills everything in the house from spider to rats to termites and wasps.

My brother had wasps and he added wasp traps to a number of trees in his yard and, it appears to have reduced the problem.


----------



## Grandpa

gfadvm is correct on the gasoline. Dead as soon as it hits them if not before. Old farmer trick. I think liquid detergent diluted with water will also take care of them and it is friendly. It will stop honey bees instantly. I don't like to use it on them but sometimes they get in my water meter housing etc. then they have to go.


----------



## wormil

Never tried gas on wasps, tried it on hornets once… *once*.


----------



## ksSlim

Find the nest, spray it with any hydrocarbon spray. Most multistores sell "wasp kill".
If they are in the house, go check the attic. Repeat, spray the nest and any inhabitants


----------



## oldnovice

This is a humorous, almost dreadful, example of how to get rid of unwanted wasp/hornets and the like.

Back where I lived in Illinois there is a lot of clay "top soil" and in the hot summer the clay cracks open and a particular species of bee/wasp builds hives deep in the cracks. Water will not drive them out as the build in such a way that the nest is protected and the water just flows by. The only way to get the underground dwellers is with gasoline as it is not the liquid but the vapors that penetrate their barriers.

I had some of these critters by my clothesline (and ancient from of clothes dryer) and every time my wife went out to hang up clothes she was in danger of a sting or two or three or … ! So I poured gasoline into the crack and it did kill them off.

A friend of mine had the same problem and he tried the same solution except, he thought it would be cute to light the gasoline. Which he did but he didn't move the gas can far enough away and flames where starting to lick at the can. He grabbed the can an threw it as hard as he could and just after reaching the apex of flight it exploded causing the neighbors to come out of the homes to see what was going on and, shortly thereafter, the police asking for an explanation as to why he did what he did.

This could have been a real bad accident but it turned out to be sort of humorous as no one was hurt!


----------



## BigYin

disolve 6 ounces of sugar in half a pint of water.
When cool place 1 inch deep in open topped jam jars
leave on window sills around house and workshop

sugar attracts wasps who drown while eating


----------



## Charlie5791

Call the Orkin Man.

No, seriously. I had to call them once when I had some bees who had found a way in between the brick facade of my old house. I mentioned wasps and he went around and sprayed the eaves and a couple other spots. No wasps all that summer or the next. Cost me about $100 if I remember correctly and believe me I could spend that in wasp spray in one summer.

I've also had tremendous good luck with anything from Terro. Haven't looked to see if they have a wasp product, but it's worth a look as well. I prefer not to be a "summer time war" guy, but rather a "nuke 'em and get on with my life" kinda guy.


----------



## Kentuk55

I hope you can get those under control, and eventually gone. They can be deadly….........really. But, night time is the right time to spray their nests with the wasp spray. It's worked for me pretty well. Shutters are one o their favorite spots to build. I have sprayed the wasp & hornet spray around each shutter, and that seems to create a "barrier" that they don't want to pass. It might have to be done a couple of times a year during the summer if you have a lot of rain that washes the barrier away.. Good luck….


----------



## jeffswildwood

I have a thing about throwing gas on or around my house! I like my house and the fire potential is far more then I can handle. Many sprays out there that do the job quite well without being so flammable. One thing is true, you MUST find the nests. Not always easy. With me it's wasps in the spring, yellow jackets in the fall. I'll just walk about my yard looking from time to time. Trying to catch them early. especially the jackets. But I leave the gas for my lawnmower, not on my house!


----------



## dhazelton

Carburator cleaner works as well. Use the straw for pinpoint accuracy. It will take a bee down midflight. Throwing gasoline on your house doesn't sound smart, but carb cleaner isn't much different.


----------



## Ironwing_1

Shelly,
For what it's worth, what you've got there looks like a organ pipe mud dauber. We've got these buggers all over the outside our log cabin. They look scary and occasionally find their way indoors but generally they're not particularly aggressive (unlike say, yellowjackets).
Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to find the nest and go out in the evening kill 'em all off in one fell swoop. These wasps aren't social critters and don't build communal nests. They individually build little tubes of mud and fill them up with eggs and paralyzed spiders. I've never seen a nest anywhere but on the outside of a building. Typically you're going to find these nests on your house somewhere, up under the eaves or around your windows or under your deck or something like that.
If you really want to get rid of them, you'll have to look around outside and look for those mud tubes. Hopefully they're on your house and not your neighbor's. Wait until you see a wasp come around (they "sing" when they're inside the tube) and then blast it with wasp spray (please don't dump gasoline on your house). Once it's good and dead, scrape off the mud nest to get rid of the young. Unfortunately, this is an individual-by-individual strategy and the best you can hope for is population control, not extermination.
Alternately, figure out how they're getting inside your house and block it up.
Personally, being in a log cabin, I find the carpenter bees and other wood-boring insects a lot higher up the list, and these guys help keep the spiders down, so i don't worry much about them as long as the nests aren't in my living space like the porches.
Best of luck!

Joel


----------



## IrreverentJack

Brake cleaner drops them as fast as the wasp spray.


----------



## JoeinGa

If your're gonna put gas in a spray bottle… ya just mite as well use a can of hair spray and a Bic lighter…. Instant *FLAMETHROWER*


----------



## ScaleShipWright

I second the suggestion of putting wasp traps; you can do some very easily recycling plastic bottles:


----------



## shelly_b

Ironwing-we have a few muddaubers, but they are not too bad. But these are the paper wasps that make the unbrella type nest. That I know of, they are not attracted to sweet stuff. With Payton and the animals around, I try to avoid chemicals as much as I can, but I may end up having to call the orkin man. The thought of not having to deal with them all year is pretty enticing. The sound of gas sounds good since it is not toxic, and once the fumes go away, it is no longer flamable….but I promise to be careful if I do use it Water and dish soap sounds great so I hope that works!! I have heard it coats their wings so they can't fly…In the garage I try to suck em up with the shop vac…but none of those are a peranent solution. I have researched types of traps/attractants, but cannot find any for this type of wasp.


----------



## Grandpa

I have used gasoline in an oiler. the kind of can with the pump lever on the side. Works great.


----------



## gfadvm

James- Gas will eat one of those plastic pump sprayers. Forgot to mention: don't use a styrofoam coffee cup to toss your gas!

I don't understand the fear of gasoline. It takes a sperk or flame to ignite it. It scares me a lot more to see someone gassing up their car while smoking.

I tried the water/dish soap in a 1 quart sprayer. Have yer tennies on cause yer gonna need to run!


----------



## Grandpa

I killed the bees in my water meter. It doesn't kill like gasoline because it has to contact them to suffocate them but it does the job.


----------



## wormil

When I was six I stepped in a yellow jacket nest. My nearby uncle saw and knowing the nest was there he ran over and scooped me up smacking at my legs (because the bees had flown up my pant legs). Being little I thought the stings were him smacking me and started fighting back. It was uproariously funny to everyone but me, covered in red welts. That has nothing to do with killing bees but this thread dredged up the memory.


----------



## bandit571

Next time one gets a 2 liter bottle of Mountain Dew, leave about 2" in the bottom. At the top, right above the label, cut the top off. Install the cut off top cap end down into the bottle. tape the joint closed. Sit out on a porch rail, away from most traffic areas. Next day, build another one. First one will be full.


----------



## shelly_b

LOL I've seen someone try to scoop up gas with a foam cup…came back out with a half a cup lol. I've been stung plenty of times, but luckily never been swarmed, and hope never to be! I'd much rather they drop than me have to run from them!


----------



## shelly_b

bandit-those work great for yellow jackets, but this kind of wasp doesn't seem to be attracted to sweet stuff…unless there is something else in mountain dew they like.


----------



## roman

show no fear

a little smoke

done deal


----------



## bandit571

Get a large can of WD40, with that red "straw". Have a lighter handy. Spray them first, use the lighter as a defense. WD40 is basically KEROSENE in a spray can.


----------



## LakeLover

If you can start early in the spring. Hang a paper bag that is fluffed up to look like a nest. Under the eaves.deck in sheds. They are territorial and will not build a nest nearby. You can buy imitation wasp nests but a bag works just as well.

I know it sound stupid, it does work.

Wasp traps, a little beer, bananna peel, they love it.

We had on nest with the Bold faced wasp. very aggressive beggers, We hit it with wasp blaster 3-4 times and they reappeared. I knocked the nest down and apart, inside the young ones were still hatching. So they got gas and a match.


----------



## donbee

I had a HUMUNGOUS wasp nest in my shed a few years ago. It was the papermaking variety. It was round and almost 2 feet in diameter. Too big for me to mess with, so I got an exterminator to do the deed. He was so impressed with its size he wanted to get it out in one piece for a display piece. Too bad it broke up.
ANYWAY, after the excitement, I heard that WD40 would repel wasps so I liberally sprayed the area. I do it every year or two. I have had no wasps return even though I did nothing else to get rid of them or keep them out.

Does WD40 really work? I can't say so for sure, but you can judge for yourself by my result.

Don


----------



## shelly_b

LakeLover- never heard of that…but sound like a good idea. I'm gonna have to try that! When I can find the nest I spray it and knock it down, but I can't always find it…


----------



## shelly_b

Don-I am willing to try anything! I am going to have one oily house lol


----------



## AUBrian

Could be worse….you could have this: http://gizmodo.com/5994461/holy-hell-a-giant-22-foot-wasp-nest-is-the-most-terrifying-thing


----------



## reesbee

Ah, it's an age old problem… reminds me of how another group tried to deal with an unwanted Nest…

VASQUEZ : Okay. We have several canisters of CM-20. I say we go back in there and nerve gas the whole %$# nest.
HICKS: It's worth the try, but we don't know if that's gonna affect them.
HUDSON: Let's just bug out and call it even, mat! What are we even talking about this for?
RIPLEY: I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
BURKE: Hold on a second. This installation has a substantial dollar value attached to it.

Good Luck Shelly!


----------



## SCOTSMAN

I had a wasps nest in my roof space and was advised, and bought some spray it sprays well across a room so no need to get close at all.I was told to spray it near the entrance hole of the nest which any wasps going in or out carry into the hole it blocks off the hole eventually and the stuff carried inside kills all the young ones.I have seen on tv another material made I think from walnut shells harmless to humans and animals it kills them stone dead in minutes.I am sorry to hear of your problem If I were nearer I would come help.I take it your not in Scotland LOL Have safe fun Alistair


----------



## OliverArts

Around here we keep a sprayer full of turpentine. Go gotta find the nest and go after it.


----------



## shelly_b

AUBrian- They better just throw some gas and light a match lol. That's crazy!! LOL no where near scotland alistair! It's cooled off a little so they haven't been so active the last few days. As soon as it gets hot and they come back out I'm going nest hunting though!!


----------



## Jenee

It's better to use a natural way of getting rid of wasps. I have read a site by Steve Baker. It talks about how to get rid of wasps naturally. I hope this helps everyone too. http://waspsgone.com/


----------



## kelvancra

I walked past my BBQ and got hit twice before I figured out where they were hiding. Watched and saw where they came from, then went and got my shop vac and set it up with a couple tubes and just ran it for an hour at their entry. That solved the problem.

A few days later, I found an even bigger nest in a roll of carpet. I had about six vac tubes (I pick them up cheap at yard sales) and was able to set up about twelve feet from the problem area. Many would attack the tube and, magically, disappear. Again, it took about an hour. I had so many that time, I learned to kill them and empty the container to avoid the smell of decaying wasps or hornets.

I presumed the spray was explosive so just shut the vac off, pull the hose and sprayed a little in the tub, then put the hose back on. That did the job.

Other times, just a piece of meat over water will do. They feed till they are so heavy they fall. Put a few drops of soap in the water, to make it "wetter."


----------



## stevepeterson

I know this is an old thread, but I will reply anyway. I also skip the chemicals and head straight for the shop vac. Wait until dark so most of them will be in the nest. Suck up as many nests as you can. Plug the end of the hose after finishing to prevent them from crawling back out.


----------



## bondogaposis

Move to Montana, it's 7° below zero here, and I haven't seen a wasp all day.


----------



## kelvancra

Uh, Bondo, you do know it's a trick, don't you?


----------

