Even the best summer picnic in the garden may be ruined by the noisy buzzing of striped flying pests. The majority of people are afraid of wasps as the wasp sting is poisonous and may be fatal if one has an allergy. So as soon as you notice their presence on your household territory, avoid the danger zone and examine how to destroy a wasp nest.
Wasp Identification
Let me explain what a wasp nest is, how to remove this construction safely, and what measures to take for its complete extermination.
Wasps are stinging flying insects. Their body structure is typical for all insects:
- three body parts: the head, the thorax, the abdomen;
- six legs;
- two jointed antennae;
- strong jaws;
- hard exoskeleton.
The prominent differences between wasps and other flying insects are a bright yellow color and a sting (a tough black needlelike part placed as a tail on the abdomen). Unlike bees, every attempt of the defense of which is fatal, wasps sting several times in a row.
There are approximately 30 000 species of wasps. Most of them are social insects. It means that they live in huge colonies with a strict structure: a queen, workers, and makers of future generations — males and young queens. Wasps are active during 3 seasons: from spring to late fall.
The danger of the wasp nest
The nest of these insects is dangerous because it is a place of concentration of hazardous species. Even one wasp sting may provoke an allergic reaction. Moreover, several bites cause a severe reaction that may be fatal.
If you don’t destroy the wasp nest, next year, you and your neighbors risk sharing the territory with insects. Wasps may be attracted to your house by aromas of sweets, fruits, flowers, and meat. If you are a BBQ-lover, pay attention to the insects flying over your stake and if there is a nest hanging near your grill.
How to Get Rid of a Wasp Nest?
Getting rid of the wasps’ nest may be challenging. However, if you want to find out how to remove a wasp nest and try it yourself, follow this plan:
- Do research where the nest is located.
- Choose an aerosol, spray, or insecticide dust.
- Exterminate these flying pests at night. Wasps are less active in the dark, and most of them are inside the nest.
- Put on a full wasp costume that protects your body, hands, and face.
- While you are approaching the nest, do not point a flashlight directly to the structure, because it may provoke the wasps to defense.
- Try to reach the nest opening smoothly and silently.
- Apply the chemical directly to the opening. It is better to spread the chemical through a long extension pole to access the nest from the safer distance.
- Do not break the nest during the treatment. It will infuriate the wasps, and they will sting every living being around.
- After treatment, wait for 3-4 days before removing a wasps nest. You need to ensure that colony is dead.
- If you still notice pests flying around, repeat the extermination.
Tools for treatment
Insecticide dust and sprays
The most popular chemical treatments are wasp insecticide dust and sprays. The toxic ingredients block vital functions of the wasps, so they die in 10-20 hours. The pesticides might be spread on the inseсts’ backs deep inside the nest.
I advise you to pour the dust over the opening hole so every newcomer to the nest will be covered with the dust. Either dust or spray should be used with a protective mask over the mouth and nose.
Protective suits
Except for the facial mask, it is necessary to wear a beekeeper’s suit that will cover all the body and keep it safe from the stings. The suit should include trousers, a jacket, gloves, boots, a hat with a veil. Thus, it should protect you, but it might not help with the huge wasp attack.
Traps
You can also use wasp traps and fake nests to control the invasion. Hang the traps in your garden or next to the entrance and windows. The more, the better, as it shows you the number of killed pests and scares the insects. Some scholars say that wasps inform their fellows about death, so they try to avoid dangerous places.
Fake nests
The wasps are territorial insects, which means they tend to settle near the already existing colony. In such a way, the fake nest is a great wasp deterrent. I advise you to hang it near your house in early spring so the young queens will avoid your property.
Also, pay attention to these preventive recommendations:
- Keep your trash cans tight close with the lids.
- Clean up all leftovers and spills at once.
- Cover up your food and beverages when you are eating outdoors.
- Rake fallen leaves, fruits and utilize them.
- Use the traps around the perimeter of the territory you want to protect.
- Hang the fake nest on your terrace or in the garden.
- In the late autumn, check the territory, house, any possible places for wasps to hibernate and get rid of any cohabitants for winter.
If you found the abandoned nest, don’t worry, wasps won’t come back to it. It is more likely that during the winter, it will disintegrate. Nevertheless, check cracks around as wasps may hide near for the next season.
How to Remove Wasp Nest With Top 5 Wasp Nest Treatments
Here I share the best methods for the total removal of the pests from your property. If you have a giant nest on your territory, it is better to use them all to get rid of and prevent any possible invasions.
1. The Wasp Nest Killer — BASF PT Wasp-Freeze II
Specifications:
- Active Ingredient: Prallethrin 0.1%
- Item Form: Aerosol
- Item Weight: 1.09 Pounds
- Item Dimensions LxWxH: 2.63 x 2.63 x 11 inches
- Target Species: Wasps, Hornets, Yellow Jackets, Spiders
It is the best spray for wasp extermination. This 17.5 oz bottle sprays with foamy liquid chemicals, that is why you should be very careful with it. Avoid contact with skin, eyes, mouth because it may provoke an allergic reaction or burn.
The manual says that the item can spread effectively 15 feet away from the target, but I advise to use it to the area up to 10 feet. With lesser distance, you get more direct shot, but on over 10 feet distance, it sprays like a shower.
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2. Practical Helper for the Wasp Nest Removal — Delta Dust
Specifications:
- Active Ingredient: Deltamethrin 0.05%
- Coverage Area: 1 lb. Covers 1,000 sq. ft.
- Item Weight: 1 pounds
- Product Dimensions LxWxH: 3.8 x 1.9 x 9.63 inches
- Target Species: Ants, Bed Bugs, Boxelder Bugs, Cockroaches, Crickets, Fleas, Firebrats, Silverfish, Termites, Carpenter Ants, Carpenter Bees, Centipedes, Ground Bettles, Millipedes, Scorpions, Spiders, Sowbugs, Wasps, Bees, Webbing, Clothes Moths, Carpet Beetles, Pantry Pest, Plant Pest, Slugs, and Ticks
This Bayer`s product is made to get rid of dangerous insects such as ants, bugs, cockroaches, fleas, termites, centipedes, spiders, wasps, bees, clothes moths, etc.
The white powder substance easily spreads to the farthest corners of the nest on the insects` backs, where the pesticide dust stays long enough to kill all wasps. The colony dies in 2-3 days; then, you can remove the nest.
Delta Dust is waterproof insecticide dust, so it works even in the wet places. The best option is to spray it inside the nest through duster. This way, it will get around faster. On the other hand, you can pour the powder inside the nest opening, and the wasps will spread the insecticides themselves.
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3. Getting Rid of Wasp Nest Without Chemicals — Aircrow Fake Wasp Nest
Specifications:
- Without toxic chemicals
- Material: Durable Foam
- Item Weight: 2.39 ounces
- Product Dimensions LxWxH: 7 x 8.5 x 1 inches
- Target Species: Wasps
It is an artificial wasps’ nest made of durable foam. The product works as a deterrent, so it scares away pests from your property. There were cases when wasps abandoned their own nest because they saw the fake one in the neighborhood.
The Aircrow has pleasant ornament; therefore, it won’t spoil your outdoor composition.
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4. How to Safely Remove a Wasp Nest? Only in Vivo Beekeeping Suit
Specifications:
- Material: Polyester
- Size: Large
- Department: Unisex-adult
- Item Weight: 1.39 pounds
- Product Dimensions LxWxH: 17.8 x 12.8 x 3.8 inches
This professional beekeeping suit is made of the white lightweight polyester fabric that protects from stings and stays cool in hot summer days. It consists of a pullover and a hat with a veil zipped together in the neck area. It is comfortable to wear as the hat is collapsible like a hood.
It is easy to wash the suit and the hat. However, you should wash them manually.
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5. What Kills Wasps Better than Aspectek Wasp Trap?
Specifications:
- Material: ABS Plastic
- Number of Pieces: 2
- Item Weight: 12.3 ounces
- Product Dimensions LxWxH: 5.1 x 5.1 x 5.5 inches
- Target Species: Bee, Hornet, Wasp
According to my experience, no wasp trap is better than this item from Aspectek. It is made from bright yellow ABS plastic in the form of a small pumpkin. The trap has holes through which wasps are attracted inside by the bright color. As soon as wasps get in, they can not fly out of the Aspectek, so they die inside it. I recommend hanging the trap not in the resting areas, but near them. So the wasps won’t bother you.
Moreover, the manual contains several recipes for the homemade lure. Nevertheless, the best bait is a mixture of ½ cup of juice (orange or cranberry) with 3 spoons of sugar.
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FAQ
I suppose the guide above helped you to understand how to get rid of a wasp nest. To clarify all the possible questions you may have, here are the most common supplementary queries.
What is wasp nest?
The wasp nest is a home for a colony. It is a protected place for the wasp queen, where it lays hundreds of eggs every day. Here workers take care of larvae, and males fertilize future queens. It is the core of wasps’ social life that still contains secrets for scientists to solve. The most common places for a wasp nest are:
- wall cavities;
- roof spaces;
- under eaves;
- in bird boxes;
- sheds;
- garages;
- on trees.
What are wasp nests made of?
Wasps live in paper nests that are made from chewed wood turned into a pulp. After picking up the place to settle, the queen looks for the wood fiber (trees, furniture, cardboard). It mixes the fiber with saliva in its mouth till it breaks down to form a soft pulp and constructs the first cells to lay the egg workers.
In a few days, it gets the first helpers that also build the nest by forming the pulp into hexagonal cells. When the pulp dries, it turns into the sturdy material.
If you knock down a wasp nest will they go away?
They definitely won’t go away immediately. If you knock down the nest, all wasps will attack you viciously. Even if one insect stings you, it will mark you with some identifying chemical so that the swarm will chase you for some time. So, if you are fast enough, better run directly to the shower.
When to spray wasp nest?
Spray the wasp nest in the dark. It may be twilights, night, or at sunrise. During these periods of the day, wasps are less active, and you have better chances to avoid stings.
Related Post: How to Get Rid of Paper Wasps
What is a wasp life cycle?
With the first warm days, the queen wasp rises from the winter hibernation and searches for a place for a future colony. It builds a few cells from chewed wood combined with wood pulp. These cells are the base of the colony.
The young queen lays down the first eggs. In a few days, they develop to larvae and then to workers. The newly hatched out workers take over the building duties, so the queen does nothing except producing 200-300 eggs per day. Thus, the workers are responsible for offsprings, food, and colony growth.
In the summer, the typical nest consists of almost 10 000 wasps. At the end of the season, the colony reaches its peak, so the further eggs develop into new queens and fertile males.
As soon as cold, rainy weather begins, the queen dies, and the colony loses its social structure. New queens that have been fertilized are looking for a place to hibernate over winter. Next spring, they will be founders of new colonies. So, it is better to check your property and garden in winter. Look under the wooden boards and barks, whether there is a wasp inside. If you find one, try to get it out; otherwise, it will start the invasion in 3 months.
The main sign that the wasps have settled down on your territory is the nest. It could be of any size and dimension because wasps are great in adapting to environmental conditions. They can build the nest even in a house wall.
Related Post: How to Get Rid of Mud Dauber Wasps
Choose Your Best Solution for Serene Summer Evenings
So, if you want to enjoy your holidays outdoors, without fear of being stung, you need to know what to do with a wasp nest. I hope that you will use my tips and a list of treatments. If you tried another insecticide dust or spray for extermination, share your experience in the comments. I’m interested in your methods of removing nests at home and outdoors. Have you tried any pesticides at home? What do you use to prevent wasps’ invasion?
References:
- Wasps and bees (University of Minnesota Extension):
https://extension.umn.edu/insects-infest-homes/wasps-and-bees - Social Insects (NC State Agriculture and Life Sciences):
https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/bug-bytes/social-insects/ - Getting rid of wasps’ nests (Michigan State University):
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/getting_rid_of_wasps_nests - Look out for wasp nests! (University of Minnesota Extension):
https://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/2019/08/look-out-for-wasp-nests.html
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