BeerBorg

I have a couple paper wasp nests to deal with. Just noticed them this week, but apparently they've been at it for a while. One is 10' up in an inside corner of the siding about the size of a fist. The other is 20' up in the peak of the roof above the garage door, and is the size of a softball. Plan is to use the wasp/hornet spray that says it can shoot a stream 20' (will believe that when I see it). Plan to do it either around dusk or early morning when the little buggers are supposed to be less active.

Before I do, I thought I would throw it out there to see what others have done. I can't be the only one with a wasp problem.

That spray really does work. And it shoots pretty damn far....I don't know about 20 feet, but its damn close. I've used it before, it works. Just soak the nest as good as you can. I would wait until after dusk too. They are slow and sleepy at night. But give time to fall asleep first. The little bastards won't know what hit them.

The Duck is correct; that spray does work, and it does reach about 20 - 25 feet. Aim for the access hole, but make sure you soak the entire nest as much as possible. Just as dark is falling, or early in the morning is best; they're not active at night. Even so, you could do it at high noon, and as long as you kill the queen and remove the nest, they won't re-inhabit a dead nest.

Just keep one thing in mind -- this stuff contains petroleum distillates. It will stain your siding. Permanently. As in, power washing won't help; nothing will help. If your siding is vinyl, it may even melt it. I'm a professional in the pest control industry, and my company won't use similar products because we had too many liability suits as a result of these types of things.

So if you don't want to use this product, it's understandable. There are other options, but I don't know how available they are to you. Just don't get up on a ladder to try to deal with these things at close hand. The first reaction to being surrounded by angry bees is to step back. You need to find a way to treat it while you're standing at ground level.

A flamethrower? Na, you'd need hot dogs, marshmallows and some iced tea for the firemen that show up.

Rocks? Nope unless you know a good glass guy.

Have your MIL look at them? Na, that could strain the marriage.

Yeah, I think it's best to go with the spray. Glad I could help.

MIL for the WIN.

RUN AWAY!

I've used the spray as well but must not have hit the sides of my house because I don't recall any staining. But heed FedoraDave's words as this is what he does.

As a precaution I dressed in thick clothes and wore gloves, a hat, etc. in case they did buzz about.

Oh, and Inkleg's MIL comment just about made me piss my pants!

Kealia wrote:As a precaution I dressed in thick clothes and wore gloves, a hat, etc. in case they did buzz about.

Weenie.

In all seriousness, take as many precautions as you can. Many times, an exposed nest is made by bald-faced hornets, and they're nasty buggers. They're capable of multiple stings, as they don't have barbed stingers. They attack without provocation, and they've even been known to attack their own reflections in a piece of glass. In other words, if you could classify any insect as being criminally insane, it would be bald-faced hornets.

Not that yellowjackets are cuddly li'l heart-throbs, either. You're attacking their home and their family, and they're going to protect it.

I have used the spray and it works good. Nighttime is key. We have them damn ground wasps here, and they are mean as shit.

Whamolagan wrote:I have used the spray and it works good. Nighttime is key. We have them damn ground wasps here, and they are mean as shit.

I get several of the ground ones here every year. I use Tempo, works great but pretty spendy.

My question would be, are they in a place in which they are easily disturbed?

If not, and they're not aggressive, I would just leave them be. I have two nests
under my deck right now, that have been there for months and unless I look up
at them, I don't even know they're there.

In a few weeks, the weather will turn, the wasps will disappear and then I'll knock the nests down.
Alot simpler IMHO.

My two cents, for what it's worth.

Teutonic Terror's suggestion also works. I recall having a big barbecue one summer, and noticing late that morning that there were wasps going in and out around one of the roof soffits. But since it was a good 25 or 30 feet above everyone's heads, nobody got bothered by it. Haven't seen them in that area since then. As I mentioned before, they don't re-inhabit a dead nest.

Thanks for all the comments guys! I also considered the "leave 'em alone" method as the aren't really bothering me, but SWMBO wants them gone so...

Picked up some spray this weekend and the can actually says that it won't stain vinyl siding. Then it says to test it in an inconspicuous area in case it stains the siding...

Haven't used it yet. Going to be cooler the next few nights (upper 50s) so might wait until Tuesday. Already planning my escape route...

gwcr wrote:Thanks for all the comments guys! I also considered the "leave 'em alone" method as the aren't really bothering me, but SWMBO wants them gone so...

Picked up some spray this weekend and the can actually says that it won't stain vinyl siding. Then it says to test it in an inconspicuous area in case it stains the siding...

Haven't used it yet. Going to be cooler the next few nights (upper 50s) so might wait until Tuesday. Already planning my escape route...

A large grain bag makes a good head net to keep them wasps out!

LouieMacGoo wrote:

gwcr wrote:Thanks for all the comments guys! I also considered the "leave 'em alone" method as the aren't really bothering me, but SWMBO wants them gone so...

Picked up some spray this weekend and the can actually says that it won't stain vinyl siding. Then it says to test it in an inconspicuous area in case it stains the siding...

Haven't used it yet. Going to be cooler the next few nights (upper 50s) so might wait until Tuesday. Already planning my escape route...

A large grain bag makes a good head net to keep them wasps out!

What a great idea! I have a 5G paint strainer bag that I used to use for BIAB. Neighbors already think I'm insane, so may as well prove them right!!