Get Rid Of Wasps

How To Get Rid Of Wasps

If you need to get rid of wasps you must also become familiar with the different varieties because they may require a different type of approach. Wasps basically come in two different types being solitary and social. The social types are the ones that you are probably trying to take care of because they are most likely invading your personal space.

Social wasps are aggressive because they actually have a territory and nest to protect. Solitary wasps are still as intimidating however, they lay eggs inside their prey so they don't have a nest to aggressively defend. It is important to make sure when you want to get rid of wasps, that they are social. You really want to keep solitary wasps around since they help reduce populations of garden pests.

Popular Types Of Wasps

Bald-Faced Hornet – These are fearsome looking wasps but they are really quite docile. They do live in aerial, large nests and feed at dawn and dusk but they are less aggressive than yellow jackets. These are the most popular wasps in the United States.

Yellow Jacket – These are one of the easily recognized stinging insects due to their bright yellow pattern and thick waist. They are social, territorial and highly aggressive and when you need to get rid of wasps, these are usually the ones causing the trouble. They will sting and bite to their death to defend their nest, injecting a few doses of poison prior to being killed.

Wasp Nest Treatment

Nest removal of social wasps can be a simple process as long as you know what you are doing. First you have to locate the nest which is pretty easy to do by watching for high activity at dawn and dusk when they return to the nest.

Once you find the nest, wait until the evening when there is the least bit of traffic and then prepare yourself. Get dressed in a few layers of clothing along with a pair of gloves. Go to the nest and generously spray the entrance using a wasp killer. Most will die immediately but you should still move very slowly because any kind of movement will definitely attract attention.

If the nest is underground, do not use a projectile spray. You need very little spray for these and you don't want the liquid spraying back at you. For an elevated nest use a wasp poison that will spray 20 feet so you don't have to get too close and you have a better chance of escaping.

Making A Wasp Trap

You can also get rid of wasps by making yourself a trap out of an empty plastic 2-liter bottle.

Begin by using a box cutter or a sharp knife to cut away about one-third of the bottle.

Flip the top of the bottle inside out so the novel is facing inward creating a sort of inverted cone.

Staple this together.

Pour a bit of soda or stale beer in the bottom so the wasps will be attracted to enter through the funnel to find the sweet smell.

Hang the bottle in a high traffic area or somewhere that it will attract the wasps away from your deck or home. The wasps will enter the bottle and either drown or starve.

Put a bag around the trap and throw it away and offer a new one every once in awhile. These are ideal traps because they work and they pretty much cost you absolutely nothing.

Treating Stings

If you happen to get stung while you are trying to get rid of wasps, there is a good chance that you will get stung more than once. Wasps do not have a barbed stinger like a honey bee so they are able to sting several times.

Wash the sting location with soap and water.

Apply a cold compress or an ice pack.

Put some antihistamine cream on it such as Benadryl in under two minutes. This will reduce your chance for an allergic reaction.

Mix up a paste with baking soda and water and apply it to the sting area.