There are several common types of wasps in the US including yellow jackets, paper wasps, hornets, and mud daubers. All of these can become a problem if they invade your yard or home.
Most people mistakenly believe that wasps are only a problem in the spring and summer. Yet, if wasps build their winter nest in your home, that could be a big problem.
Read on to learn how to kill wasps and how to find a wasp nest and take care of the problem once and for all.
why wasps come inside your house
Wasps are regularly found outside during spring and summer. But as the weather gets cooler, why is that you might find a black wasp in the house?
When they come inside, wasps are either looking for food, a place to make their nest, a place to hibernate for winter, or by accident.
All wasps need a protected space where they can overwinter (or in other words, hibernate).
Several wasps life cycle depends on fertile queens having a place where they can ride out winter. These queens choose the site and may choose your attic or another warm place inside your home as their overwintering site.
Or a wasp might have accidentally come into your home through an open window or broken screen door.
If a wasp nest exists near any openings of your home such as by a window or door, chances are that wasps will get inside your home. Read on to discover what you need to do.
how to find a wasp nest
The best way to stop wasps from coming inside your home is to find the nest. Make sure you distinguish between wasps’ nest and beehives.
Bees are an endangered species that is crucial to pollinate our food and plants. A honeybee hive has hexagons while a wasps’ nest is swirled and often made out of dead tree shavings.
the difference between bees and wasps
It can be difficult to tell the difference between bees and wasps, especially when one is buzzing around you.
Bees can be all black, or black-brown with orange or yellow stripes. Honey bees are hairy and have thick bodies.
Wasps are usually smooth and shiny bodies with narrow waists. They have 4 wings and have black and yellow patterns. The easiest way to tell the difference is by the size of their waist.
Once you’re sure you’ve found the wasp nest, proceed with caution.
destroy the wasp nest
Wasp nest sprays can be dangerous to the health of animals and humans so it’s best to avoid these chemicals in your yard.
A simple way to target the nest is by squirting some dish soap into your hose. Then, blast the nest with the high-pressure water until all the suds are gone. Soap clogs the breathing pores of wasps so they almost instantly die.
Another option is to build a small fire or place a BBQ directly under the wasp nest. The smoke will force the wasps to leave their nest. Once you are sure they are gone, you can safely remove the nest.
If you want to make your yard unattractive to wasps, there are several ways.
use peppermint oil
Wasps don’t like any kind of mint. So if you have a garden, plant some mint to keep these pesky insects away.
You can also add a couple of drops of peppermint oil to a cotton pad. Place the cotton pad near nests or near windows and doors to prevent wasps from coming into your home.
You can place peppermint oil in sheds and under patio decks and on the roof of your porch – basically anywhere that might look like a cozy place to build a wasp nest.
sugar and water traps
If you feel you can’t enjoy your backyard because of the number of wasps that are roaming around, you can make a simple and effective trap using common household items.
Find a tall glass bottle like a glass soda bottle. Mix a cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar and pour it into the bottle.
Set the sugary trap outside on your porch or by your pool. Wasps will be attracted to the sugar and climb in. They won’t be able to get out and you can simply toss out the jar when you’ve collected several wasps.
You can place as many traps around the yard as you need. If you have any wasps inside your home, you can lure them to one place with this same sugar-water trap.
know when to call in a professional
If you have tried to tackle your wasp problem and are not having luck, it may be time to seek out a professional pest control company.
If you are allergic to wasps, never try to remove a nest or kill a colony yourself. You could put your life at risk.
Also if the nest is high and difficult to reach, play it safe and call the experts.
If you need a ladder to reach a wasp nest, you could fall from the ladder if you get swarmed. Being injured is not worth the risk. Professional insect removers have the right gear to keep them safe as they work.
bottom line on how to kill wasps
Thanks for reading. We hope this post about how to kill wasps is useful in helping you deal with your wasp problem.
Remember that wasp stings are dangerous and can result in dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness, and gasping for breath.
When searching for the right pest control company, make sure you know what to look for to get the best pest control, specialists.
