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The best way to safely take away a wasp nest with no hurt to those essential pollinators, no threat of stings to you, and no poison!
Through the years, I’ve shared many secure, different strategies for pest management in and across the residence.
Wasps, nonetheless, have been at all times a troublesome drawback for me to unravel.
Whereas getting a small flock of yard chickens eradicated wasp nests from porch railings and hidden inside bushes, a number of giant wasp nests nonetheless pop up throughout the spring and summer season months.
They normally seem beneath the eves of the home, properly out of attain of my feathered associates!
Eradicating these nests has at all times been a tough state of affairs for a number of causes.
Wasps are Crucial Pollinators and Predators
Wasps are crucial pollinators within the meals chain.
And, since I’ve a big backyard as do a lot of my neighbors, preserving pollinators for the neighborhood is essential!
In addition to pollination duties, wasps additionally scale back the inhabitants of pests that may plague meals crops resembling caterpillars and whiteflies. Within the case of caterpillars, they accomplish this by laying parasitic eggs contained in the caterpillar.
As meat eaters, wasps additionally scale back the inhabitants of different nuisance bugs. Even a small wasp colony can eat as much as 3,000 flies, mosquitos, and spiders per day as a protein supply. (1)
In brief, it isn’t okay to kill wasps within the majority of circumstances.
Discovering a option to transfer them resembling you’ll do with a honeybee colony present in your storage is a significantly better strategy for each you and the atmosphere!
Poison is a Non-Starter
I haven’t ever used poison to take away wasps, nor would I ever name a pest management firm to carry out this service both.
Poison not solely kills them, which is counterproductive to the ecosystem as described above, however additionally it is a poisonous endeavor for the house owner.
Wasps generally construct nests beneath the eves of a house. This may also be in shut proximity to home windows, the place poisonous fumes can acquire entry to the inside of the house.
Simply say no to poison in the case of eliminating wasp nests!
Threat of A number of Stings
When you’ve realized that killing the wasps shouldn’t be perfect, then the subsequent factor that’s of concern is the excessive threat of getting stung throughout the wasp nest elimination course of.
In different phrases, when you’re within the “don’t kill the wasps” camp, merely pulling down the nest so that they have to hunt greener pastures elsewhere is dangerous enterprise.
In contrast to honeybees, which solely sting you as soon as, a single wasp can inflict a number of stings right away.
This will occur by thick clothes like a pair of denims too!
I’ve been identified to take a brush, knock down a wasp nest within the early morning when exercise is low, after which run as quick as I can into the home. 😂
I’ve had so many wasp stings over time that I’ve actually misplaced rely. This residence treatment for wasp stings is my go-to remedy to keep away from swelling and a doable allergic response.
In fact, now that I’ve a honey-producing yard beehive, I can placed on my beekeeper go well with for such a job. That looks like overkill, at the very least to me although!
Wasps Shortly Rebuild Close by
One other drawback with the “knock down the nest” technique is that the wasps can rapidly construct a brand new nest close by.
So, when you achieve eradicating one nest, you haven’t succeeded in any respect in deterring the wasps from taking on residence below one other roofing edge, eve or overhang as shut as a couple of yards away!
Thus, simply pulling down the nest is a vicious circle that by no means actually ends.
Greatest Method to Take away a Wasp Nest
The excellent news is that there’s a straightforward technique that each preserves the wasps, prevents you from getting stung, AND encourages the wasps to construct a brand new nest distant from your home.
This strategy is what I name the “brown paper bag” technique for wasp elimination, for lack of a greater identify.
You see, wasps are extremely territorial.
So, in the event that they see a mega-hive close by, the residents of the smaller hive are going to skedaddle for greener pastures elsewhere.
As you’ll be able to see from the image beneath, this fairly giant wasp nest emptied out in a rush at my residence! As soon as the wasps are gone, you’ll be able to safely take away the nest with no poison and no threat of stings!
Brown Paper Bag Methodology
All it’s essential to punk the wasps into transferring to a different location that isn’t close to your home is to hold a brown paper bag inside a couple of toes of the nest.
The brown paper bag is a faux nest that triggers alarm within the wasps to rapidly vacate the premises.
So long as you aren’t disturbing the prevailing nest, there’s little threat of getting stung. I counsel hanging it throughout instances of low nest exercise resembling early morning or nightfall.
Should you don’t have a brown paper bag useful (grocery store variations work nice), then a protracted piece of brown paper that comes as a part of the packing materials for deliveries is an efficient substitute.
Sorts of Wasps Affected
This technique works for social wasps that stay in colonies. In my space of the nation, that will primarily embrace paper wasps as proven within the picture above.
The brown bag strategy additionally works for northern paper wasps that construct sturdier nests with the larvae cells fully enclosed.
Word that this technique is ineffective for solitary wasps that construct particular person nests resembling thread-waisted wasps.
Directions
Merely form a brown paper bag together with your palms in order that it seems like a large wasp nest.
Then, connect it beneath a roofing edge close by.
The method of the wasps leaving the outdated nest and rebuilding far away can take anyplace from a couple of days to a few weeks.
Climate Impacts Effectiveness
The one problem to the effectiveness of this technique is the climate.
If it rains, then the brown paper bag turns into a soggy mess and falls down. So, make sure to gauge when you should have a dry spell of at the very least a couple of days. A full two weeks is greatest.
Additionally, you will wish to take care to put the bag in a spot the place the morning dew gained’t dampen it, probably inflicting it to disintegrate.
The best way to Know When the Wasps Have Moved
As soon as the wasps are gone, you’ll be able to safely knock down the outdated nest with none threat to your self or the wasps (who’re lengthy gone dwelling elsewhere anyway).
Early morning and late night are the least lively instances for wasps. (2)
Thus, the center of the day is the very best time of day to verify for any residual colony exercise.
When you see no exercise for a day or two, then the coast is obvious to take away the outdated nest because the wasps are safely homesteading elsewhere.
Have you ever tried the brown paper bag strategy for eradicating a wasp nest? Let me find out about your outcomes!
(1) Is it Okay to Kill Wasps?
(2) What to Know About Wasp Nests
