How To Use Wasp Control Products

True enough, the next thing you would want to do after a wasp stings you is to make sure that even their grandparent wasps would feel your pain. That is understandable, a wasp’s sting, pooled with its venom, is a nasty combination that could send you howling for revenge. But before you decide to grab that baseball bat and make their hive your baseball, you may want to remember that wasps are fierce insects, and you wouldn’t want to do a “home run” with a whole coven of aggressive wasps that are out to sting you.

Wasps and bees are important for food production.  Bees pollinate fruits and vegetable crops, while wasps prey on insect pests that are harmful to these crops.  Wasps are often mistaken for bees, but they actually look different.  Wasps have a "waistline".  Their abdomen tapers, becoming a small tube that attaches to the thorax.  Bees make honey and feed their larvae with nectar and pollen.  Wasps on the other hand forage for food to feed their young (larvae): insects, spiders, fruits, sweets and even meats.

Unfortunately, both can threaten the health of human beings.  Statistics show that between 50 -100 people die due to an allergic reaction to the venom from the sting of bees and wasps.

Wasps can either be solitary (living alone) or part of a colony.  Colonies are larger threats than solitary insects because they will defend their hive in great numbers when threatened.  Generally, wasps do not bother humans.  If the colony is found away from human population, it is not necessary to destroy the nest. 

Controlling Nests

The best time for wasp control is while the colony is still small. This is when the queen has just established her colony.  Wasp control is best done at night when the wasps are less active and have difficulty flying due to lower temperatures. 

Exposed nests.  Hornets and paper wasps have exposed nests.  To exterminate exposed nests:

1. Apply a wasp aerosol spray into the entrance of the nest.
2. Check for any wasp activity the next day.  If there is no activity, the wasps have been successfully exterminated.
3. If some wasps have survived, repeat the process every three days until you are sure all wasps are dead.

Ground nests.  Some wasps like yellow jackets nest on the ground.  You can pour a solution of water and laundry/dish soap into the entrance of the nest.  If this doesn't work, do the following:

1. Pour any of the following insecticides in the opening.

• acephate (liquid concentrate like Orthene)
• carbaryl (as dust or liquid concentrate like Sevin)
• chlorpyrifos (as dust like Dursban)

2. Check for wasp activity.  If wasps are still present, repeat treatment.

3. Seal the entrance of the nest with soil only when all the wasps are dead.

Note: Use only a product suited for the garden. Dusts are more effective than liquid insecticides that sometimes do not reach the nest.

Concealed nests

Wasps may have nest hidden in walls.  If you see a wasp flying to and from a hole in your house, chances are that the colony is deep within the voids of the wall.  Exterminate the nest by:

1. Delivering a dust type insecticide using the built-in applicator or a plastic container with a tube tip.  If the hole is too small, you may need to bore a 1/8" hole to deliver the insecticidal dust.
2. Check for wasp activity the next day.  Repeat #1 every three days until the colony has been exterminated.
3. Seal the hole.

You can use any of the following types of insecticides: boric acid, bendiocarb or chlorpyrifos. 

When you are not sure what type of wasp is in your property, or are generally unsure as to what to do with them, it is best to call in a professional exterminator.  Bee and wasp exterminators can give you sound advice on how to deal with your ‘wasp problem'.  Sometimes, the problem may not be life threatening to warrant a major extermination.  Remember, wasps (like bees) are critically important in Mother Nature's natural bio-control program.