Anyone have real world experience with paper wasps?

I've got two paper wasp nests on my house, one of which is in a high traffic area (on the underside of the awning (sp?), the other high up under the roof eve (20+ feet up).

The research I've done indicates that paper wasps are relatively unaggressive members in the wasp family (as long as their nest isn't attacked), and so far they are not giving me trouble (I can get a couple feet close to the awning nest), and they leave me alone. My plan is to remove the closer nest for sure, because I don't want to risk an attack.

I'm debating whether to have a professional remove the nest 20 feet up (its too high for me to safely remove it). Up to this point, I'm able to mow the lawns with no aggression shown from the wasps. I also understand that these are beneficial insects, and if they don't pose a threat, should be left alone (they kill harmful insects).

I've had yellowjacket (smaller, but much nastier wasps) nests on my property before, and they would attack from well over 100 feet away, or even randomly when eating outside. These paper wasps leave us alone outside (they don't try to get into our food), and don't seem phazed by the lawn mower.

Will the aggression escalate with time? Should I be concerned about the higher nest? (the one I cannot safely get to without professional help)?

If it's a small nest (exposed combs), you can hit it with the spray from a long range can of wasp killer. Read all the directions on the can first! You should be able to take out all the adult wasps in one shot. However you have to do it very early in the morning or very late at night when they are all at the nest and relatively inactive due to the cooler temperatures. Oh, and don't stand directly under them when you spray as they will fall straight down and will still be alive for a few minutes and able to sting, but they won't (shouldn't) be able to fly. Once all the adults are taken care of, knock down the nest and step on it. Problem solved.

If they are large enclosed nests (usually bigger than a grapefruit) you may want to have a pro come in and take care of it.

I would recommend removing the nest in the high traffic area at the very least, but paper wasps are generally non-aggressive in my experience.

We had a problem with wasps this spring and start of summer. We had several types, and in my experience they tend to get more agressive and territorial as time goes on and the nest grows or when other colonies start up and they compete for territory. With two relatives allergic to stings I did not want to take chances so we took care of the problem.

We had a company come in and spray the house. They used a citrus based spray that takes care of all crawling bugs and wasps etc that land but is not toxic to birds and other animals. The spray sticks to their feet and it gets taken back to the nest.

Within a week, the problem virtually disappeared.

"...don't stand directly under them when you spray as they will fall straight down and will still be alive for a few minutes and able to sting, but they won't (shouldn't) be able to fly..."

..should this be in the "Things I Learned the Hard Way" thread??

..all I can tell you is that I got stung by a wasp once, for no reason, the thing just seemed to eye me and then attacked, I even ran a few feet but it tagged me, once, above the knee..that area has been a bit numb ever since..
I understand they can sting multiple times since their stingers are not barbed. ants are descended from them, and they're pretty smart.

TedTheLed said:

"...don't stand directly under them when you spray as they will fall straight down and will still be alive for a few minutes and able to sting, but they won't (shouldn't) be able to fly..."

..should this be in the "Things I Learned the Hard Way" thread??

..all I can tell you is that I got stung by a wasp once, for no reason, the thing just seemed to eye me and then attacked, I even ran a few feet but it tagged me, once, above the knee..that area has been a bit numb ever since..
I understand they can sting multiple times since their stingers are not barbed. ants are descended from them, and they're pretty smart.

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I was able to remove several small starting nests about two weeks ago (they've built several before I noticed these two) with a high pressure hose.

Unfortunately, the high pressure hose isn't powerful enough to reach the one that is over 20 feet high from the ground.

I'll use the hose to remove the lower one.

Perhaps...I'll stand on a ladder and get closer to the higher one and hose it down...

In all cases, eggs are NOT laid yet (I don't see any white things in the holes)--which is why I'm having an easy time removing them. They're about the size of a golfball, with about 10-15 worker wasps taking turns adding and/or guarding them.


From the posts above, I take it that removing them at the early stage is paramount--since they may not be in full guard mode yet?

Even so, I'm still amazed at how relatively easy going these larger wasps are. I've had the smaller yellowjacket wasps attack me for just being in their way--and even land on me and sting while trying to eat and minding my own business.

These larger paper wasps LOOK more menacing, but they've actually been much easier to remove.

Regarding the sting, my understanding is that only honey bees have barbed stings--which limit them to one sting to birds and mammals (due to the barb sticking into the skin). Wasps (hornets, yellowjackets, etc) and most bees (including bumblebees) can sting many times. Lucklily, so far, I haven't been alergic to bee or wasp stings. Its certainly not fun though, especially when they attack in numbers.

One thing that I have found to kill them quicker than anything else is carburetor cleaner. They ALL fall off the nest immediately and are dead before they hit the ground. But if I had a nest that far away, I would use gasoline in a pump-up garden sprayer. We used gas for several 8-10" dia nests in the barn. It's almost as deadly as carb cleaner.

turbodog said:

One thing that I have found to kill them quicker than anything else is carburetor cleaner. They ALL fall off the nest immediately and are dead before they hit the ground. But if I had a nest that far away, I would use gasoline in a pump-up garden sprayer. We used gas for several 8-10" dia nests in the barn. It's almost as deadly as carb cleaner.

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Yeah, that will certainly work. I once hit a menacing wasp in mid-air with a spray of CRC (5-56 or whatever it was) and it dropped immediately, spasmed once and was dead. I was quite amazed at how effective it was.

But if you want to impress your neighbours, do it after dark and add a lighter. Napalm works on everything! (Just kidding, of course.)

turbodog said:

One thing that I have found to kill them quicker than anything else is carburetor cleaner. They ALL fall off the nest immediately and are dead before they hit the ground. But if I had a nest that far away, I would use gasoline in a pump-up garden sprayer. We used gas for several 8-10" dia nests in the barn. It's almost as deadly as carb cleaner.

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I want to avoid poison, unless necessary (in which case I'd have a professional do it).

I have a pet dog, and don't want any poison used (even if it may disipate). Just breathing that stuff in small amounts in can cause cancer down the road.

The water hose with pressure amplifier has worked fine for me so far. It doesn't kill the wasps, but it does knock the nest down from the eves... and so far they are NOT attacking after the nest is down.

I guess since eggs are not laid yet, they really don't have anything to be defensive about.

I wouldn't just rely on a water hose if this was an aggressive species like yellow jackets that makes nests in the ground, but so far this seems to be working.

I think by getting the nest when small (golf ball size), I'm preventing it from escalating beyond my control. I wouldn't be so aggressive if this was a full sized and mature nest.

Believe it or not, one of the chemicals that seems to have 100 percent knockdown power for me is the Roundup used to kill plants. I had several yellowjackets making diving runs at me while spraying weeds about 2 years ago, and I naturally used the only weapon I had--Roundup (nozzle set to mist for the shotgun effect). It dropped them very quickly--surprising to me since its meant to kill plants, not insects. Works great though, and I assume less toxic than pesticides.

o0o said:

I want to avoid poison, unless necessary (in which case I'd have a professional do it).

I have a pet dog, and don't want any poison used (even if it may disipate). Just breathing that stuff in small amounts in can cause cancer down the road.

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Here's a site with some methods of natural pest control for various insects, including wasps:

http://www.eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm

Although I'm in general agreement with you about the hazards of insecticides, I wish DDT wasn't banned in the US. Selectively used in areas where contact with humans is unlikely, it's like an atomic bomb for insects. It might control pests enough to keep them from spreading to areas where humans live, thus eliminating the need to use other, less effective, but still hazardous, chemicals.

Right now our biggest problem is mosquitoes. There's loads of them out there at night. Occasionally one or two make it in, and you wake up with red welts on exposed skin. I hate mosquitoes with a purple passion.

I encourage the preservation of the living wasps as natural predators of other pestier pests..

you gotta admire those meticuluosly shaped nests with their myriad chambers pressed out of wasp saliva into paper (and yet, they never manage to write anything down, you have to feel sorry for the blocked little criters..but I digress)

I was thinkin once you knock the nest down, how about trying to glue it back up somewhere out of the way? something quick setting maybe...think the bugs'd move back in?

I've been stung twice by these critters. It's NOT pleasant at all. I would NOT recommend gasoline to get rid of them. Use the spray bombs designed expressly for the job. They have a very strong, accurate and easily aimed jet that enables you to completely douse the nest and eliminate them. Before starting, make sure to wear long sleeves and pants plus a hat. Takes a few seconds and solves the problem completely. As much as you'd like to, you can't coexist with these bugs. Get rid of them. They're not on the endangered list.

TedTheLed said:

I was thinkin once you knock the nest down, how about trying to glue it back up somewhere out of the way? something quick setting maybe...think the bugs'd move back in?

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I don't think they need help. After shooting the hard-to-reach nest down with a high pressured hose from a ladder, I'm amazed to find that they're trying to rebuild in the exact same spot (they really like that high nest area). What tenacity. I will be just as stubborn and will continue knocking every nest down that is too close for comfort. Maybe they're get tired and give up (or build far away enough that it doesn't alarm me).


Wonder why I'm getting so many of them this year. In previous seasons, I rarely even had a single nest around here (usually yellow jackets are the main problem).

that is interesting. I found this bit of info, seems they keep trying to rebuild because come Autumn, the jig is up;

"...*
There is no need to kill every wasp you see.* In the summer they perform the useful task of killing hundreds of other insects that are themselves a problem in the home and garden.* So if wasps are tolerable, leave them alone.* On the other hand, if you are being pestered by dozens of wasps daily then there is probably a colony nearby that you may wish to destroy.*
*
Wasp nests can often be located on a sunny day when wasps are most active.* By following where a wasp is flying to you may find a hole leading to the nest in a roof, airbrick, shed or compost heap.* The colony will die in autumn and will never be used again.* You may therefore decide to wait and let the wasps die off naturally. .."

..so does that mean an old unused nest will keep other wasps from colonizing the area again? are you thinking what I'm thinking?

There haven't been a lot of wasp lately in my neighborhood but I did get rid of a small nest at my workplace which was directly above the the front door. Our secretary is very afraid of any stinging insect and until I got rid of the nest by the front door, she kept going out through the loading dock. I just sprayed them with the Raid wasp/hornet killer in a black can. Waited overnight before knocking down the nest then sweeping the dead insects and the remains of the nest into the bushes in front of the parking lot.

I have another nest that is almost 20 feet up under the eves but that doesn't bother us or our customers so my boss is not in a hurry to to get rid of it.

Now there's a burglar alarm bell box similar to the one below over the door of the business next to us and I recently noticed a pair of black wasps flying in and out of the vents in the box.

..mm..be careful sounds like they might be burglar wasps..

"...In any event, these and other techniques for exterminating a nest—including spraying—should be attempted only at night, when all the wasps are inside the nest and relatively inactive. All paper wasps are vision fliers, and cannot navigate in the dark. Your chances of getting all the insects in a colony are much greater, and the odds of your getting stung much less, when you do the job at night.

Finally, learn to recognize the warning signals most wasps give off when they feel you're too close..."

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-and-Environment/1987-07-01/Wasps.aspx

I've never used actual wasp poison. Just carb cleaner or a propane torch or the water hose. WD-40 works, but they still walk around on the ground, and if they dry out before you stomp on them they can take off again. Carb cleaner is near instant death.

TedTheLed said:

..so does that mean an old unused nest will keep other wasps from colonizing the area again? are you thinking what I'm thinking?

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I've found that leaving the nest remains prevents further wasp problems in that area. If I remove the nest, no matter how I've tried to kill all the wasps, the the wasps rebuild soon. If I leave the empty or half charred nest in place then the wasp problem for that season is done.

:buddies:

TedTheLed said:

"...In any event, these and other techniques for exterminating a nest—including spraying—should be attempted only at night, when all the wasps are inside the nest and relatively inactive. All paper wasps are vision fliers, and cannot navigate in the dark. Your chances of getting all the insects in a colony are much greater, and the odds of your getting stung much less, when you do the job at night.

Finally, learn to recognize the warning signals most wasps give off when they feel you're too close..."

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-and-Environment/1987-07-01/Wasps.aspx

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Interesting article.

Regarding the wasps being inside the nest, I don't see how this works.

These nests only have one layer, outside combs. There is no hole at the bottom to go into--the nest isn't even big enough to hold them as adults (it looks like the kind of nest only made for lavae (sp?).

I do notice that at night all the wasps are on the outside of the nest, and don't move at all--even when I tried shining a bright and obnoxious LED on them to get a look when they are inactive. Must be their sleep time?

I said carb cleaner, but I actually meant brake cleaner. I expect either one will be about the same since they contain mostly the same stuff.

Poison? Quit being a pansy. You're talking about "killing" a living organism, who cares how it's done.

DB, that's just what I was wondering -- now you have confirmed it; knocking down the nest is counter-productive..So is the next step to see if the wasps can be kept from areas by glueing up old used wasp nests..?
You say "done for the season" -- so they do come back next year? Do they build another nest next to the old one?

Over the years, I've had paper wasps rebuild in the same location again and again, and have even seen them use a nest from the previous year. When knocking down old nests during the winter, I've actually found live wasps living on top of the nest (hibernating?) If a nest is left up that has been sprayed or burned, I've noticed that it will not be reused - but the wasps may build right next to the destroyed nest.