hollymaid
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 99
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Post by hollymaid on Jul 12, 2008 12:27:44 GMT -5
How do I get rid of them. I can't really see them. I can't take apart the step with out disturbing them. But, you can't use the front door. I am scared for unsuspecting visitors.
Tried a wasps trap, not working so far.
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masmom
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 32
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Post by masmom on Jul 12, 2008 13:10:13 GMT -5
Can you spray under the stairs with a bunch of wasp killer and see if that takes care of it?
Good luck. I don't like bees at all.
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Spooky
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Joined: July 2008
Posts: 33
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Post by Spooky on Jul 12, 2008 13:10:38 GMT -5
OMG, be careful! I'd call an exterminator. I did a quick google search and came up with something that suggested approaching the nest at late night/early morning, shoving a towel soaked with kerosene or diesel in the nest and throwing the whole thing in a bag. And running.
Personally, I'm leary of any instructions that end with 'Run!'. And you can't exactly crawl under your porch without alerting the wasps (I also just read that when the colonies get large they post sentries so that nobody can sneak up on them like that). I'd suggest the typical: get rid of sweet-smelling, flowering plants, take care of garbage right away, etc., and call a professional for the safety of your family and your guests.
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Post by moggyfan on Jul 12, 2008 14:18:18 GMT -5
One word: P-r-o-f-e-s-s-i-o-n-a-l :-)
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Post by glowworm on Jul 12, 2008 14:50:50 GMT -5
You can get wasp spray at the store. Make sure when you buy it, that the label says it will spray from a distance.
Then wait until nighttime, and spray the nest from as far back as the spray will reach, and then go inside quickly.
The reason you want to spray at night is because they're out and about during the day. At night, they're all inside the nest, and you'll get them all at once.
Once you are sure that the nest is totally and completely empty, I'd give it a few days and blast the nest a few more times with the spray in the evenings, you can knock it down safely.
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Post by iguanamamma on Jul 12, 2008 17:24:33 GMT -5
I killed over 10 wasp nests last summer. I have a high old house with lots of nesting spots. Do the deed at dusk-not at night. If I have a hundred stinging buggers flying around I wanted to be able to see them. Have a car handy.... yes, a car. I got Black Flag Wasp Spray- it sprays from the longest distance away and kills them. Raid wasp killer must taste like Kool Aid to them because they licked them selves clean but came back hyper and kind of pissed but not dead. Any way I sprayed them and then quickly got into the car until the bodies of pissed off wasps stopped falling around me. If they are under the porch block off the end of the porch with cardboard- do one end and then the other carefully. If you have a crack between the steps you can just gas them that way. I tried to get an exterminator friend of mine to come spray mine. He's a friend and he said he'd charge me $250. If none of this will work and you can roll a fogger under your steps do that. Always have a way clear that you can escape from them. They come off of the front (as you are looking at the nest) all at once when they are sprayed. Stay to the side. After a while I looked forward to killing them. I took at few nests a weekend. Another theing always have TWO cans of spray. I found that out when a can didn't spray well. You can always return the unused can. KILL them.
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spacemaker
New Member
Space (where I can see carpet), the final frontier
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 88
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Post by spacemaker on Jul 12, 2008 19:36:32 GMT -5
I vote for nighttime dewasping. All the wasps I have dealt with are unable to fly in the dark - their wiring will not allow them to fly if they cannot see. Have had one get in the house on a couple of occasions and when you turn off the lights, they simply drop in place. As soon as the lights go back on, they take off again.
Have sprayed two nests at night and both times, no flying wasps. They would just sit there and get sprayed, then drop to the ground.
Of course, YMMV, so do be careful.
I hate those guys when they invade my space. Honeybees or even bumblebees I can deal with but wasps are just too quick to sting.
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hollymaid
New Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 99
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Post by hollymaid on Jul 14, 2008 10:31:43 GMT -5
I would love to hire a pro... Fate has been mean to me this month. I need brakes on my van. And my refrigerator died this weekend, just after I filled it up.
I have a can of wasp spray and will give that ago. I am going to call a few pro's just to see what they cost. Maybe I can do it.
Thanks for all the great advice.
I also learned that wasps in the spring are looking for sweet, and to wards fall they are looking for protein.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jul 15, 2008 0:39:09 GMT -5
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In some places, you can call someone who is NOT an exterminator.
This person will come and take away the entire wasps nest or bee hive or hornets nest, etc.
They have a way to sell the nests/hives ....
They sell the hives -- full of bees -- to companies who use the "apitoxin" (venom) to develop therapeutic remedies from its chemicals.
Because they can sell them, they often don't charge you for removing the hives.
This isn't common, but it does exist.
Not all types of hornets and wasps can be used for this purpose... but the folks who remove bees -- they also know how to remove wasps and hornets.
Check yellow pages under bee removal.
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Post by anonymoose on Jul 22, 2008 14:15:38 GMT -5
Yikes! I had one on my front porch, right in the door frame. Fortunately just a tiny one and I only saw one wasp in there - I guess the head honcho or lead bee or whatever she/he/it was. Got stung TWICE this summer before I took care of it! I was waiting until evening, but when I tried to leave the house one day the door slammed harder than I thought and it got startled and came at me...and I left something in the house so I had to go back in to get it. Made it back in, and had no choice but to spray right then to get back out the door. I used RAID. Sprayed. Slammed the door shut. Poked my head out, it was still waiting. Sprayed through the crack. Watched it buzz around and get ticked off. Sprayed some more. Used half a bottle, but the *** thing finally died - iguanamamma is right, it's not a great product. I was going to squash it while it was disoriented, but for some reason I remember my mother telling me (and I don't believe it, it's just stuck in my head) that if you squash a bee or wasp, the others will smell the dead one and come after you.
Until you're ready to take the nest out, can I advise you to keep a can handy OUTSIDE? I'm hesitant to say in the car (I wouldn't want the can to explode in the heat) but near the porch so you can get to it if they come after you on the way in. Also, I haven't actually gotten rid of the nest yet, just the menace in it, but I heard that other pests wll use the nest once it's vacant - so don't be like me, if you can get to the empty nest, get rid of it!
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Post by Magpie on Jul 26, 2008 9:12:24 GMT -5
Put on protective clothing if you work on this! - taped down double layers of shirts, pants, socks, netting around your head, and a hat - essentially improvised beekeeper gear, so the wasps can't get at you easily.
If you have some plastic and duct tape and tape down the tarp over the porch and sides, using the fogger may work fairly well in the enclosed space. Plus, it reduces the speed with which they can exit (they'll find a way!) and the location. Set up any plastic tarps in the evening or at night when they aren't as active.
For individual wasps, a can of hairspray may be helpful - it coats the body and blocks the sphericles (sp?) through which they breath, plus weights them down making it harder for them to come at you. I've used it when I needed a less toxic approach for an individual wasp in my condo.
In the event of numerous stings, have Benadry (generic is diphenhyrdramine) on hand to treat for allergic response. If you can get LMX cream, it is an OTC topical anesthetic in the US; otherwise, sunburn sprays have mild anesthetics in them too.
Good luck.
Maggie
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