How to get rid of a wasp nest

When you notice a wasp nest, you may be ready to get rid of it immediately. While sometimes a nest removal can be dangerous, the steps below will help you remove the nest and avoid any run in with the colony.

Before you begin, you will want to make sure you are wearing long rubber gloves in case you get stung around the hands or wrists. You will want to wear goggles over your eyes that way you can’t have them sting around or near your eyes and you can focus on what you are doing. You will also want to make sure you are covering every part of your skin to avoid a wasp getting inside your clothing and stinging you or if you have shorts on, they have direct access to your skin.

First, you will want to wait until night time to approach the nest. Approach quietly and slowly to avoid waking them up. Never try this during the day because not all wasps will be in the nest at the same time during the day.

Second, using a garbage bag, you will want to bring it up over the wasp nest slowly and as quietly as possible. You will want to have the bag opened up before you reach the nest so that it doesn’t make noise that will wake up the wasps inside.

Next, you will need to detach the nest from the wall or the tree it is attached to as quickly as possible but without shaking the nest back and forth too much or they will start flying out of the nest.

Once the nest is completely detached, place the garbage bag in another bag that you have waiting. Then place the garbage bag inside a garbage can with a tight lid and move it away from the house.

After the nest is removed, the wasps will not be able to get out and hurt you. Now that the nest is under control, you can go around your house and remove things that may have attracted the wasps to begin with; the smell of flowers, the smell of meat, rotting fruits, or soda cans that are open.

If the wasp nest is not reachable, you will want to contact a professional that has the equipment to remove them.

What to Avoid

You don’t want to burn a wasp nest for several reasons but mainly because the pulp used in making the nest is very flammable and will make it burn hot and you could suffer burns or the house or barn could catch on fire.

You don’t want to use water to get rid of a wasp nest. Some have tried to flood the wasp nest with either cold water or boiling water, neither will work. In fact, if you are trying to flood a home structure, it may actually flood your home and cause damage to wires.

Never destroy a wasp nest using a baseball bat. While some may think this is a good idea, on the first strike where the bat meets the nest, the wasps are not going to stay inside but they will come out and come after the person holding the bat.

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How to get rid of a wasp nest