1. How to Get Rid of Wasps
Sure, wasps pollinate the plants responsible for beautifying your lawn, growing your food and producing
your oxygen, but just who do they think they are buzzing around at your backyard pool party?
To rid your home or garden of wasps, you first need to understand the different type of wasps in the UK and
their life cycle.
Types of wasps
There are 2 types of wasps that you are likely to come across: solitary wasps and social wasps. Solitary
wasps, as their name suggests are loners but social wasps are the ones that cluster together at the height of
summer, with their nest population reaching anything between 5,000 and 10,000 in number.
Solitary wasps
These wasps tend to build their nests in four main locations and normally, they don't cause too much of a
problem to humans, rarely being noticed:
In small nests they build themselves from mud or wood
In holes left by other insects such as beetles
Inside their prey such as a caterpillar; a solitary wasp paralyses their prey with their sting, killing it. The
wasp then lays her eggs in the body and when hatched, the larvae feed off the body
They also nest underground in tunnels they create themselves which, of course, can be a hazard if you are
walking barefoot in your garden
2. Social wasps
Social wasps tend to be the nests that cause people most concern. They build nests from wood scrapings,
cardboard and paper which they mix with their saliva to form cellulose. These nests can commonly be found
under eaves of houses, in attics, walls, roof spaces, trees, hedges and underground. These are the nests that
bother people most as the wasp population can reach staggering proportions.
The good news, however, is that wasps do not use the same nest year after year; the colony will abandon
the nest once the spring and summer cycle is complete. Essentially, wasp nests are a short term problem;
you could simply wait until they have vacated their nest in late summer/early autumn, knocking the empty
nest down with a broom handle. This will also give you chance to admire the intricate pattern of the wasp
nest.
However if you have a young family, or are allergic to wasp stings or the nest is built in a place where there
is a lot of human activity, the nest can be a problem.
Removing a Wasps Nest
Before you go ahead to remove the wasps’ nets, the first step is to make sure you wear protective clothing,
in this case rubber clothing, making sure to fully cover your body from wasp stings. When removing hanging
wasps nest you will then proceed to use a pressurized bomb and promptly follow the instructions on the
bomb’s cover which indicates method of use.
The bomb is usually shot at the wasps’ nest’s opening and while doing so make sure to do it from a safe
distance. Aside from using a bomb you can also procure special wasp sprays which you will deploy using a
nozzle sprayer. The good thing about using a nozzle sprayer is the fact that it has a far reach hence you can
do the job from a safe distance of up to 20 feet.
You can also light a small fire below a hanging wasp’s nest. The smoke created by the fire will kill the wasps
and those that are not dead will be irritated into abandoning the nest.
Wasps with underground nests are relatively easier to deal with. After wearing protective clothing, you
need to equip yourself with gasoline or kerosene. You also need a large, wet cloth. A towel will also suffice
and lastly you need a shovel.
3. The first step is to douse a generous amount of the fuel on the wasp’s nest opening after which you
immediately proceed to cover the opening with the wet cloth.
The purpose of the wet cloth is to prevent the fuel’s fumes from escaping which will work to kill the wasps
after which you can cover the area using your shovel.
After effectively removing the wasps nest you lastly need to make sure to take preventative measures to bar
the wasps from building nest near your home in future. The first measure is sealing garbage cans and
making sure the compound around your house is frequently cleaned as the garbage and dirt attract wasps.
Wasps are also attracted by fruits so if there are fruit trees around your house you should make sure to
pluck from trees and pick fallen fruits as they are a wasp magnet. In the event that your wasp problem gets
out of hand, you should make sure to contact your local pest expert and have the job done professionally.
A point of thumb when doing wasp nest removal is to do the exercise at night. This is because the wasps are
less active at night as compared to daytime. A warning tip when getting rid of wasps is never to use regular
insecticides as some of them don’t work and will cause the wasps to be irritated thus attacking those near
the nest.
Removing a wasp nest is always a danger though and so I'd recommend getting a professional to do it such
as Wasp Nest Removal Derby.