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Wasps nest removal

Kashkai

Just noticed yesterday evening that there is a large wasp's nest in the eves of my house. I counted about a dozen wasps coming and going in the space of a minute (but as they all look the same, I might have double counted

).

My DIY instincts tell me to get a long pole (I've got one about twelve feet long) and knock it down, wait for them to disperse and then destroy the nest or will I end up in serious trouble with a swarm of angry insects after me?

Another query is that the nest is built on top of one of the vents in the soffit. Is there a danger that they might also have gotten through this vent into the attic as well?

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ART6

I would expect that knocking it down with a twelve foot pole will earn you a lot of very painful stings. There are two alternatives -- buy a can of wasp nest destroyer from a hardware store (I can't recall what it's called but it sprays a jet of poison over a considerable distance and can be aimed at the nest). Option 2 is to hire a pest control technician from the local authority or a private firm. In the past i have preferred to select the latter as I don't really enjoy stings:p

Welease

I'm not sure if it would be the professionals method, but I removed our wasps nest using the long pole method..:D

Bascially knocked it down to the ground, then ran in with my blow torch (already lit) to incinerate the nest and any wasps coming out (dropped the torch beside it, and moved back to a safe distance).. There were a few flying around but not many..

Those who survived milled around where the nest used to be for an hour or so, then flew away (I did go up once with some wasp killer spray, and spray the general area for a few seconds).

No wasps came near me, nor attempted to sting me.. but I would wear jeans and sweatshirt as a mimimum to minimise the exposed skin.

martinn123

same thing happened to me last year, but in shed. contacted Derek Mooney at rte/ie who suggested I leave it alone until early Winter. wasps only use a nest for 1year, so when the queen hibernates and the ordinary wasps are dead, you can kock it down. Its made of paper, so it will disintergrate if you can reach it with a power spray.

At this time of year the wasps will react to any attack, and if as you suggest part of the nest is inside the vent, you may have a couple of thousand wasps looking for revenge.

wclarke20

I’ve the same problem. Apparently this year is very bad as the cold winter meant they hibernated for longer and came out stronger. Don’t fancy 15 stings per minute by each wasp so I’ll get the pro’s out and not Rentokil!!

4 phonecalls off different agents before I could get a date arranged for a callout which was a weeks time. Cancelled then and they weren’t too happy!

CBYR1983

I think the main thing is preventing the wasps getting back into the hive. You need to block up the entry point.

I suppose expanding foam filler might be an (albeit very messy) option once they have dispersed...

CarrickMcJoe

If you put dog flea powder at the entrance of the hive the wasps land on it and take it into the hive, killing all inside eventually.

yeahme

I agree with the fire method, knock it to the ground with a long pole and use a blow torch, and then I agree also with martin, no harm in waiting for a couple months and doing it then when they are quieter.
It was around this time of year when my dad was cutting bushes, and he didnt even see the nest in the rocks, they attacked very quickly, and we had to bring him to hospital to get some treatment, swelling went away after a while but he was very sore, and he's a big horse of a man,.... so be careful

10-10-20

Dave hasn't responded... should we take this to mean that the pole method is to be avoided...? Dave... Dave?

kitser

had the same problem last year. i waited till the winter came and removed the nest. then seal it up.

Kashkai

I got as far as getting the long pole out and approaching the nest when I counted about 20 of the little feckers buzzing round outside with more just visible inside the entrance hole. As this nest was the size of a basket ball, I wondered how many were inside so I backed off.

I called in Rentokill who sprayed the nest with some substance and they left it to do its job. The nest disintegrated over the space of a day and hundreds of larvae fell out of it onto the ground. After three days, there was no activity so I knocked the remnants down with a pole (Rentokill said they'd come back to do this but after a month of waiting, still no sign!). It was very like tissue paper in consistency.

Looking at the problem now, I can see that they built this nest directly over where I store my bins so perhaps the smell attracted them to this point. Have to move the bins away from the house I guess.

rainbowdash

I was digging around some rough ground down the back today and suddenly noticed some wasps in the area I was digging. I went back and observed from a distance. Then I got piles of old cardboard boxes and an old bedside locker and heaped them on the spot. One match and that was the end of the matter. I rooted out the area afterwards and found a bit of honeycomb.

What was amazing is that they did not sting me when I disturbed them first.

PS.I dosed the area in water for ~10 minutes so the fire would not spread as the grass was dry. It also kept the wasps indoors to pile the rubbish, which was done with considerable haste!

Solitaire

dash - That sounds more like you found a wild honeybee or bumblebee's nest under attack from wasps - wasps don't gather nectar, so no honeycomb. They're not averse to butchering other life-forms to get their hands on the honey though - they can take out entire domestic beehives! :eek:

God I hate wasps :mad:

yermanoffthetv

Theres only one way to deal with a wasps nest....

wirish

Can anyone recommend who to use to get a wasp's nest removed? I have a nest in the eve of my roof so couldn't get rid of it myself.

I got quoted €85 from Rentokil but they don't remove the nest, they just fill it with powder. I'm considering just leaving it till they die and hoping no wasps find it next year but don't know if this is wise!

goldie fish

Neighbours have one in the front garden, under an old flower bed. I'm wondering is it as well to leave it alone given the time of year?

[Deleted User]

goldie fish wrote: »

I'm wondering is it as well to leave it alone given the time of year?

Thats what I would do. And later smash it up with a hose or something when the weather gets properly cold.

iora_rua

I know it's an old thread, but the wasps don't know this!

We appear to have wasps (lots of) buzzing around a gap in the roof tiles and ridge tile near a chimney. Is this a good time to call out the pest control people as we don't fancy getting stung when gardening or sitting out? I know they do a lot of good in the garden but ... don't know if waiting until Autumn is a good idea. Are Rentokil the best people - Limerick area?

[Deleted User]

Are you sure that they're wasps? The 'lots of buzzing ' makes me think that they might be honey bees, as the swarming season is just drawing to a close now.

Do you think the nest is in the attic, or might it be in the chimney itself?

If theyre wasps, they will die out in autumn and wont be back next year. There will be a round paper nest in the attic.

If theyre bees, they will build up a nest and start to store honey etc. Theyll usually build in a large cavity and make layers of honeycomb. If they are in an accessible place a local beekeeper might come and collect them, but not if they are in the building fabric or somewhere dangerous to work.
Bees, at that height are unlikely to sting anybody, but they could make a mess in your stonework (eg honey can melt and penetrate etc). If bees establish a nest and you get rid of them, it is important to remove all old comb as that will act as an attractant to other swarms in the future.

listermint

iora_rua wrote: »

I know it's an old thread, but the wasps don't know this!

We appear to have wasps (lots of) buzzing around a gap in the roof tiles and ridge tile near a chimney. Is this a good time to call out the pest control people as we don't fancy getting stung when gardening or sitting out? I know they do a lot of good in the garden but ... don't know if waiting until Autumn is a good idea. Are Rentokil the best people - Limerick area?

It's time of year for wasps the build up nests with gusto. I removed 4. Yes 4 nests from my attic space 3 weeks ago they were just starting out size of tennis balls .

And 1 more yesterday that was outside in the Eve's. I couldn't get to that to remove or physically see it but it was above front door and wasps were flying in and around by the minute. So I used insecticide from local hardware store and paint sprayer to launch it up into the eve . Not for the faint hearted but did it when it was nice and overcast with low activity. It's dead now.

Had to remove them all as I've new soffits and gutters doing in and can't afford any scares during works

peter4918

I’ve noticed a few bees (I think they are bees) in the sitting room at the window the last few days. Then while I was sitting there last night two or three came down the chimney over the course of a few hours. Looked outside and could see bees flying around at side of the chimney. There was no bees in the sitting room this morning and there are none flying around outside chimney today. What’s the best course of action here? Try contact a local bee keeper? Will they go up and look at chimney?

[Deleted User]

peter4918 wrote: »

I’ve noticed a few bees (I think they are bees) in the sitting room at the window the last few days. Then while I was sitting there last night two or three came down the chimney over the course of a few hours. Looked outside and could see bees flying around at side of the chimney. There was no bees in the sitting room this morning and there are none flying around outside chimney today. What’s the best course of action here? Try contact a local bee keeper? Will they go up and look at chimney?

If a proper swarm moved into the chinmey you should see lots of activity outside, especially in this weather.
If they were bees they might have been scouts looking for a new home, but if its quiet now, it looks like they're rejected it.
They might also have been a tiny swarm, which you can get late in the season (a cast swarm). These are usually too small to survive.
They could also have been some bees which came in an open window and gravitated to the sitting room window as the light changed.
Bees in ireland have mainly black abdomens sometimes with some orange stripes. Wasps have clear yellow and black markings on their abdomens.

iora_rua

listermint wrote: »

It's time of year for wasps the build up nests with gusto. I removed 4. Yes 4 nests from my attic space 3 weeks ago they were just starting out size of tennis balls .

And 1 more yesterday that was outside in the Eve's. I couldn't get to that to remove or physically see it but it was above front door and wasps were flying in and around by the minute. So I used insecticide from local hardware store and paint sprayer to launch it up into the eve . Not for the faint hearted but did it when it was nice and overcast with low activity. It's dead now.

Had to remove them all as I've new soffits and gutters doing in and can't afford any scares during works

:eek:

chewed

Does anyone know if it's easy to get rid of a wasp's nest that's underneath boards in a porch? And is it a big job?

There's loads of them flying around the front door. Normally we have them at the back of the house and I just ignore them, but I'm afraid that someone calling is going to get stung!

listermint

chewed wrote: »

Does anyone know if it's easy to get rid of a wasp's nest that's underneath boards in a porch? And is it a big job?

There's loads of them flying around the front door. Normally we have them at the back of the house and I just ignore them, but I'm afraid that someone calling is going to get stung!

You could heavily dust the entrance with the Wasp Killer from any DIY shop. They should drag it in on their feet into the nest. Do it late evening when activity is low.

Leave for a week and see if the activity diminishes.

If not then its most likely exterminator time.

my3cents

chewed wrote: »

Does anyone know if it's easy to get rid of a wasp's nest that's underneath boards in a porch? And is it a big job?

There's loads of them flying around the front door. Normally we have them at the back of the house and I just ignore them, but I'm afraid that someone calling is going to get stung!

I use a Permethrin based ant killer, most also say that they kill wasps. The secrete according to one pest control guy I knew in the UK that spent all summer dealing with wasps nests is to use FRESH chemicals. Last years may knock them back a bit without killing them all.

It really is an easy job just puff the dry powder into the nest opening in the dark at night. Leave plenty around the entrance so any wasps coming in and out take it back into the nest. It should have all of them within 24 hours.

DublinDilbert

Can you see the nest? Most diy places sell a spray, a couple of direct hits should sort it out. Do it in the evening / night. After the first spraying, do it again 20mins later.

chewed

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Can you see the nest? Most diy places sell a spray, a couple of direct hits should sort it out. Do it in the evening / night. After the first spraying, do it again 20mins later.

No, I can't see anything beyond the small gap. I'll have a look in Woodies over the weekend to see if I can find anything.

DublinDilbert

chewed wrote: »

No, I can't see anything beyond the small gap. I'll have a look in Woodies over the weekend to see if I can find anything.

Yea get the foam spray, you'll need to roughly find where the nest is to spray it. Had one last summer and a few weeks ago.

jmreire

I removed 2 so far this year..... caught them early in the construction phase, they were both about 2" wide. Waited until evening, with barely enough light to see. The nests were attached to the roof inside the shed, so I got a glass jar and wide paint scraper, I covered the nest with the glass jar, slide the scraper between the jar and the roof, severed the nest which fell into the jar, I left the scraper in position, put the whole lot on a shelf with a block resting on the scraper to keep it in place. Job done.

CastorTroy

Hi,

I just noticed in my wooden shed today what I assumed was a nest. About the size of a golf ball, maybe slightly bigger. Didn't see anything around it but looks pretty clean so I assume it's recent. Though can't say I've seen many wasps. Any suggestions?