Wasp problem – how to evict without toxins?

[MimzMum]

So it’s becoming increasingly clear up here that this is going to be a bad year for wasps, hornets, bumblebees, etc. I walk Jenna at two in the morning and the whole darned forest is humming like those horns at the FIFA cup!

We may actually have a wasp’s nest in the attic right now and we’ve had no less than five wasps fly into the house through some unknown aperture (other than a window or door) in the last three days or so. We’re assuming they’re coming in through the boiler exhaust vent, which we can’t possibly seal off, of course.

I know there’s going to be some kind of extermination needed at some point, probably done by the hubby. Problem is, how to get rid of the pests without poisoning the bunnies, cats and dog (and let’s add in the humans) in the process? (I despise bug bombs for the films they leave behind and most pesticides in general I feel are too toxic to use near pets, much less people.)

Does anyone have any ideas how to free ourselves of these vermin before they hurt one of us? I am not sure if my son still has his slight allergy to bee stings, but I don’t want to find out the hard way.

Either the bugs go, or I’m going to have to put our house up for demolition by Extreme Home Makeover. Works for me either way.

Many thankies in advance!

[RabbitPam]

eartheasy.com/live_natwasp_control.htm

MM,

I did a google search for “natural remedy for wasps” and this was the first site that popped up, but it looks pretty good. You could do the same keyword search for more sites, but thought I’d link it for you.

[Deleted User]

can you get into your attic? you need to locate that nest.

[MimzMum]

Thanks Pam, that is all very good info. Never seen some of those things before and they all look promising.
Petzy, the attic is a very small crawl space above the whole of the house, about 1000 square feet? I’m guessing of course, but I am not sure we can get back in there where the humming seems to be coming from. We’d covered all the vents and openings years ago with spark arrestors when those bad wildfires went through, and I can’t imagine how these buggers could’ve gotten in there in the first place, it was tightly sealed. And now we may not be able to get in there at all. (Not that I think my 50+ year old, 6 foot somethin’ hubby with a fractured back needs to go crawling around in there with a bunch of angry wasps…and knowing him he’d take in a propane torch. 0_o No, not really, but…he’s very Tim Taylor in his approach to things.)
I wonder if maybe some kind of sonic device would work to drive them away. Does anyone here have experience with those things?

[Nibbles_NZ]

Have you ever seen the show Billy the Exterminator? He exterminates wasps a lot and he uses something made from Chrysanthymum flowers. I think a lot of exterminators use it. It is very deadly to wasps, bees and hornets but safe for people and animals. I know Orkin uses pet friendly and people friendly stuff.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

AWww it’s an awful year for them !! We have the fake nests and that keeps them from making nests here-but oh man. I bought benedryl for Mikey (my vet said an epi pen would not be good) he’s been stung twice that I know of

[Deleted User]

My dog eats yellowjackets all the time. She is not allergic, though. I don’t want her to but it happens fast.

Smoke will evict them or citronella candles I heard.

[Deleted User]

*obviously starting a fire indoors is not a solution, sorry mimz

[MimzMum]

They’ve been pretty quiet for the last few days, we’ve had a lot of rain.

Just what purpose DO wasps serve anyway? They’re like mosquitoes with attitude to spare…what good are they? 0_o

[Deleted User]

They have their merit. It says in wikipedia:”Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their numbers, or natural biocontrol.”

[Lintini]

We make some traps to hang around when things get out of control, they are ugly but they work. We use an empty plastic milk gallon jug and cut 2 circle holes in the sides where those indents in it are. You fill it up with maybe 4 inches of soap water, and you hang raw bacon on a string off the cap of the milk jug. The wasps go inside the milk jug, eat up the nasty bacon, get too fat, and then fall to their doom of the soap water!

[4Lily]

we use those wasp traps too! But we baught ours, they are glass though. We pour left over pop, beer, juice etc…. in the bottom, once they get in there, they can`t get out & die! We hang them all over the yard in the tree`s & by the patio. Within the first few hours it`s full! Anouther thing I found out is that bee`s (not sure about wasp`s) can`t fly at night or in the dark, so if you have to spray, or remove a nest, use a infored (sp) light if needed to see & you won`t get stung & you can remove the whole nest & all of them!

[Deleted User]

this is true. I have heard of those traps. Mimz, I bet they will do the trick. My mother makes a similar contraption to get rid of slugs in her garden, without bacon, though, just beer.
Great tip, Lint!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Just what purpose DO wasps serve anyway? They’re like mosquitoes with attitude to spare…what good are they? 0_o

They make Dave freak out and jump around excitedly swatting and getting frantic. It is HILARIOUS to watch… :rofl:

OK someone puleeeeez post a picture of those traps! Sound like just the thing! (though if they involve bacon, I might just catch Dave instead of wasps )

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