How to Get Rid of Wasps

Wasps are a frightening pest for many people. Setting up their nests near homes, they fly swiftly around doors and entryways and pack a powerful sting if they feel threatened.

Yet not all wasps sting, and they are a beneficial insect in some ways. Without wasps eating insects, there would be a gaping hole in the food chain. With about 30,000 identified wasp species, some are more common pests for humans than others. All this makes it important to know what kind of wasps are causing you problems before you attempt to get rid of them — or even they are wasps at all. Learning more about bees and wasps is key in safely ridding your property of an infestation.

Bees have robust, rounded bodies made up of one section, whereas wasps are slender and have a tapered waist area that connects their thorax to their abdomen. Bees are hairy, while wasps are more smooth and shiny. Bees feed on pollen, while wasps feed on insects. If you see something buzzing near a flower, it’s more likely to be a bee than a wasp. Honeybees die after stinging, whereas wasps can sting and fly directly away.

Wasps all grow up to about 1.5” and vary in size by species. However, their bodies are all composed of a head, thorax and abdomen separated by a tapered waist. They have one pair of wings, one pair of antennae, and six legs. All female wasp species have venom which they inject into their victims when stinging them. Only females can sting, and their stingers are located at the very end of their bottom half. This stinger also doubles as a reproductive organ through which the wasp can lay eggs.

If you’ve noticed unsightly nests or seen black and yellow pests flying about your house, there is a chance you’re dealing with a wasp infestation.

While it may be unnerving to purposefully get close to a wasp colony or nest, they’re usually easy to identify by their shape, color and markings, as well as their nest shape and materials.

When an individual social wasp is disturbed, it reduces a distress signal in the form of pheromones that alert the rest of the colony. This is how they’re able to swarm and attack.

Queen wasps in colonies are the only ones that survive throughout winter. They hunker down and create a new colony once spring comes around. This is why they are only prevalent during hotter months.

Unlike bees, wasps are able to remove their stinger from their victim after stinging. This makes them more dangerous since they can sting over and over again.

Wasps pack a dangerous sting — and for most people, that all they need to know. But if you have spotted a wasps’ nest on your property, you’ll need to properly identify them in order to protect your family and pets. Wasps can also be confused with bees and hornets, and even knowing the type of wasps can also make a tremendous difference in the types of repellents and treatments that you use. If in doubt at all, it is never wrong to call a professional exterminator.

The majority of people who are stung by wasps will develop a redness or a slight soreness at the point of the attack. This does not mean that you have an allergy to stings. In the case of a true allergic reaction, the symptoms will usually be much more pronounced. It is important to understand the difference between a normal reaction and an allergic reaction.

Allergic reactions are defined as reactions that invoke the immune system to overreact. The type of wasp that causes the most reactions are called paper wasps. A paper wasp nest can be found in woodpiles, in shrubs, or under certain eaves. They’re streamlined with red, brown, black, and yellow marks. The reactions that an allergic reaction can cause vary from slightly annoying to life-threatening:

If you experience breakouts on the skin away from the point of contact, you may be having an allergic reaction.

One of the more serious allergic reactions is a swelling of certain glands in the body that block airflow through the body. Get professional help immediately if you experience this symptom.

Stings from wasps and hornets may cause an inability to think, concentrate, and may even cause seizures or lightheadedness.

This is a term referring to life-threatening reactions caused by allergens. Anaphylactic shock looks much more serious than regular symptoms and can include a weak or rapid pulse, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, and a tingling sensation throughout your body. Anyone with severe allergies who is susceptible to anaphylactic shock should obtain a prescription for an epinephrine autoinjector, which is a medicine that immediately reduces symptoms.

Successfully understanding the dangers that wasps pose can be crucial in knowing how to prevent and treat wasps.

As with any pest, the best way to prevent nesting behavior is to take preventive action, especially during the spring and summer months.

Changing weather patterns may open crevices around your doors and windows that wasps and hornets can easily take advantage of. If you notice your insulation suffering, take this as a cue that your home may be vulnerable to nesting activity as well. Shore up these entrance points, paying special attention to your roofing, basement, and attic.

Make sure that you take away the food sources that wasps and hornets may be attracted to. Both of these pests are attracted foods that are sweet or contain protein. This includes pet food and old leftovers. The latter of these may be accessed through open garbage bags that you may leave in your backyard. Keep in mind that once a wasps or hornets identify a food source, they will imprint that source. Even after the food is removed, you may have to deal with pests coming back to that area to conduct future searches.

Wasps and hornets switch to sweetened foods in the summer and fall, when high-energy foods become less prevalent. Flying requires a great deal of energy for these insects, and they will begin to die off if they can’t find a food source. This means that they become much more aggressive — an important thing to remember if you spot a hovering pest. During this time of year, make sure that you do not leave open soda cans or other sugary foods lying around indoors or out. Cover your garbage cans and harvest fruits from any trees in your yard so that they do not fall and leave sources for wasps and hornets.

Stay away from bright colors on your clothing or floral patterns when you are spending time outside. Wasps and hornets may actually mistake these colors for flowers that produce nectar. Similarly, the strong scents from perfumes and colognes may smell like sweet-smelling food, especially in the latter part of the summer.

You must take special precautions if you have smaller structures such as birdhouses on your property. Lining the area under the roof with aluminum foil is a great way to avoid nests in that area. You can also avoid nesting activity by rubbing the area under the roof with common bar soap. This should last you through a whole season of nesting.

A fake nest works on the principle that wasps and hornets tend to avoid the nests of other wasps and hornets. When nesting, they mistake the fake nest for a real one, and nest elsewhere.

There are also some additional wasp deterrent products on the market that are usually budget-friendly and efficient in keeping wasps out of your yard before you even have to worry about them forming a nest.

Whether you’ve found the nest or not, any sign of a nearby wasp colony should be treated immediately with pest control methods to prevent danger to you and your home.

The ingredients inside will attract wasps in a matter of days. Because the head is turned around, they’ll slide right in and won’t be able to come out. The added vinegar in this recipe is important because it’ll keep bees away — we don’t want to be killing honey bees if they aren’t harming us! Just be sure to keep an eye on the trap. You’ll need to dispose of the dead wasps periodically and refill the trap with ingredients when necessary.

Even if you follow all of the above preventions and treatment methods, there still is a chance that you’ll be stung by a wasp while you’re performing a treatment or waiting for one to kick in. This makes it important to understand wasp sting treatment in addition to the treatments you’ll use to get rid of wasps.

Especially if you’ve already used chemical methods to treat a nest and you still see wasps coming back, professionals are trained at applying stronger chemicals that will kill off even the most determined wasps.

It’s also best to call a professional if you know you’re dealing with a large nest or even multiple nests. Professionals will have protective material that will reduce their risk of being stung while applying treatment, and attempting to do the same job yourself could put you in danger.