Of all the insects around, bees and wasps are probably the most annoying for picnickers and barbeque enthusiasts. These tiny flying bugs are vital to the environment, but can certainly cast a shadow over any outdoor activity. Wasps tend to be more aggressive than bees and while they are just doing what comes naturally, seeking food and water, they can be a painful reminder that they should be left alone. Since wasps, as opposed to bees, can sting numerous times and don’t die after the initial sting, many people tend to go after them as a preventive measure. Of course, nobody wants to be chased away from their backyard or stung during a picnic, but with a little care, wasps can be controlled.
Paper wasps are easy to find. They have a very obvious nest composed of cells that form a sort of honeycomb in a papery nest. Most of the time, these nests are located underneath the eaves of a house, but they can also be built among stacks of fire wood, empty containers like flower pots, or just about any other place the wasps can find. So, when searching for a nest, observe the wasps for a while and see where they go. Since even wasps are a beneficial part of the environment, don’t bother them if they’re not bothering you. If you have pets, allergic family members or small children, however, it’s probably a good idea to keep wasp nests away from your property. Getting rid of the nest can present an interesting problem of itself.
The first method to try to keep wasps away is to reduce the incidence of food, water and garbage from your backyard. If you do this and wasps are still hanging around, you can take more active measures. If you don’t want to try eradicating the nests by yourself, you can hire a professional pest control person to spray around your home. If you’d rather not go to this extreme, and you know where the nest is, you can try several different methods. When dealing with wasps, especially if you are allergic to insect stings, you should wear protective clothing. This includes heavy gardening gloves, a long sleeved shirt and long pants. If the nest is too high to reach easily, and you don’t have a long pole to knock it down, you can look around for an insect spray that will shoot a stream of poison for a considerable distance. This way you can stand way back and fire at the nest. Of course, you’ll anger the wasps, so be quick about it and then get inside as fast as you can.
Another method is to use a garden hose and spray the nest until it falls, then you can wait until most of the wasps abandon it, which they will, and spray it from a closer distance. If you want to knock the nest down with a hose or pole, it’s best to do it around dusk. The adult wasps are relatively inactive during the night and not as likely to come after you and sting. In addition to these methods, there are also a variety of wasp traps for sale at most stores. The good thing about these is that they do work, but the bad thing is that they actually attract the wasps to draw them to the trap. Providing the wasps go into the trap, they will die inside the cylinder. These traps are relatively effective, but it’s not a good idea to place them close to patios or swimming pools since there will be a flurry of activity around them. Put the traps up high in trees. Sometimes it’s a bit of trial and error, but with perseverance, summer won’t be ruined due to pesky wasps.
