How to Get Rid of Wasps

When you see wasps buzzing around in your yard and want to get rid of them, keep an eye on the bees as they return to the hive. At night, you can use an insecticidal spray that specializes in treating wasps and wasps. Remember to wear thick protective clothing when approaching the hive and avoid getting too close. If the hive is at a safe distance from your home, you should consider leaving it as it is. Wasps feed on other insects and pollinate flowers, so they play an important role in the ecosystem.

Table of Contents

Locate the hive

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Look for small beehives in your garden in early spring. Early spring is when wasp nests are smaller and easier to handle. A hive the size of a ping-pong ball is probably only inhabited by the queen with unhatched eggs, so you can simply spray it down with a hose. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You need to use insecticide to treat the larger hive. When summer comes, the hive will grow to the size of a baseball and have thousands of bees inside.

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Wear protective clothing when searching for and handling hives. You should at least wear long pants, a thick long-sleeved shirt, thick leather or rubber gloves, and boots. The overalls will increase safety, and the beekeeper’s face shield will help protect your head and face. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If a face shield is not available, you should wear goggles and a hat that covers your ears.
To prevent wasps from getting into your clothes, use an elastic band or fabric tape to secure the sleeves in your gloves and the pants in your boots.

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Set bait and track wasps if you don’t know where their nest is. If you see wasps buzzing, but you don’t know where their nest is, watch the bees’ flight direction. When finding food, wasps will often pick up what they can get and bring back to the hive. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Try baiting bees, such as pieces of meat or fruit, and then sit indoors and watch the bees. When wasps appear, follow their flight direction and follow. You will eventually discover the hive.

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Mark the hive in a place about 4.5 – 6 meters away from the hive. Wasp nests are gray or beige, round teardrop-shaped, and can reach the size of a baseball. Wasp nests are usually hung from trees, but you can also find them on the ground. Once you find the hive, stop at a safe distance and mark the location so you can find it later. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Identify the mouth of the hive when the hive has been found. You can use binoculars so you don’t have to get too close.
You will be spraying insecticide at night, so mark it with a light-colored flag so it can be seen in the dark.

Spray insecticide

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Buy insecticidal sprays with a spray range of about 4.5 – 6 meters. Look for drugs specifically designed to kill wasps and wasps at home stores or gardening centers. Check the label on the spray bottle, make sure it has a spray range of at least 4.5 meters. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You need to use a long-range insecticide spray so you can hit the target without having to get too close to the hive.
Read product labels carefully and use as directed.

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Use insecticide to treat the hive at night. The best time to treat a wasp nest with an insecticide is about 2 hours after sunset. Wasps are least active at night, and most worker bees return to the hive when it starts to get dark. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

European wasps are an exception, as they are still active at night. With this species of bee, the best time to spray is before dawn, when it is still dark.
European wasps can reach 2.5 cm in length, and the head and thorax (middle part of the body) are reddish brown. Other species of wasps and hornets are not reddish brown. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Use a flashlight and red filter paper to find the hive. Wasps have a hard time seeing red light, so you should wrap the flashlight with a piece of red cellophane and tie it with an elastic band. This way you will be able to see the path without disturbing the hive. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You will attract the attention of bees if you use an unfiltered flashlight.
Remember to wear protective clothing when approaching the hive. Do not forget that handling wasps or wasps nests yourself is risky, even protective clothing is not absolutely safe.

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Aim at the mouth of the hive to spray insecticide. Once you locate the marker and see the hive, try to find the mouth of the hive. As mentioned above, you can use binoculars to see clearly without getting too close, then spray insecticide into the mouth of the beehive, press the nozzle for at least 5-10 seconds. ^{[9] X Research Source}

The goal here is to keep the hive intact while you saturate the mouth of the hive. As such, any wasps that fly out and attempt to attack will be exposed to the drug.
Try to press the nozzle continuously for a few seconds, but do not press for longer than necessary. If you hear an angry swarm of bees, cover your head with your hands and run into hiding.

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Check the hive after at least a day and reapply insecticide if necessary. Wait about 24-48 hours, then go back to check the hive. If you see any active wasps, come back at night and spray more. ^{[10] X Research Source}

For large hives, you may need to treat 2-3 times. Once you’re sure there are no live bees left in the hive, knock the hive off the tree branch that has fallen to the ground, or cover it with soil if the hive is on the ground.

Prevention of wasps

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Use glue to seal the gaps in the house. In late winter or early spring, inspect the house and outbuildings, such as a shed. Check for cracks in walls, roofs, canopies, undersides of balconies, and use a waterproof sealant to seal all openings you find. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Use wire mesh to cover large openings or ventilation holes.

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Eliminate food and water sources. Avoid leaving food out, especially meat and other protein sources, as well as fruit and sugary drinks. Make sure faucets and water supplies are not leaking, and clean up any puddles of standing water in the yard. ^{[12] X Research Source}

In addition, if you have pets in the yard, you should avoid leaving food out for them to eat. Food and water will attract wasps.

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Close trash and recycling bins. It is extremely important to keep the lids of trash cans and recycling bins tightly closed if there are leftovers or soda cans in them. You should also regularly check outdoor trash cans to make sure food and drink are not spilling. Rinse the trash can with water if you find food and drink residue on the bin. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Fill in rodent burrows and crevices. Holes and crevices can attract wasps and wasps that nest in the soil. You need to check the yard in early spring and fill in any gaps you find. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Continue checking for openings throughout spring and early summer.

Advice

If you decide not to touch the hive, be sure to notify your family members and visitors, and advise people not to approach and not do anything to incite the bees.
If you are hesitant or are not used to this, do not try to attack the hive without wearing protective gear. Call a pest control service and stay away from the hive until the problem is resolved.
If there are hives in or around your home, you may have no choice but to get rid of the hive. However, if the hive is at a safe distance, it’s probably best to leave it alone. Wasps help control insect populations and pollinate flowers, and they are a useful part of an ecosystem. ^{[15] X Research Source}
Trapping is not an effective method of controlling wasps, especially when you have to deal with large numbers of bees. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Warning

Wasps can become aggressive when their nest is threatened. You need to plan an escape route in case the whole swarm of bees gather when you spray on their hive.
Call for professional service if you have to deal with a hive high in a tree or structure, such as in a wall or attic. Also, never attempt to remove a hive if you are allergic to honeybee, wasp, or wasp stings. ^{[17] X Research Source}
Some pest exterminators use the honeycomb wrapping technique, which is to wrap the honeycomb in a plastic bag and cut it off from the tree branch. This method should only be done by professionals; Don’t try to handle it yourself. ^{[18] X Research Sources}
Never climb a ladder to remove a hive. If a wasp attacks you, you could fall and be seriously injured. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Things you need

Protective clothing
Brightly colored flags or other markings
Flashlight wrapped in red cellophane
Insecticidal spray specialized in treating wasps and wasps
Binoculars (optional)

Steps