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Just discovered a very small what I think is a paper wasps' nest on the underside of one of our wicker patio chairs.
It's grey/white and papery looking and the insects are skinny, brown with some yellow and have a long thing that sticks out at the back when they fly (or maybe it's their legs?)
My son walked close to the chair today and they swarmed around his legs and he got 2 stings.This is when we realised it was there as it's only visible if you kneel on the deck.
Although we don't do mass pest control in our yard this is a nuisance and would like to get rid of it!
I called Orkin and they wanted $275 but originally I didn't realise they were paper wasps-thought they might be yellowjackets or hornets.
Can we use a bought product and spray them at night if I wear long sleeves/trousers etc?
I have no idea how quickly a product will kill them or how far away we can stand whilst spraying them.
Any recommendations please!
Home depot. Paper Wasps are good for controlling other pest though like white flies and are beneficial.. However if its a safety issue just buy an over the counter wasp killer. If you can just walk the chair out into the yard and manually remove the nest into the bushes I would do that first.
There are several wasp sprays to choose from. The majority, if not all, of them have quite a range on the spray. That's so the spray will reach wasp nests under eaves and overhangs on houses and barns. Plus it allows you to stay a fair distance away because those wasps are going to get very P.O.'d just before they die.
If you wait at night when it's cooler (provided your area of the country has "cool" nights) you can use a flashlight to shine on the nest under the chair, and then use ordinary hairspray to immobilize the wasps.
Wasps don't fly as readily at night, and in cooler temps, then they will when it's brighter and warmer.
Black Flag kills darn close to on contact. Get a can with the "jet stream" that shoots over 10-15'. Be certain to wait until dusk when all the wasps have returned to the nest. Be prepared to run if you need to.
I have another non-toxic tip...suck them up with a vacuum cleaner. I have a long outdoor extension cord. I just used the extension on the vacuum and Swwwwp no more wasps.
Wasp sprays are expensive. You probably have something that works just as well in your house - WD-40. Drench the nest during the cooler morning or evening hours. Wait a few hours and just knock it down with a broom.
I know people who collect wasp nests and bee hives. They wait until fall when the bees and wasps and things go underground, and then they go around carefully collecting the nests.
Once there was a bee hive in a neighbors backyard and they wanted it removed for safety, the kids kept getting stung. So these people came and smoked the bees out and removed the hive. It was pretty cool!
BTW - use a garden hose and/or a broom to get rid of the nest. It's best not to use toxic chemicals if you don't have to. They are expensive and bad for the environment. They are beneficial insects like someone else mentioned, so you don't want to kill them but you just don't want them under your chair!
Black Flag kills darn close to on contact. Get a can with the "jet stream" that shoots over 10-15'. Be certain to wait until dusk when all the wasps have returned to the nest. Be prepared to run if you need to.
Speaking of which, I had to get rid of two BIG wasp nests when I first moved in. I put on my winter coat, long thick pants, gloves, boots, goggles and a hat LOL. Then I knocked down the nests with a broom and chucked them. Without the nests, I don't think the wasps will come back...at least not for a while.
Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately I was cowardly and resorted to the chemical spray with a 27ft range- although I actually stood about 10 ft away.
This afternoon they were very active even when we walked in and out of the front door which is close by, so didn't want to take any chances of anyone else getting stung.
Sprayed them about an hour ago when they seemed very subdued and now have a puddle of dead wasps on the deck to deal with tomorrow.
I hate using chemicals and if the nest had been elsewhere,even somewhere else on the deck and not attached to a chair I probably would have left them alone.
BTW the spray was only $2.70-lot less than $275 or even $160 which the next firm quoted.
My co-pay for an ER visit is only $150!
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