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How to Kill Wasps

Wasps and hornets can greatly impact the outdoor activities in your home, and their elimination can be tricky. Their populations normally peak late in the summer. Ensuring that they don’t invade your home in any season of the year is paramount. Although early intervention is necessary, most of these wasps and hornets don’t annoy unless they are disturbed. Furthermore, most of them will perish during the fall. What can you do if they become annoying? The good news is that there are effective ways to kill and eliminate wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets that always hang out near your household.

Use Traps

You can purchase and place a lure trap in an area where wasps frequent in your home. Place the trap along your property line away from protected areas or patios. It is important to regularly check and replace the traps whenever they fill up or according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. You can buy lure traps from online suppliers, department stores, or local stores within your residence.

Alternatively, you can use glue traps to capture the wasps during the early stages of nest development. The wasp population is usually smaller during this time and can easily be managed.

Use Fake Nests

Hanging a fake nest around your home away from your house will help to keep wasps away from you. This method is only effective early on in the summer and may not be helpful late in the season. You can buy fake wasp nests from online suppliers or big-box stores. Alternatively, you can use brown paper bags or paper lantern.

Knock Down the Nest

Adequate precaution and gear should be observed if you opt to kill the wasps yourself. This technique can be efficient if you had applied an insecticide or when the nest is still small. You can knock down the nest using a long-handled tool such as a rake or broom. If the wasps are alive, ensure to knock it down several times. However, knocking down a wasp nest even when sprayed is never the best way. There is always a chance that one is alert. In case you had applied an insecticide earlier on, and most wasps are dead, apply more insecticide after knocking it down before you break it apart.

Drown the Nest with Hot Water

Drowning the nest with boiling water especially at night is another effective way to kill wasps instantly. You should closely monitor the nest behavior for a few days to identify their frequent entry and exit points. You should then head to these points at night when the insects are asleep and drown them with hot water. Stuffing some soil inside the holes of the underground nests after flooding with hot water is advisable to prevent their reemergence.

Conclusion

If wasps are a nuisance in your home, getting rid of them soon is a good idea. It can prevent you or your family from getting stung when outdoors. Seeking the help of a professional pest controller is most recommended. They know wasp behavior and more importantly, have the right gear.