The Best Ways to Kill Wasps
Wasps are unwanted pests can cause havoc in homes and gardens, particularly in the summertime. As well as being intimidating and aggressive, wasps are capable of delivering painful stings that lead to swelling and discomfort. For those with allergies or a history of anaphylaxis, a wasp sting can even prove to be fatal. Ridding a home of an infestation will be more successful if wasps are correctly identified first. Does this Spark an idea?
-
Recognizing Social and Solitary Wasps
-
Homeowners should be aware that there are two types of wasps. Social wasps create nests and are more common. They are usually more aggressive than solitary wasps because their nests make them territorial. Solitary wasps tend to lay eggs in their prey so there is rarely any territory to defend. This makes solitary wasps more docile and attacks from these loners are quite rare. If wasps are causing a nuisance in large numbers, they will usually be of the social variety.
Killing Solitary Wasps
-
Solitary wasps fly alone, have thin bodies and are less colorful than their social equivalents. They can usually be found around flower beds as they feed on aphids and beetles, a quality that many gardeners see as beneficial. Solitary wasps can be killed by being sprayed with citrus oil extract, a botanical insecticide that contains limonene and linalool. The extract causes instant death, so there if no suffering involved. It remains unclear, however, whether or not the spray has any adverse effect on smaller mammals such as cats and dogs.
-
Killing Social Wasps
-
The most aggressive of the social wasps is the common yellow jacket wasp. These pests are capable of producing several venomous attacks if disturbed. To remove an infestation, the entire nest must be killed. Wear thick protective face and body clothing, and tackle the nest on a cool night as wasps have difficulty flying in colder temperatures. The outside nest should be sprayed with 1 to 2 cans of aerosol dust insecticide and left to penetrate into the nest. Wasp activity should cease within minutes and the nest should be left until no further yellow jackets are seen. The hole of the nest should be blocked with stones before it is buried and left to decompose.
Natural Wasp Control
-
An effective trap can be made by cutting off the top third of a soda bottle with a utility knife or box cutter. The removed top section should be inverted and reattached to the remainder of the bottle with tape or staples. Once the bottle has been partially filled with a sweet attractant such as soda or fruit juice, it should be left in an area where wasps congregate. As wasps pass through the open bottle top to reach the attractant, they become trapped and eventually die or drown.
-
References
- Photo Credit John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images
