You can destroy a wasp nest with a hose assuming that it’s an underground nest. With plenty of water flow, wasps will drown quickly in their underground hideout but not so much if they’re flying in the air.
Attacking a wasp nest that isn’t above ground with a water hose is a fool’s errand and one that’s likely to end with several stings along with a select choice of words from the darker side of the English vocabulary.
What Happens When You Spray A Wasp Nest With Water?
Hosing down a wasp nest will certainly drive away a few wasps, however, the rest will become seriously agitated and respond with aggression. It won’t kill any of the wasps and they’re likely to return, especially if some of their original nest is still intact.
Also, spraying a wasp nest risks damaging your property, unless it’s done outside and away from the home.
How Do You Destroy A Wasp Nest?
There are a couple of effective methods for destroying a wasp nest:
- Garbage or Ziploc Bag: With a large enough bag, approach the wasp nest at night, when the wasps are no longer active. Seal the nest in the bag and leave it alone throughout the day until all of the wasps have suffocated and died. Dispose of the nest.
- Insecticide Spray or Foam: Approach the nest in the early morning hours or at night and locate the entrance/exit hole. Saturate the hole—from a safe enough distance—with the spray. The hole is their exit and they will die or be severely ill by the time they make it out of the hole.
Once the wasps are eliminated, you can dispose of the nest however you see fit. Its generally not safe to burn them, as they are made of a paper material that is very flammable and runs the risk of spreading fire.
Will Wasps Come Back If You Destroy Their Nest?
Once their nest is destroyed, wasps that directly inhabit it will generally mill about for a bit, confused and sort of lost before they permanently vacate the premises.
Of course, wasps are indigenous, so that’s not to say that the problem is solved indefinitely. A new group of wasps will likely return and set up shop somewhere else. The key is knowing how to effectively eliminate them so that each occurrence is limited.
What Kills Wasps Instantly?
Not much will kill a wasp instantly on the spot, but there are several methods to kill them quickly without causing much of a fuss.
- Hot Water and Soap: Spraying down their nest with soapy water is cheap and highly effective. The soap clogs their breathing and suffocates them.
- Insecticide Sprays: Drench the wasp nest from a safe distance and the chemical composition of the insecticide will kill them quickly.
- Insecticide Dusting: Just as effective as a spray can, without putting you in harm’s way since the dust isn’t as threatening as drenching the nest with spray. Casually apply the dust to the nest and surrounding area.
What Time Of Day Is Best To Destroy A Wasp Nest?
The best time of day to approach a wasp’s nest and destroy it is in the early morning hours or late at night when the activity around the nest will be at a minimum.
During the cooler hours at night time or in the morning when it’s not only cool but a layer of dew is coating everything, wasps are at their most vulnerable. They are a bit slower, more lethargic, and it will take them longer to react to anything.
Once they’ve been saturated with insecticide poisoning, it will no longer matter. how slow or fast they are.
How Do You Get Rid Of A Wasp Nest Without Being Stung?
There’s always a risk when dealing with a wasp nest, however, a combination of the above advice, especially the garbage/Ziploc bag method is best.
Approach the best late in the evening or in the early morning hours to bag the nest. This is an especially good tactic when approaching fall and the temps are even cooler in the evening and morning hours.
Wear protective clothing. You don’t have to suit up like a beekeeper or anything, but long sleeves and long pants with boots or shoes are best.
How Do You Keep Wasps From Coming Back?
Wasps are attracted to pleasant, flowery smells, such as the kind found in gardens or perfumes. If you have flower beds, there’s not much you can do. However, if they’re in pots, move them well away from the house and that will go a long way.
Always keep food put up and away from easy access, this includes garbage cans and open bottles or cans. Anything sugary is a considerable attractant.
There are anti-wasp plants, such as marigolds, geraniums, and pennyroyals. Wasps can’t tolerate them and will avoid them if possible.
If you have any holes in your yard, especially previous wasp nests, fill them and cover them up.
Does WD-40 Kill Wasps?
WD-40 is an effective wasp killer and preventative. It’s an effective preventative if you spray areas where previous wasp nests were constructed and any other areas that would be good for a nest.
You can also saturate existing nests just as you would with an insecticide spray. The WD-40 will take a good hour to eradicate every wasp in the nest, after which you can knock the nest down and dispose of it properly.
What Is The Best Wasp Killer?
Terro spray insecticides are considered the best wasp killers out there. Raid Wasp ; Hornet Killer isn’t far behind.
Wasp insecticides are filled with pyrethroids and pyrethrins that annihilate a wasp’s central nervous system. Wasps that survive the initial blast long enough to make it back to the nest happily share the nervous system destroying chemicals to all of its pals.
They work so effectively that it’s generally okay to stand between 15 and 20 feet from the nest and not worry about the wasps making it to you before they die.
Does Vinegar Kill Wasps?
One of the better home remedies for killing wasps is Apple Cider Vinegar. You can mix a few cups of vinegar, a few cups of water, and a few cups of sugar in a bowl before setting it near the nest.
The wasps will be attracted to the concoction and fly to it. You can also do a half-and-half mixture of white vinegar and water to spray the wasps down or saturate their nests after nightfall or in the morning.