# Any advice on killing wasps? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193 "2005-06-06T19:59:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/21 "2005-06-07T00:46:47Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Ya know, some of us like wasps. šŸ™‚ I know. Iā€™m disturbed. > > . :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: And I thought you were a really cool guy. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/22 "2005-06-07T01:02:36Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: > > And I thought you were a really cool guy. > > _shudder_ Theyā€™re cute. I had one for a pet briefly when I worked at a state park. It flew into the little booth I was in and drank sprite out of a bottle cap. As long as you leave them alone, wasps are no problem. Just as nice as spiders. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/23 "2005-06-07T01:03:47Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Theyā€™re cute. I had one for a pet briefly when I worked at a state park. It flew into the little booth I was in and drank sprite out of a bottle cap. As long as you leave them alone, wasps are no problem. Just as nice as spiders. šŸ˜› _sputters_ But-but-spiders have a _use_! Wasps are just big bullies! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/24 "2005-06-07T02:16:57Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I hadnā€™t even thought of a professional. We use them for termites outside and pest control inside, so I donā€™t know why it didnā€™t occur to me to call them for wasps. I have no idea how to find the nest(s). We have 1-1/2 acres, including an old tobacco barn. They could be nested in there. Or they could be nested at a neighborā€™s for all I know. But finding the nest sounds like something a pro should be able to do. We went with professionals when we had a 12-foot x 1 foot beehive in our exterior wall of our old house. They found it, removed it, and told us what to do to keep them from coming back. And I donā€™t think we paid over $100 for the whole job. I was very happy with the results. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/25 "2005-06-07T10:02:28Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Not to nitpick, but what one person calls a wasp is what the next guy calls a hornet, and someone else calls a yellow jacket. (Perhaps driven by local dialect?) > > Wasps to me come in two varieties-the paper nest type that are kinda brown colored, and the iridescent purple ones who make mud nests-other locals call them dirt daubers. > > Hornets make big paper nests in and on tree trunks and branches-football size and bigger. They look more bee-like, and are a little smaller than wasps. > > Yellow jackets are the annoying little stinkers that hang around trash barrels at picnic grounds and fast food stores. They nest within wall cavities and underground. These are smaller than a honey, bumble, or carpenter bee, but larger than a sweat bee. > > So which to do have? Both brown wasps and dirt daubers. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/26 "2005-06-07T10:04:27Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Ya know, some of us like wasps. šŸ™‚ I know. Iā€™m disturbed. > > With all the factors, you should probably go pro to kill them and get the nest. If you really want to do it yourself, the only thing that I can add to the growing list of advice is do it early in the a.m. (right about when the farm report comes on if you can tear yourself away). The colder it is, the more lethargic the wasps are. Yep. They seem to go dormant right about twilight time, and donā€™t emerge until ten minutes after sweat. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/27 "2005-06-07T12:14:56Z")
I was going to recommend a soap and water solution, but I never thought of using a Super Soaker to do it. Good idea. Itā€™s also better for the environment. Pesticides are lethal chemicals that can linger for weeks. I once saw someone use another ā€œold fashionā€ approach: Dip a stick in gasoline, lit it on fire, and throw it at the nest. She got a direct hit, and the thing went up in flames. Have a fire extinguisher handy, and call all the neighbors so they can witness it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/28 "2005-06-07T12:57:09Z")
[Try this.](http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=4727&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=950&iSubCat=845&iProductID=4727) ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/29 "2005-06-07T13:24:38Z")
WD-40 can also be used to kill one or two that are bothering you. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/30 "2005-06-07T13:56:53Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > As long as you leave them alone, wasps are no problem. Possibly, although the definition of ā€˜leave them aloneā€™ is far too broad for most people; Want to actually eat that jam sandwich? - you canā€™t - the wasp saw it, now the wasp _owns_ it. Leave the wasp alone to eat his sandwich. Want to sit in a deckchair in your garden? - sorry, you canā€™t, because youā€™re a mammal and mammals near the nest are just a potential threat; maybe after theyā€™ve stung you, youā€™ll move away and leave them alone. Sorry, but the _hymenoptera_ definition of ā€˜leave aloneā€™ just excludes too much of what I happen to consider normal human activity. I acknowledge that wasps are just part of nature, but unfortunately, theyā€™re just part of nature that we sometimes need to control destructively and pre-emptively in order to make our own lives comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/31 "2005-06-07T14:14:46Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Sorry, but the _hymenoptera_ definition of ā€˜leave aloneā€™ just excludes too much of what I happen to consider normal human activity. I agree, like ā€œstanding in the loft of my barnā€. They are, like everyone else just trying to make a living, but so are copper heads in the pump house. šŸ™‚ Advice: Kill them quickly; do not piss them off _en masse_. Question: Iā€™ve heard that mud daubers cannot sting, but Iā€™m not brave enough to test it. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/32 "2005-06-07T14:28:38Z")
Also, a spray-bottle with soap and water kept on the deck can be useful. Once youā€™ve knocked a wasp out of the air with it, be sure to actually crush the little bugger a ways away from the porch. With luck, youā€™ll be able to get a swarm of them going after the pheremones released by dying wasp, and your kill rate will increase exponentially. Also, Iā€™ve had lots of fun using bananas as bait. Yes, I enjoy wasp-hunting. Why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/33 "2005-06-07T14:32:47Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Question: > Iā€™ve heard that mud daubers cannot sting, but Iā€™m not brave enough to test it. Donā€™t test it. They can sting. The ā€œdirt daubersā€ or ā€œmud daubersā€ feed on spiders, usually; several times in my life I have killed the wasps, and then used a stick or something similar to destroy their nest (which is a vertical tube of dirt on a wall or other surface). Sometimes they have dozens of spiders tucked away in there for food. They kill/anesthetize the spiders by stinging them. Thereā€™s an insect that looks similar to a dirt dauber, although itā€™s usually larger. I have no idea what itā€™s called, but as far as I know it doesnā€™t sting. It can bite, which is semi-painful, but nothing like a wasp sting. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/34 "2005-06-07T15:57:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Any advice on killing wasps? Cackle shrilly while youā€™re doing it, and then squeal like a girl and run away when they turn on you. Other than that, I got nothinā€™. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/35 "2005-06-07T16:27:51Z")
After trying in vain for years to get rid of our stinging friends, weā€™ve finally thrown in the towel and co-exist harmoniously with them. We do have to warn all guests to stay away from a certain spot on the deck, but itā€™s a small price to pay for peace. They build under the deck, you see, so to kill them you have to crab crawl under the deck, spray them, and then hope to hell you can get out of there before they realize you tried to Agent Orange them while they slept. Wasps have no sense of humor. They always build in the same place, so weā€™ve finally decided that as long as we know where they are, we can avoid major skirmishes. Of course, Iā€™ve never been stung by them and none of my family suffers from anapā€¦uh, is allergic to them. If you canā€™t beat 'em, join 'em, I say. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/36 "2005-06-07T19:24:55Z")
Anaphylactic shock is **not** pretty. What you need to do is kill the queens, so the donā€™t build nests in the first place. Petrol (sprayed, not lit) is a better killer than soapy water. ---
**Author:** ![Try\_As\_I\_Might](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Try\_As\_I\_Might](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try_As_I_Might)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/37 "2005-06-07T20:31:13Z")
I just realized we have a few monster-sized hornets (approximately 3" long and a 1/2" wide) visit my place last night. One little bugger actually flew into my hair while I was having a smoke on my balcony. I do have to say that I am not brave enough to go after these little monsters with soapy water or a hand towel. I am sticking with chemical warfare until they stop twitchinā€™. tonight, I hunt. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/38 "2005-06-07T20:38:54Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Sorry, but the _hymenoptera_ definition of ā€˜leave aloneā€™ just excludes too much of what I happen to consider normal human activity. I acknowledge that wasps are just part of nature, but unfortunately, theyā€™re just part of nature that we sometimes need to control destructively and pre-emptively in order to make our own lives comfortable. I know. Iā€™m not going to gather an army of PETA members and hover outside Liberalā€™s house or anything, though it would be funny if I could get them to loudly protest around the wasps nest. šŸ˜› I understand why people hate them and I know that they need to be killed and their nests destroyed. If there was one near my house, Iā€™d likely do the same. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/39 "2005-06-07T23:39:45Z")
> [@Try As I Might...](#): > > tonight, I hunt. Film at eleven. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193/40 "2005-06-08T00:07:50Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > I know. Iā€™m not going to gather an army of PETA members and hover outside Liberalā€™s house or anything, though it would be funny if I could get them to loudly protest around the wasps nest. šŸ˜› Well, that might kill two, er, birds with one stone. So to speak. [Hereā€™s](http://eartheasy.com/live_natwasp_control.htm) some info on finding, dealing with, and eradicating wasps and similiar nasties, including how to make a water trap out of a 2 litre bottle. As for outdoor cats (always a hot button topic), while they can be odious in urban and suburan areas where they prey on sparse natural species, they can be beneficial in limiting the rodent population in areas as long as they arenā€™t allowed to propagate all out of proportion. Woe is the barn owner who doesnā€™t have a wiley cat. I hope Pretty Black Girl continues to do well. Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-killing-wasps/307193.md?page=3)