I went out today and bought a can of Raid Hornet and Wasp killer. It was only $3. Funny enough, it killed all the hornets or wasps or whatever they were. Huh. Good thing, too. Once they all fell off, I was able to see that they were rebuilding. The bastards.
Wood Thrush - yup, that’s them all right. I guess they were paper wasps.
As for the rest of you, I am deeply impressed with the imagination demonstrated here. It is apparent that I need to spend a lot more time pondering ways of slaughtering pests. Thank you.
Yeah, the wasp and hornet spray works as well as anything else out there. Usually these things are a transalethrin or some other synthetic pyrethrin in a petroleum base. Great stuff. They drop like pebbles. Problem is, sometimes the stuff stains your siding.
Now, one or two other words of advice. This wasp and hornet spray, while great stuff, only works on visible nests. If the bees (I use the term generically) are building nests in the ground or in a soffit or up behind the siding, it won’t help. Since I’m a professional hired killer, I’m able to use insecticide in a dust formulation. I can pouf a little of it in the hole and pretty soon, no more bees. Don’t know if this stuff is available to the general public, however. If you have a problem like this, you might need to call a professional.
Also, while the wasp and hornet spray is kwik, E-Z and fun for the whole family, it only kills the ones it touches. There are probably scads of sisters, cousins and aunts out foraging. They may be disoriented by the residual spray when they get back, but they probably won’t come into contact with enough of the stuff to croak. This means they will start building another nest someplace else. In other words, you have to be vigilant all summer and into the fall, looking for new nests and areas of high activity. Take care of them when they’re just building the nest, and you won’t have a watermelon-sized nest full of aggressive bastards in the fall. Unfortunately, there is no preventive treatment for bees, wasps and other flying stinging insects.
Jophiel, even though yellowjackets do tend to build nests in secluded, even hidden areas, they still make the paper honeycombed nests. Sometimes they are more visible than others. But they do build nests under decks, soffits, even handrails. But their nests are round paper affairs with honeycomb structures.
Hey DaveW? since you are the hired killer in these parts, i have a question for ya along the same lines as the OP. I used to have a problem with Carpenter Bees. They used to love burrowing a hole right in my hand rail on my front porch. I tried Raid, sealing the holes at night to suffacate the little bastards but they would always come or dig a new hole. I finally solved the problem buy investing in a Vinyl over steel hand rail. Let’s see the little bastards eat through that!!! Welp, they have since moved to my neighbors deck. How do you get rid of them with out going with the vinyl method?
I always take care of wasps with hair spray. If they are in the house, I spray them with hair spray and then hit them with a fly swatter until dead. Without the hairspray they won’t just lie there while you hit them over and over. Terribly uncooperative. The hairspray freezes their wings in place and they can’t fly off. (Also while it did seem like a good idea at the time, don’t suck the grounded wasp with your Hoover. Then you have a really mad wasp covered in dust that can’t fly, but still hates you.)
For the nest, wait until dark when all of the wasps have come home for the night. Get out your hairspray, the cheaper the better. Completely soak the nest in hairspray. The next morning throw it away. Of course, do all of this cautiously.
That’s what I do anyway. I’ve never had any problems with this method until the one time they decided to build a nest 3 stories up. Hairspray just won’t spray that far. My husband used wasp spray for that. It worked, but he got wasp spray all over himself. I’d rather have the wasps than be coverered in poison. Can you tell which one of us is the one that has a bad reaction to wasp stings?
No match needed. This is how we used to get rid of nests of wasps, bumblebees, hornets, whatever, in the ground or in the air. I can’t possibly recommend it to anyone because of the extreme flammability of the gas, and the toxicity of the gas to the environment, but it’s what I use. I’m allergic to 'em, and it knocks 'em down immediately.
JBurt, carpenter bees are also a problem, since they cause so much damage. Again, I may have access to more stuff than the average unlicensed jamoke (i.e. you). However, a little research and some good ole American ingenuity can get the problem solved.
Find a residual pyrethrin spray, preferably one that leaves a powdery residue when it dries. A straw-like applicator tip is a necessity, too, like from a can of WD-40. I think I’ve seen these on over-the-counter aerosols. Stick the tip into the carpenter bee hole as far as it will go. CBs make tunnels along the grain of the wood once they’re in, so push the tip in both directions to make sure you’re coating the entire tunnel. Even if the bee is not in the hole at the time, you’ll kill any eggs that are in there. And if the bee is out and comes back, he’ll get coated with the residual pyrethrin and croak.
Seal the holes with caulk or wood putty.
Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes, remove and let sit for ten minutes.
Hmmm, sounds like a plan. I’ll suggest it to my neighbor who now houses the little bastards.
Serves 8 huh? Hmmm, i dunno about that one. I eat alot, so it might only serve 4 or 5. Actually, now that you mention it, i wonder how they would taste covered in Chocolate?
How do you get rid of them with out going with the vinyl method?