Since threads like this often seem to attract anecdotes to the general effect “I destroyed a nest by [insert amateur method] and it was just fine”, let me add mine, where it was somewhat other than fine.
I observed wasps (Vespula vulgaris) coming and going from a hole underneath a wooden play house I had made for my kids.
I bought a large can of ‘foaming wasp nest destroyer’ and used it as directed - spraying it directly into the hole. The next day, there was no sign of activity - but there was a large pile of dead adult wasps outside the hole.
I sprayed again, just to be sure, then the day after, I tilted the play house on its side to check underneath. In the void space underneath was a spherical paper nest about the size of a soccer ball.
Still no wasp activity, but dead adult wasps everywhere - I decided I would transfer the nest into a plastic sack, tie the top tightly, then dump it in the dustbin.
I laid the sack out ready, then carefully skewered the nest with a garden fork. It immediately broke into pieces, releasing a swarm of fast, highly active and agitated adult wasps - they spread out and began frenziedly stinging everything indiscriminately - trees, fence posts, my arms and torso, but especially my legs.
I ran away, batting them off as I went, but I had received dozens of stings. I experienced a feverish hot sweat for the rest of the afternoon and the stings were sore for days. I think the wasps must have chemically marked me as an enemy, as I found that other wasps simply wouldn’t leave me alone for a couple of weeks afterwards.
I haven’t read the other responses, so this may be redundant.
I live in a brick house, and several years ago I noticed a swarm of yellowjackets above the upper corner of the main entrance. There was a small hole in the mortar between bricks, and they had built a nest within the wall. I tried spraying into the hole, but the little buggers proved to be stronger than the spray. Finally I took some putty and simply filled in the hole.
The yellowjackets trapped inside probably suffered a slow death; the ones trapped outside spent a couple of days swarming around where the hole had been, then died off.
I called several bee removal places and they all say that the vast majority of bees in this area (Tucson) are Africanized (killer) bees and thus useless for honey production.
But they want $250 to come take it away! That seems awfully steep to me. I have emailed the family that actually owns the house and asked them how they want to proceed.
I think some exterminators get a lot of milage out of calling them “killer” bees. In Tucson any wild honey bees you find probably are Africanized but that doesn’t mean they are useless for honey production. ALL of the bees in the south these days (from what I hear) are Africanized including the ones used by beekeepers for pollination and making honey. These bees can be very aggressive so it is a good idea to get it taken care of one way or the other.
When I was a kid I once plugged the hole of an underground wasps nest with cow dung. In the morning I saw that the bugs had dugged their way out through that muck !
They never forgave me. I was stung many times since then.
(I hate wasps)
I tried that “foaming” stuff once. It was crap. It formed a layer of foam on the surface of the nest, and never really soaked into the interior. Ultimately it peeled off and fell away without killing many yellowjackets. My favorite is still the Raid wasp/hornet killer. It doesn’t foam up, it’s just a liquid, and it’ll soak in nicely. Great stuff if you are dealing with a nest in a hidden location with limited access.
Great-Stuff won’t work. I started a thread either here or on GB about that. I had bees under my siding where the AC lines enter the house. I closed it with great stuff and by the next day they had just eaten it away. I went through a bottle of great stuff and a bottle of the minimally expanding great stuff. Didn’t even slow them down. What did work is a powdered insect killer. I tried all kinds of bee/wasp/flying insect killers and none of those worked either. Finally with the advice of Weird Dave I got a powdered bee killer. It comes with a straw that I shoved into the hole and blew the dust in. All the bees gone within about 2 days and two or three applications.
Also, I believe the front of the bottle said that it was carpenter ant killer, but the back said it was for bees.
I can see Great Stuff being useless against carpenter bees (if that is what OP’s friend has within the wall). I have used it on wasps/hornets and ‘ground’ bees with good success, but species makes all the difference, of course. A few days ago, I used some on a 4x4 post in back yard where a few carpenter bees were digging homes with sawdust piles underneath on ground, and no sign of any exit, so hopefully they were smothered by the Stuff. In a more open/voluminous area, it would certainly not be anywhere as effective. I never thought a bug would want to chew on that Stuff - interesting.
I agree. I have a pretty big double layer deck and wasps just love to build nests on the underhangs. That Raid spray kills them within seconds and I have never once been stung as I am standing 15 feet away unleashing a stream of chemical death on their asses.
I also have issues with carpenter bees every year, but those I just kill with a flyswatter since only the females can sting you. Its actually quite fun batting the males out of the air with a swatter like a badminton birdie, as they are big enough to emit a satisfying “plop” sound when you nail them. I haven’t seen but a couple this season so maybe they are finally getting the message that its uncool to bore holes into my deck.
I don’t understand this tendency to use the terms “bees” and “wasps” interchangeably. I first heard that from one of the adults up here in New England at a Boy Scout summer camp. They kept referring to “bees” and “bee nests” in the latrines and outbuildings. The nests in question were in fact paper wasp nests.
I don’t think that bees and wasps look at all alike. Bees are hairy; wasps are shiny smooth. And a beehive looks nothing like a paper wasp nest.
I have had great success eliminating wasps nests with a good strong vacuum. If the nest is deep inside a small hole this might not work, as I have always been able to get to the ‘mouth’ of the nest when Ive done this.
Any wasp that flies out gets sucked up, and you can suck up most of the nest through the opening. I’ve usually used a shop vac with a bunch of existing dust/dirt in the tank. The swirling dust seems to disable them effectively, though there is sometimes some buzzing still so I usually leave it a day before emptying.
This is easy, quick and has worked for me multiple times. No stings, no more wasps, and no toxic insecticides.