We have been rehabbing a farmhouse in southern Illinois. Last summer we didn't see a lot bees or wasps. This summer they are already awful. We are going to screen the porch but that's down road a ways. For now we need to know how to if not completely get rid of them at least slow them down. Does anyone have a tried and true remedy to get rid of them? I just can't stand spray chemical all over porch and then try to sit out there. Help!!!
we did the brown paper bag trick and holy moley it works. Take a brown lunch sack and put a couple of those plastic grocery sacks into it to give it shape. tie it shut at the top and staple around the top of your porch under the eves. haven't had another wasp or bee on the porch since we did it.
Call an exterminator to determine if you have wasps or honey bees. Or what insect you have.
You need to clean out the barn. They are attracted to food and sugary water. So don't give them something to come to.
Personally? I would spend the money on an exterminator. Let them deal with them.
You have to find the nest(s). So the first thing is to see if they are digger wasps (holes in the ground, like ants) or the kind that are papery globes (like hornets make) that hang under eaves (especially in the peak), decks, branches, mailboxes even light fixtures. We've had them in all 5 places. The digger kind, you pour something down the hole. The other kind, you spray. Do your looking and your treatment in the evening when the bulk of the wasps are inside. If you spray/treat during the day, the wasps come back, can't find their nest, get screwed up, and start building a new one. Wasp/hornet spray has a very direct, powerful, thin line of spray that goes right into the hole on the bottom of the nest, vs. a general air-blown spray. Think of a hose nozzle and the difference between "shower" and "power spray".
So, slowly follow the wasps if you can to find out where they live. Wear long sleeves and a hat, and try it in the early evening when they are "heading home from work". Don't do anything - just locate. If they are digging holes, mark nearby with a stick or a down in the ground. When you identify all the locations, make a little map and then go out and do all of them at once. Wear one of those dust masks and work goggles to protect your nose/eyes. Spray fast up into the nest, and then get out of there - they will be "mad as a hornet" but you'll get most of them. After a few days to be sure they are all dead, you can knock the nest down (it may start to fall apart anyway without live wasps to repair it).
If they are way up in a high tree or in a dangerous part of the roof, hire a professional.
Good luck!
We've had wasps a few times. It has not been too difficult to find the hive, as that's usually right where we encounter the wasps. We've just bought some wasp spray and sprayed the hive then knocked it down. Done.
You wouldn't spray it all over the porch. You spray the hive. So I don't think you need to worry about the chemicals. You have to locate the hive.
Might be helpful to google wasp nests to get a better idea of what they look like. Depending on the exterior of the house, they might blend in well with their surroundings.
First determine if they are wasps or honeybees. If they are honeybees, find someone who can move the bees. Don't exterminate them. If they are wasps, spray the nest or call an exterminator.
LOL.....I'm not sure how to resolve your issue but I can't help myself from sharing my kneejerk initial reaction to your posting title........I first read it as
How do we get rid of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants -- AKA WASPS........
and I thought...hmm..that's a little harsh.............
I hope this makes you smile.....and best of luck dewasping your farmhouse. sounds like a series of fun and challenging projects. have a great day... S.
Where we are they are a constant problem all summer long.
You can make a wasp trap using a used drink bottle, google it.
If you bait it appropriately (eg, with meat), it will trap wasps and yellow jackets, but honeybees won't be interested.
Make sure they are wasps and not honey bees. If they are wasps you just have to spray the nest, but do it at night (they don't fly around at night). Just know that they will try to make another nest in or around the same area, so you may have to do this a couple of times.
If you think the nest is too big call an exterminator, so that no one gets hurt.
