A Pest Control Specialist’s Guide on Everything you Need to Know About Wasp Nest Removal

It’s officially springtime.

You’re tending to your garden and sending out invitations for a cookout.

All of a sudden, you feel a sharp pain on your arm. Next thing you know you’re swatting away some wasp.

You have no idea what kind of wasp it was or if there are more. So you start looking around for a nest.

Eventually, you find one, but you know nothing of wasp nest removal.

So here you are.

Even if this isn’t your exact scenario or even one close to yours, you’re here and for one reason only.

You have a wasp infestation and you need it taken care of, but you don’t know-how. Lucky for you, this article will take you through everything you need to know.

Welcome to Wasp Nest Removal 101.

Types of Wasps

Let’s start off with some basics: types of wasps.

Everyone tends to lump wasps into one category, but it is important to know the difference between them all.

Here are the most commons types of wasps.

Bald-Faced Hornet

When you think of a wasp, you probably think of yellow and black. Bald-faced hornets are black and white instead.

If their distinct coloring isn’t a tell-tale sign, bald-faced hornets have three white stripes towards the end of their bodies. These stripes will usually be in the thorax.

These wasps are also pretty big and have hair.

Bald-faced hornets generally build their nests in trees and overhangs.

If you think this wasp is your pest, try looking under eaves and any overhangs your house may contain.

Paper Wasp

The difficult thing about paper wasps is that there are a few different species throughout the United States. Well, 22 different species in the United States and over 200 species worldwide to be exact.

This makes identifying them a bit tricky, but luckily, most species of paper wasps share similar traits!

Their bodies are pretty sleek and slender. The connection between their thorax and abdomen creates a “waist”.

Generally, they have a rusty-ish color body. Maybe a reddish-brown. They’ll have yellow bands across them as well.

Male paper wasps tend to be more yellow in color and have curve-tipped antennae.

Given that paper is in their name, paper wasps tend to live wherever there is wood.

So here, we’re talking about trees in your yard, if you have land that’s lined with the forest you’ll find them there too.

Mud Wasp

The chances are that you’ve seen a mud wasp but you had absolutely no idea that it was one. You may have thought it was a big mosquito or an insect that should be extinct.

Mud wasps have a very long and thin waist. Color-wise, they tend to be on the brighter side.

Mud wasps love to build their nests mainly on front porches and overhangs.

Ground Digger Wasp

The ground digger wasp has a dark orange head and a yellow and black abdomen, much like a bee.

The kicker with this wasp is that it is one of the biggest wasps out there, reaching roughly two inches long.

You’ll find these wasps near flowers in dry soil or sand.

Yellowjacket

Yellowjackets are pretty well known in the United States. There are three types of yellowjackets.

The western yellowjacket, the eastern yellowjacket, and the German yellowjacket. I know what you’re thinking, but luckily, they all look generally the same.

These wasps are a bright yellow with black stripes and they’re about as large as your average bee.

Yellow Jackets build their nests in wooded areas as well as in and around houses.

If you would like to learn more about these wasps, this page has a good amount of knowledge on each of these.

Wasp Nest Identification

So now you know how to identify these common wasps by only their appearance. However, wasp nest identification is the key to determining which is your pest.

Bald-Faced Hornet

The bald-faced hornet’s nest is about the same size as a football or a soccer ball. They’re round and point at the bottom. There will be one hole in the nest for entering and exiting.

They’ll be grey in color and have clean, smooth walls.

Paper Wasps

Although the wasp itself is a bit difficult to identify, their nests are not.

Paper wasp nests look almost like an umbrella which is held by a small stalk. Unlike the bald-faced hornet’s nest, this wasp nest is not completely covered.

Mud Wasp

If it wasn’t obvious from their name, mud wasps use wet mud to build their nests.

These nests look somewhat like tubes, having multiple peanut-shaped cells in them.

Ground Digger Wasp and Yellow Jacket

Both of these wasps have burrowed nests that could be mistaken for anthills.

The entrances will look like small holes in the ground. A good way to tell if it is a wasp nest is to simply observe it.

Mark the hole and look for wasps flying around the marker. Do be careful though as these underground nests can house up to thousands of wasps.

Wasp Nest Removal

Believe it or not, there is a wrong way to remove a wasp nest.

Knocking it Down

Do NOT knock down the wasp’s nest with a stick, a rock, or any sort of sports equipment. This will result in a swarm of wasps attacking you.

Fire

Do NOT burn the wasp nest in any sort of way. No blowtorches, flamethrowers, or makeshift hairspray flamethrowers.

Especially if you’re ridding of a ground nest. Pouring down any sort of lighter fluid into the nest will only end up in the groundwater and pollute it.

Water

Pouring water in the wasp nest isn’t the worst thing you could do.

But it won’t really do anything and may only anger any wasps that are in the nest, causing them to attack you.

Molten Metal

This should go without saying, but it should be touched on.

Some people do this with fire ants. They melt down some aluminum and pour it in the anthill.

Do NOT do this. The reasons not to are similar to water and lighter fluid.

The entrance to the wasp nest could be pretty far from the nest itself. Meaning the molten metal wouldn’t do much and may cool off before causing any harm.

This could upset and anger any wasps causing them to attack.

Correct Ways to Remove a Wasp Nest

Call a pest control professional.

We know and understand that you may want to do it yourself, but pest control professionals have expertise in wasp removal.

They have the proper knowledge to handle your wasp infestation and they use professional, industry-standard equipment.

Safe DIY Wasp Nest Removal

To reiterate, all wasp nests should be removed by pest control specialists.

But if you absolutely need to remove it yourself, here’s how.

Make sure you perform the removal as safely as possible. Keep all children and those with any wasp allergies as far away as possible.

You’ll also want a solid route to run away if things go wrong.

You’ll want to do it at night time when the wasps are calm and mostly asleep. This will limit the chances of you being stung.

That also means you need to wear protective clothing. Seal off your body as much as you can, leaving no room for any stray wasp to attack you.

Be sure to not do anything to alert the wasps. This includes no bright lights.

Take a trash bag and carefully cover the wasp nest with it. Then you’ll want to break off the nest from its attachment point.

Quickly tie up the trash bag and place it in a sealed container. Ideally, this would be away from your house.

Again, this is only to be done if you absolutely need to. If you can, call a professional for wasp nest removal.

Preventing a Wasp Nest

To prevent a wasp nest from forming, you’ll want to make sure your house is sealed to the brim. No cracks or entry points should be open.

If you’re really worried, you can go ahead and set up wasp traps around spots of interest. This should help prevent the formation of a new wasps nest.

Here is a good article detailing more ways to prevent wasp nests.

Where Can I Find an Exterminator?

It’s never any fun when an uninvited visitor ruins your backyard get-together. Now it’s time to look at our expert wasp nest removal.

If you live in Mississippi as we do, we can help you out! Head on over to our website using this link here.

Please visit the following pages for more information on:

Getting Rid of Ants in the Kitchen

How To Get Rid of Bats

Control of Mice and Rats Around Your Home

Termite Treatment and Prevention