Small, newly built nests can sometimes be removed carefully at night using a long-range wasp spray. But if you have a larger or established nest, it should be handled by a professional.
There’s nothing quite like finding a wasp nest on your house. Sitting under the eave can make you feel like you need to take immediate action. Wasp stings hurt a lot, and unlike bees, they can sting over and over again.
If the nest is small, such as the size of a golf ball, and you only see a few wasps, you may be able to remove it on your own. Only do this if you are comfortable with it and take proper precautions as you do. Should you choose to do this, do so after dark when wasps are not as active. Use a commercial wasp spray and saturate the nest from as far away as the product allows. Don’t point a flashlight right at the nest as that is a proven way to wake up wasps, which you definitely don’t want. Then leave the area immediately after spraying and take the nest down the next day.
For anything beyond a small paper wasp nest, professional removal is the safer choice. Bald-faced hornets, yellow jackets, and larger paper wasp colonies respond aggressively when their nest is disturbed. Yellow jacket nests built underground or inside wall voids are especially dangerous because the colony size can reach into the thousands and the entrance is often far from the main nest structure. Pouring products into a ground hole or spraying into a gap in the siding can drive wasps deeper into the structure or trigger a defensive response from multiple exits.
Never seal a nest entrance while a colony is active. Wasps trapped inside a wall void will find, or create, alternate exits, sometimes inside your home. And also never use fire or gasoline to deal with wasps. That’s both dangerous and ineffective.
If you've been stung before and had an allergic reaction, any nest removal is too risky to attempt yourself. Even without a prior allergy, multiple stings from a disturbed colony can cause serious reactions in anyone.
If you live in Houston and you don’t want to deal with wasps on your own, Mosquito Squad of Houston can help. Mosquito Squad provides stinging insect control that includes identification of the species, safe removal of the nest, and treatment of the area to discourage recolonization. A trained technician handles the risk so you don't have to.
