Wasps outside the house. What to do?
Discussion
We had a wasps nest form a few months back, outside, up in the eaves. They aren't too terribly troublesome. I told GF she could pay £100 to have it removed herself, but I wasn't paying the £100 as having to kill a couple of wasps (each night) is not worth £100.
Long story short, I chucked a wooden 2x4 through the nest in the loft, and sprayed a can of wasp killer foam on it (from a three metre distance) but they are still there.
Question is, what can one do to prevent them from coming back next year? Is there anything they particularly dislike? Will my having half smashed the nest in deter them next time, or not at all.
I heard if you leave the nest they wont come back to the same spot, not sure if there is any truth in that though, as there is another old nest 2 metres away also half inside the loft.
Long story short, I chucked a wooden 2x4 through the nest in the loft, and sprayed a can of wasp killer foam on it (from a three metre distance) but they are still there.
Question is, what can one do to prevent them from coming back next year? Is there anything they particularly dislike? Will my having half smashed the nest in deter them next time, or not at all.
I heard if you leave the nest they wont come back to the same spot, not sure if there is any truth in that though, as there is another old nest 2 metres away also half inside the loft.
P I Staker said:
ccr32 said:
P I Staker said:
Hunt them for sport.
Is this your default response to everything?Wasps eh... though it's easier said than done, blocking off their route in and out has done the trick in houses i've been in in the past. I'm not sure about leaving old nests around either, I always thought you had to get rid of everything otherwise they might find their way back again?
Mojooo said:
Superb! 
Wouldnt mind a loft full of spiders, Id end up having to go up there every time she needed something...
ccr32 said:
blocking off their route in and out has done the trick in houses i've been in in the past. I'm not sure about leaving old nests around either, I always thought you had to get rid of everything otherwise they might find their way back again?
I did block off their route in with toilet paper soaked in wasp killer, but being the loft, they found another entrance. We back onto woods and apparently they try to start nests every year.And yes, I was told leave the nest and they wont come back. Whether this means to the precise spot (because there is a bloody great old nest in the way) or not, I dont know.
sportka1 said:
train them up as a cost cutting alternative to the red arrows
Im not allowed to open the window with the light on this late at night, in case they come in 
One of the b
ds came in on a night the GF had gone to sleep in another room because of my snoring, and did the right thing by landing on her side of the bed, but I rolled onto it and got stung. The wasps timing was perfect, just my snoring wasn't.sherman said:
Kill them off with another dose of spray.
Sometime when its not too cold in the next few month get up into the loft and make sure all of the gaps are sealed up.
a) you won't be able to seal up all the holes as wasps can get through tiny gapsSometime when its not too cold in the next few month get up into the loft and make sure all of the gaps are sealed up.
b) you need airflow through loftspaces or else you will get terrible condensation
Just get an exterminator so you don't get stung again. We have a couple of small old nests in the loft. They won't come back to the old ones but they might make a new one. From April onwards, pop your head into the loft every week or two and attack any buzzy things with some Raid.
NiceCupOfTea said:
a) you won't be able to seal up all the holes as wasps can get through tiny gaps
b) you need airflow through loftspaces or else you will get terrible condensation
Just get an exterminator so you don't get stung again. We have a couple of small old nests in the loft. They won't come back to the old ones but they might make a new one. From April onwards, pop your head into the loft every week or two and attack any buzzy things with some Raid.
This is what we thought, lofts need to breathe b) you need airflow through loftspaces or else you will get terrible condensation
Just get an exterminator so you don't get stung again. We have a couple of small old nests in the loft. They won't come back to the old ones but they might make a new one. From April onwards, pop your head into the loft every week or two and attack any buzzy things with some Raid.
Wont get stung again, they only come in when the window is left open and lights are on.
We did with all seriousness have a hedgehog right outside the back door which spent the night inside in a box last month, we removed its ticks and fed it hedgehog food. Plus a stray cat who wanted in through our cat flap, and we also have a fox who gets fed almost every night, and we have a garden path too, so the single wasp sting wasn't too much of an issue.
If we can find a way to prevent the wasps from nesting in the first place next year, that would be great!
They serve no purpose whatsoever, whereas the prickley hogs are on the endangered list, poor buggers.
cahami said:
IBTL,Homes and gardens thats nice
My comments above, about cats, foxes, hedgehogs and garden paths may not make sense to the folks here, but my post was a genuine one Edited by cahami on Thursday 18th August 01:33
The lone survivor of the "X outside my house, what to do" late night PH episode...Edited by Mobsta on Thursday 18th August 01:51
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