red wasp infestation

[bowtechbandit]

we recently purchased a new house that has been vacant for a several years. there is a serous red wasp problem on the property. I have killed and disposed of all visible nests but, they have made nests inside of several cracks where the brick and wood but up on the house. they have also made a nest in-between the R panel and header beam on one of the shop doors (I think this is the biggest one). I have never went to war with wasps that had nests built that I couldn't get to. I went out there yesterday and went hand to hand combat with them for a while with 3 cans of wasp spray. I killed quite a few of them but I can only get the ones that are visible. I killed about 20 on the big nest they have in the shop wall and thought the war was won, about that time about 50 more came boiling out of the wall!!! I threw the empty cans of wasp spray at them and ran like a little girl. (only got stung once). we are moving into this house in a week and I would like to get rid of them before we do. We have a 2 yr old little girl and I don't want her to get stung. any advice, ideas, past experiences? any input would help out. my wife has been stung twice and is so gun shy now she wont hardly get out of the truck when we go out there!!!

[Roy D Mercer]

I hate red wasp and they hate me..........

[kingranch]

buy a pump sprayer and a bottle of dawn dish soap and go to town. Mix it sparringly with water as it doesnt take too much
The soap kills em dead and doesnt leave a harsh chemical poison everywhere.. Been using this method for years and I havent found a better way.

[systemnt]

I hate red wasp and they hate me..........

ditto.

[DDOYLE]

buy a pump sprayer and a bottle of dawn dish soap and go to town. Mix it sparringly with water as it doesnt take too much
The soap kills em dead and doesnt leave a harsh chemical poison everywhere.. Been using this method for years and I havent found a better way.

^^ this works, not sure how but it does.

[troubldstranger]

buy a pump sprayer and a bottle of dawn dish soap and go to town. Mix it sparringly with water as it doesnt take too much
The soap kills em dead and doesnt leave a harsh chemical poison everywhere.. Been using this method for years and I havent found a better way.

Was told to do this same thing from pest control with ivory dish soap, works at least as well or better than any chemical spray I have used.

[Quackerbox]

X3 on the dawn. Have no idea what's in it but it kills the hail out of them.

Only difference is I use a water gun. Preferably one that you draw the water up in and press out. Makes for serious knock down and reach

[Low Fence]

buy a pump sprayer and a bottle of dawn dish soap and go to town. Mix it sparringly with water as it doesnt take too much
The soap kills em dead and doesnt leave a harsh chemical poison everywhere.. Been using this method for years and I havent found a better way.

Used to work for me. My wasp have mutated. Soap, poison... Even gas won't kill them. I've never seen wasp increase this fast.
Been stung more the past 2 years than my whole life

[lbbf]

The soap breaks the surface tension of the water allowing the water to cling to the wasp and drowns the red devils. As far as wasps in cracks use GreatStuff foam to fill the cracks. The wasps will die inside.

[bowtechbandit]

I killed all the visible nests with soap and water. that's what I have always killed them with. the issue isn't killing them, its getting to them! the little devil's are in some tight cracks. the ones in the shop are coming out of a crack that no more that 1/4" wide. it must open up pretty goo in there because it holds a bunch of em!

[tradtiger]

There is a hang-up trap, with attractant, for wasps, hornets and yellow jackets -- called a "WHY" trap sold at Home Depot. Haven't needed to use it myself (so can't tell you how well it works), but could be useful as a backup strategy for those you can't kill or seal in.

[12 point]

Yep I found out there were hundreds of them in a brick wall. Pretty sure I had seen some flying into the mortar gaps in years before. This year while using a backpack blower I directed the airflow towards a brick column and gobs of them flew out at me. All I had to do was blast them with air from the blower and they couldn't get me. After a closer examination those wasps were inside every column where a large enough gap existed between the wall sections. Makes a nice wasp incubator.

[bowtechbandit]

Yep I found out there were hundreds of them in a brick wall. Pretty sure I had seen some flying into the mortar gaps in years before. This year while using a backpack blower I directed the airflow towards a brick column and gobs of them flew out at me. All I had to do was blast them with air from the blower and they couldn't get me. After a closer examination those wasps were inside every column where a large enough gap existed between the wall sections. Makes a nice wasp incubator.

so what was your play? did you kill em? or just leave them be?

[Stan R]

I think this is correct

The soap coats their body and they cannot breath.

[Bowhunter10]

Problem with inaccessible wasp nests is unless you either remove the nest itself or completely seal the entry gaps up with foam you are just going to be fighting an up hill battle. My advice would be to call a local pest control company and see what their prices are to remove the nests. if that is an option then wear pants and a long sleeve shirt with a mask of some sort. Go to the entry hole an spray chenical inside and as fast as you can foam the area with expansion foam to keep them from getting out.