To kill flys, bees, hornets and wasps, spray with Windex. On housefly's it usually only takes a small whiff to knock them out of the air and kill them. Wasps will fall right away too but you may need to hit them with another dose.
Windex is very effective for killing most types of bugs inside of the home. It's a bit less effective on Wasps for some reason, but many will die and those that do not will be slowed enough that you can easily trap them or slap them.
Windex – Windex is one of the most common and most effective DIY household products for pest control. Windex is toxic to most pests, especially spiders. Spraying window cleaner directly onto small insects like ants or mosquitoes will kill them within a few moments.
A cheap and highly effective solution is a simple mixture of dish soap and water. Blend two tablespoons of dish soap into a water-filled spray bottle and shake. Spray the mixture onto nests or individual wasps: the soap will clog the bugs' pores and kill them immediately.
It isn't safe to use wasp and hornet spray indoors!
These insecticides are only for outdoor use (there are milder, safer types of spray for indoor insects). If a single wasp is inside the house, use a flyswatter (or any other available bludgeon you can find in your near-panicked state).
The University of Minnesota Extension says late evening or early morning will work. The coldest hours are the best time to spray a wasp nest, so take a look at the forecast to see when the temperature will drop in the evening. Then finish the job before temps rise in the morning.
Some Windex products, including Windex Disinfectant Cleaner Multi-Surface, are effective in killing germs including Staphylococcus aureus, influenza viruses, and Escherichia coli.
Ammonia will dissolve oils and emulsify them. Insects use an oil based Waxy coating on the outside of their bodies (exoskeleton) which holds in their moisture. Dissolve those oil's, and they dry up.
Dishwashing liquids are primarily designed to dissolve grease from dishes and clean clothes, not to kill insects. Dish detergents may dissolve the protective waxes on the plant leaves. Commercially available insecticidal soaps are less likely to dissolve plant waxes.
Use Soap and Water
Add 2 tablespoons of dish soap and water into a spray bottle and shake well. Spray the soap and water mixture on the nest. The mixture will suffocate the wasps, killing them instantly.
Bleach will kill almost any living organism, including wasps, but it is not an effective way to deter them. PMP doesn't advocate the use of bleach as a form of pest control, as it can irritate the skin and eyes of anyone who comes into contact with it.
So, how long do wasps live? The lifecycle of a wasp depends on the species, but in general a worker wasps life can last from 12-22 days, while a queen can live up to a year. There are many different types of wasps in North America, paper wasps and yellowjackets being the two most common.
Wasps are like humans in so many ways, they also get annoyed, and once you have annoyed them, it's over. They normally get angry when they feel threatened. It could be your constant waving of arms when you try to get rid of them. These actions make them feel threatened hence making them angry.
Peppermint oil: Wasps and hornets hate the smell of peppermint oil! So, take a cotton ball soaked in peppermint oil and place it near areas where you've seen wasps and hornets. You can also add a few drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle filled with water and use it to spray areas.
Wasps are generally more active in the middle of the day when it's warm, and less active between dusk and dawn when temperatures are cooler.
How to Spray a Wasp Nest. The best time to plan your attack is at sunrise or dusk, when these insects are least active. And remember to wait 24 hours to remove the nest, to ensure that the majority of the insects are dead or have flown away from the nest.
That wasp may be able to recognize your face and come after you if it sees you again! While it may sound like something out of an old sci-fi movie, a new study suggests that the brains of wasps can process faces all at once. This is similar to how human facial recognition works.
Wasps and yellow jackets will chase you when they feel their nests are in danger. They step up their defense and will do anything necessary to remove the threat from the vicinity of the nest or to escape – including stinging you.
If you spray and remove the next in a short time, wasps may return but are unlikely to build a new nest in the same location. If you see a nest in the same area, it is likely created by a different swarm.
With brains less than a millionth the size of humans', paper wasps hardly seem like mental giants. But new research shows that these insects can remember individuals for at least a week, even after meeting and interacting with many other wasps in the meantime.