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.
It's more effective to spray the nest when all the wasps are inside for the night. Since wasps are least active at night, that's the best time to spray a wasp nest. But that doesn't mean you have to stay up all night. The University of Minnesota Extension says late evening or early morning will work.
Avoid spraying the nest directly during the day so you do not get stung. Spray the nest liberally. If you're using a freezing agent in a wasp aerosol spray form, spray when most wasps are home at night to eliminate the infestation.
Sometimes, you need a professional
If the nest is located close to the ground in a tree, shrub or on a building, then you may have a fighting chance to survive the experience unscathed. The best time of day to spray is early morning when most of the wasps will be inside the nest and activity is at a minimum.
Spray in early morning or early evening when insect activity is minimal. Stand a safe distance from the nest and not directly underneath. Hold the can as upright as possible.
In addition, wasps and hornets typically leave the nest to feed regularly, so some may need to return before the spray eliminates them. It usually takes about 24 hours for wasp and hornet spray to work.
Spray in early morning or late evening when insect activity is low. Soak the nest with the spray, and do not stand directly beneath the nest during treatment. Avoid any wasps that fall from the nest after treatment. Never attempt to spray individual wasps, especially when in flight.
Wasps, like other insects, are at their most active midday when it's warmest outside, and they often return to their homes as night falls. Because of this, stinging insects like wasps tend to be most active while humans are having fun in the great outdoors.
Wasp nests are best removed at night time because wasps are less active, react slowly and are far less aggressive. Use a red coloured light to view the nest or wait until early morning to take advantage of the morning light. Caution: *Do not remove nests if they are located on a difficult-to-reach spot.
Tuck your pants into some boots, your sleeves in some gloves, and put on goggles. Better safe than sorry! Sneak up at dusk when most of the wasps are inside the nest. Spray an aerosolized insecticide on hanging nests, or apply a dust-based insecticide on underground nests.
It seems cosy to think of wasps returning to their nests at night and tucking in their young ready for a night of rest, but the reality is that wasps do not sleep in the same way that humans do. They do return to their nests and may appear inactive at night but they do not sleep in the way we might think of sleeping.
The best time of day is early morning when most of the wasps will be inside the nest and activity is at a minimum. I recommend having two cans of aerosol wasp spray at the ready.
Generally speaking, wasps do not sleep as we might think of sleeping. Wasps tend to become less active at night and during the winter female wasps are known to hibernate. They can become very inactive, and appear to be asleep, but they are just dormant. Their bodily systems are slowed down.
There will likely be a few sentry yellow jackets, often referred to as worker wasps, flying around the nest opening. Treat yellow jacket nests just after dusk or just before sunrise.
Yellow Jackets are most active during the hottest part of the day, so inspect for the nests at that time. If they have made an underground nest, you may see small holes with the Yellow Jacket workers entering and exiting. Treat at night, when the Yellow Jackets are least active.
After you spray, leave the nest alone for 24 hours. Return the following day and check to see if there is any activity.
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. You can tell its summer by looking at the insect activity around.
Don't hit it
Whacking a wasp nest with a stick or bat is one of the stupidest things you could do. So is knocking down a wasp nest. The problem occurs when the nest lands on the ground. At this point, the wasps will burst out of the nest and more than likely attack you.
Although they're not as aggressive as yellowjackets or hornets, they can attack you repeatedly and deliver painful stings. Wasps are active in the daytime, but can they sting you at night? They typically do not strike at night, and you're safe walking near wasp nests after dark as long as the nest isn't disturbed.
During the months of August, September and October, the wasp activity is beginning to wind down, with workers dying and the queen slowing down her egg laying. During those months she lays eggs that hatch into fertile males and females, rather than the infertile female workers she previously hatched.
Approach the wasp hive with caution and do your best to avoid provoking them. A spray bottle will work, however, we recommend using a hose-end sprayer that will allow you to spray the next from a safe distance, as wasps are likely to begin to react to the soapy water solution as you begin to spray the nest.
Create a mixture that's 2 tablespoons of dish soap and water and pour it into a spray bottle, then spray it on the nests. "The portion will clog the wasps' pores, killing them almost instantly," Williams says.
Spraying nests with water
Water is often regarded as another effective way to get rid of a wasp nest. The truth is that flooding a wasps nest isn't an effective method at all. This is because: Depending on the location of the nest, using water to remove a wasp nest can result in further damage to your property.
These pyrethroids are present in over 2,000 pesticides today. While these chemicals all have different names, they work pretty much the same way. Once a wasp ingests one of these, it slowly breaks down its nervous system. This quickly leads to paralysis.