Asked on Aug 11, 2016

Get rid of wasps who are taking up residence in our wall

Wanda Braymer
by Wanda Braymer

We need help in getting rid of wasps who are taking up residence behind our retaining wall. The wall is over 20' long and they are entering many different locations. We tried wasp spray but it doesn't seem to slow them down. There is a much longer tiered wall on the opposite side of the driveway that they don't seem to bother. We suppose they like the heat of the afternoon sun. We'll appreciate any suggestions.

  56 answers
  • William William on Aug 11, 2016
    They probably have a nest or nest in the ground behind the wall. You can use a foam hornet and wasp spray a night when they are dormant in the nest. http://www.doityourself.com/stry/killing-wasp...
    • See 1 previous
    • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Aug 11, 2016
      Agreeing with what William said also set up wasp and hornets traps hung from a tree. It has a very strong chemical inside the plastic container that will draw them and kill them.
  • ANGELA ESPINET ANGELA ESPINET on Aug 11, 2016
    A more natural way, is with VINEGAR. Make sure you find the nest, spray with vinegar and remove after spraying wasps, first.
  • There is a product out there but I'm not sure what the name is. It's made from chrysanthemums and is very effective. You can use it on ants, roaches and flying insects. It gets stuck to them and is carried into the best where it continues to work. Good luck.
  • Mary Coakley Mary Coakley on Aug 12, 2016
    I did hear you could try smoking them out,logistics for this a fire near your wall not big but something to create lots of smoke.Good luck I dislike wasps.
  • Valerie Gorman Valerie Gorman on Aug 12, 2016
    Try using a small plastic bottle, e.g. Ex water, or a large one cut so that it is smaller and put in about a cup of fizzy, sweet, orange pop (i.e. soda) and hang close to where you have the problem. If there is a nest, you may need to have it removed, better in the evening. Lemon works as well but for some reason they seem to be more attracted to orange. Good luck!
  • Cornelia Schott Cornelia Schott on Aug 12, 2016
    We use this product to get rid of wasps and yellow jackets and it works.
  • Rodrigo Sebidos Rodrigo Sebidos on Aug 12, 2016
    If you have done already what the others have suggested and the wasps are still there change your tactics. Normally, the persistence of insects to congregate in an area is dictated by the presence of food/source of food and water. Wasp's food mainly consists of sugary substance like nectar but will prefer sugary fluid oozing from decaying fruits or fruit peels in your garbage bin /cans nearby. Try checking and place a ​cover or get rid immediately. By cutting their food supply they might transfer to other areas.
  • Mary Mary on Aug 12, 2016
    Check your local newspaper or call your state or county agricultural extension office to see if there is anyone who removes them FREE. I live in southern Ohio and the wasps and hornets have been bad this year. I have removed several wasp's nests on my outdoor deck only to have them start remaking a new nest the next week. I also had 2 hornet nests that were close to a medium size ball. Two men came and sucked up the hornets, removed the nest and asked if I had any wasps I need to get rid of. I felt like I won the lottery. The venom is used for medical use. Good luck to you and I love your retaining wall.
  • Lisa Lisa on Aug 12, 2016
    You can plant mint plants close to it, or try spraying with water with peppermint essential oil in it.
  • Randa Perry Randa Perry on Aug 12, 2016
    Use "seven" powdered .. They take it into the nest.. Kills the nest... We killed an huge infestation.. Puffing sevin... Also spraying liquid sevin will work... Wasps eat honey bees you know
  • Tauni Tauni on Aug 12, 2016
    Go to your local Dollar Store and get what they call roach kill powder ... it is 99 percent boric acid ... 6 or 7 buck for a big bottle ... when it is going to be dry for a few days sprinkle it all along the wall and squeeze the bottle so it will shoot the powder out the end into the crevasses ... you can also get some moth balls ... smack em with a hammer and throw a few pieces in to the crevasses. We inherited wasps when we bought our cabin and had this problem for two years INSIDE! I spent a mountain of money on poison til I discovered boric acid and moth balls ... we see one every so often ... but just one! :)
  • Linda Hepherd Linda Hepherd on Aug 12, 2016
    I bought a can of fly killer and sprayed it over the entrance and it confuses the wasps do it several times over a period of a couple of days..... Job done for a very small sum.
  • Maureen Hemming Maureen Hemming on Aug 12, 2016
    I had a nest a few years ago in an air brick that goes into me property. I waited until dusk when all the wasps had gone back to the nest and then emptied a whole can of fly killer into the air brick (you might get the odd few fly out, but most stay in) the following day, I went out to buy some Rentokil and sprayed the whole can of that inside as well and fortunately have not been bothered with them since. DO NOT try to do this during the day as the other from the nest will come back and you may get stung. Just wait until it is dusk when they are all back. I hope it helps. It certainly worked for me and cheaper than getting the local council in to do it and charge you the earth...
  • Barbara Barbara on Aug 12, 2016
    Get those fake hornets nest that open like Chinese lanterns. Wasps are good for hornets so the wasps will stay away. You can find them on the Internet. And they don't cost a fortune.
    • Kaytedec Kaytedec on Aug 14, 2016
      I've had one of those on my balcony for the last two years. They work well!
  • Barbara Barbara on Aug 12, 2016
    I meant to say that wasps are FOOD for hornets.
  • Sophia,M.,McConnery Sophia,M.,McConnery on Aug 12, 2016
    Had them trying to nest at my sliders.I used a solution of clove,cinnamon,dish soap(sunlight),and water.Have made a lot.The ants hate this too!
  • Peggy Peggy on Aug 12, 2016
    We have had problems with wasps getting under the house eaves right by our front door and in several other areas. This year I cut and hung pantyhose stuffed with old time moth balls ( Walmart ) in those areas. No more wasps ! You will have to replace the moth balls every so often as they will disintegrate, but seems to work.
  • Susan Susan on Aug 12, 2016
    Call an exterminator who will remove them once and for all.
  • Sally Tucker Sally Tucker on Aug 12, 2016
    Dont spray them, they do sound 24 hours a day no matter what. I got stung 5 times at 10 pm when trying to spray. So I got the exterminator to do job for me. He got them out with over 500 eggs and a queen.
  • Katrina Louise Kolseth Katrina Louise Kolseth on Aug 12, 2016
    We had some in an outside wall of a house. We hung a bug zapper nearby and within a day or two no signs of them any longer. Don't know if they died or moved away.
  • Tweedel Dee Tweedel Dee on Aug 12, 2016
    Once you are rid of the wasps you need to stuff something into those large openings where they are coming in and out - some sort of mortar should do the trick.
  • Linda Dodd Linda Dodd on Aug 12, 2016
    Based on what I see in the picture, they have a yellow and black stripped body. If that is the case they are not just wasp, but paper wasp. You may need a professional. FYI wasp do not want to be around paper wasp. That may be why they are not on the other side.
  • Bj Bj on Aug 12, 2016
    What works for our family is a hint I found at Hometalk once: Early in the morning or late in the evening SPRAY the wasps' opening with a solution of dish soap and water. My daughter did it and said it didn't work. I told her to increase the dishsoap. She did and it worked!
  • Goldrushgal Goldrushgal on Aug 12, 2016
    This may sound strange but last year I made brown paper bags look like a hornets nest by stuffing one inside the other and crunching the bags into shape. Once I had them shaped sort of a teardrop shape I hung them in the garden point down. The wasps left and haven't returned. They are territorial and leave the area. We tried everything for years to get rid of them and this worked.
  • Jo Jo on Aug 12, 2016
    Wasps breath through their skin. Plain liquid dish soap mixed with hot water seems to do the trick. see "Migardner.com" for his solution to a wasp problem that he had. I tried it and it only took two applications and they were gone. NO Chemicals!
  • Kris Hodge Kris Hodge on Aug 12, 2016
    Use WD-40.
  • Cindi Cindi on Aug 12, 2016
    I have wasp nests under the eaves of my roof and use Wasp spray directly on them and they leave, unfortunately they like the eaves so move around the house and start another nest. I've sprayed 4 of them so far, got rid of them last year but they're back this year, so the spray works, but it doesn't drive them off for good. I've just learned to live with them. My neighbors have those yellow things filled with sugar water, or something, it kills them IF they go there, but does keep down their numbers.
    • Jan Jan on Aug 12, 2016
      I read remove the nest. Then in the fall spray the area with WD40. It will prevent the queen from nesting there.
  • Sandy Sandy on Aug 12, 2016
    Here in Easter Ont. Canada we buy a Fake wasp nest. As they are territorial, it seeps them away up to 40 feet of the fake nest. hang it any way you can near the wall.
    • Wanda Braymer Wanda Braymer on Aug 15, 2016
      Thank You Sandy ~~ I've been away - came home last night and tonight my project is to craft a Fake wasp nest. We've tried many things. Since they are nesting behind the wall, between the ground and the rocks we can't directly spray the nest as many recommended. My husbanded dusted - hopefully that will be drug back to the nest. Thanks again.
  • DiannaLynne DiannaLynne on Aug 12, 2016
    Either diatomaceous earth or boric acid powder puffed into the cracks and crevices will kill them without chemical contamination. You can use a squeeze bottle or an applicator with pump and tank for dry applications. If I don't know where they're nesting, I mix boric acid powder with tuna fish or shredded cooked chicken and put it out for them to come feed on and take back to the nest to feed and kill the queen and colony.
  • Joan Joan on Aug 12, 2016
    Wasps love meat. Using an old bee trap--put some raw mean in it. kThey will go in and can't get out. Will work in minutes.
  • Steve Riley Steve Riley on Aug 12, 2016
    Apply after dark if possible, the wasp should all be in the nest.
  • Naydene Cook Naydene Cook on Aug 12, 2016
    Ive heard hanging a fake hornets nest also scares them off. A brown paper bag scrunched up. And also clear bags hung with water near them.
  • Mikki Mikki on Aug 12, 2016
    We had wasps nesting in our attic and eaves. No matter what we tried they kept coming back. An older relative told me to try lavender. We sprinkled dried lavender in our attic and sprayed mix of lavender oil and water where they kept returning to build. Worked. We haven't seen them since. And our attic smells fab!
  • Ranger Ranger on Aug 13, 2016
    My husband and I have dealt with this before and, after much trial and error, the only thing that worked was a professional pest controller (your local council may help there). The pest controller came fully kitted in overalls, gloves, hat and face mask - he warned that some wasps are potential killers (we were very pleased we called him!). Anyway, the cost was about $48 NZ dollars and worth every cent.
  • She8270037 She8270037 on Aug 13, 2016
    Spray wasps and nest using really hot water and dish soap. they will die almost immediately after you spray them. pour lots of the soapy hot water in their nest to kill the nest. be careful to protect yourself when spraying and reapply if new wasps appear.
  • Margaret Horning Margaret Horning on Aug 13, 2016
    WD 40 will drop a wasp like a rock! Spray the nests and the individuals. Viola! No wasps. Wait til dark, set a flashlight in place away from yourself and enjoy the kill.
  • Sharon Matheisen Sharon Matheisen on Aug 13, 2016
    Wasp spray work well. The trick is to spray in the evening went they are sleeping. During the day they get pretty nasty!
  • Mac6231 Mac6231 on Aug 13, 2016
    You need to use an insecticide with a residual action that they will carry into the nest when the contact it. Wasp and hornet spray only kills on contact. You would have to stand there and kill them one at a time. An insecticidal dust would work best for you.
  • Diane Coffey Dean Diane Coffey Dean on Aug 13, 2016
    If they are not bothering you and/or stinging you.....just let them be. They are beneficial to plants like bees are. Most wasps will not sting you unless you mess with them or get too close to their nests.
    • See 2 previous
    • John prudhomme John prudhomme on Aug 25, 2020

      I draw the line at not being able to eat on the deck or sit outside with a glass of wine....I think they are alchoholics! lol

  • Gina Scott Roberts Gina Scott Roberts on Aug 13, 2016
    A friend has had great luck with Dawn dishwashing liquid (she specified the original blue as she hasn't tried any others) and water in a spray bottle. She had no measurements, just kept adding Dawn until it worked. My brother is trying this, as he is allergic and has large infestations around his most used door.
  • Anna Anna on Aug 14, 2016
    I had honey bees and so I went to home depot and purchased a fly strip and put it in between the outdoor siding and it killed all of them. It was a few dollars compared to a few hundred to have them removed! I think this would work on wasp also!
    • See 1 previous
    • Anna Anna on Aug 15, 2016
      I did try every bee keeper I could find and they would not do it without charging. Believe me if I could have afforded it I would of!
  • Mel7129335 Mel7129335 on Aug 15, 2016
    mint! rodents and spiders and flies and misquitoes and bees do not like it. get mint oil and dribble a little arount on the face of the bricks or plant it in the little openings and make it grow likd a falling vine. problem gone. it also works great on moles and such. i used a peace of mint flavored gum in each hole and they were gone in a week then i put about 1/3 of a peace of gum about every 6 to 8 feet around our acre and never had them again. the neighbors did, they didn't believe me when i told them what i did so they still had them even 15 years later but i didn't. works on mice and rats and squirrels too
  • Alan Toering Alan Toering on Aug 16, 2016
    Early in the morning before they become active spray some water in the areas where they are than use an insect dust such as Sevin .They carry the dust inside on their wings and bodies.They will leave after a short period of time.This also works for ants and bees!
    • Shari Coppinger Shari Coppinger on Sep 09, 2016
      Please everyone, don't kill the bees. They are being killed off as it is. Remember, they pollinate flowers as well as vegetable gardens, If you have too many or know where their nest is please call the officials to remove them to a safer place.
  • Mary Mary on Aug 17, 2016
    Take a brown lunch bag, put three plastic grocery bags inside and tie closed. This resembles a hornets nest and wasp are afraid of them. Hang where you see the wasp going and they will stay away. I have them everywhere we sit outside. And by the light fixtures. Works
  • Sue c. Sue c. on Aug 18, 2016
    Hey they're not "bees" and they love mint and Dawn dish soap! These are Hornets- the scourge of late summer. Mean mean and meaner! They will require a pest removal service who will have to find a way to smother that wall and put in poison. Believe me YOU do not have the skills to do this. The learning curve with Hornets in an established, large nest is severe. These insects are the equivalent of Africanized bees. They will swarm and attack at night if you disturb them. My hubby found that out with many stings as well as bites. We had to wait until deep winter to eliminate them. Last but least they can cause anaphylactic shock with their venom. They nearly killed me once with just 2 stings so I do not mess with them. Call a pest service. Also these guys do not produce honey so no beekeeper wants them.
  • Lyn Lyn on Aug 18, 2016
    Mary is correct. I am allergic to the nasty red wasps that love my yard. It got to the point I was afraid to go outside. The bag thing works. I've got them tied all over my house-like 10 of them and I haven't had a single one come inside this year, or harass me on my porch. I don't even stuff the lunch bags. I just blow them up, tie them shut, leaving enough string to tie them to something-a rock, a stick, whatever. The bags cans get rained on and it doesn't affect their performance at all.
  • Annie Doherty Annie Doherty on Aug 23, 2016
    This is a brilliant site, I'm going to try the mint, also the brown paper bags inspired thank you Wingolyn.
  • Alan Toering Alan Toering on Sep 14, 2016
    The dusts do not kill all the bees,after a few die they relocate.Ground bees can not be moved like honeybees.
  • Randa Perry Randa Perry on Sep 14, 2016
    Good to know!!... Wasps eat bees btw.
  • Sherry H. Sherry H. on Sep 16, 2016
    Sue C. sounds right, they will all sting you again and again. All of them. This calls for someone that knows the business. Our dog was stung on the nose, it really hurt and she had to go to the Vet. Doc told my husband to burn the nest. This burns their wings they fall to the ground and step on them. They are dead. To this day , daisy will see a nest, back up and takes her daddy to them. He then finds a long rolled up paper, sets it on fires , the wasp fall out. This was mighty hurtful to daisy, she stays away. But in bricks thats tricky. Sherry H. :)
  • Suzanne Suzanne on Nov 01, 2016
    Any time I find a wasp nest, I spray it with WD40. It kills any that it touches (best to do at night after the bugs return to the nest) and they will never return to the sight because of the residue. We have 10 acres with 7 outbuildings and they have never returned to a sight we have sprayed.
  • Ter12117800 Ter12117800 on Nov 11, 2016
    WASPS: I spray the nest with Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming tub cleaner. It suffocates them immediately and they drop. It especially works well on the renegade wasps that come into my house from the patio and try to take up residence in my wide slat window blinds! FLIES: I use Windex when they are in the air or at rest on a counter. Zapping them mid-air does leave residue on the floor but that'seasily wiped up with a paper towel. Here in the mid-South, our bugs are big. My brother in Texas calls them Jurassic bugs! Terry
  • Robert Schladebeck Robert Schladebeck on Aug 12, 2018

    Many seemingly helpful answers, but something I didn't see here is what happens when you "disturb" them too much (not counting potential stings) - they are smart, and they WILL find alternate ways out of the nest area if they can, including into your house's living areas if they're in one of the walls. It's happened to me and others I know. That's the thing that concerns me in my situation.

  • Heather Moore Heather Moore on Oct 04, 2018

    I have a nest under the fascia board near my front door. Tried hooking up a shop vac filled with soapy water and sucked up half a tub full. Ran the vac off and on for about a week. However the nest was still active and I began to find hornets in the house. Ordered Tempo Dust online and bought a bought a dusting device. Dusted under the fascia board last evening. No more activity at the nest site but lots of dead hornets in the house. They drop and die as soon as they come in contact with the dust. Vacuumed them up this am. Will dust again if I notice any more activity. I was told this is how the Pros do it. Seems to work better than the shop vac method. We shall see.

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on Apr 30, 2022

    I would for sure seal openings to avoid new wasp forming