Any tips for removing this wasp's nest close to a home?

by AK Complete Home Renovations

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Found this surprised on a Kennesaw home over the weekend. How should we remove it?

A monster wasp nest in Kennnesaw

67 answers

Pam on Jun 12, 2012
Is there anyway you can enclose the whole nest in an old pillow case or garbage bag, tie off the opening and get wasp poison and one of those little straws that fit on the spray tip and stick in the bag and spray like a demon and just leave a few days until you know that all are dead? I have never seen a nest that large. Is that a wasp or hornet nest?

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Walter Reeves on Jun 12, 2012
It's a hornet nest. I normally advise leaving them alone since they are valuable predators. But since they seem to be near where folks walk, spray the opening just a couple of seconds at dusk with aerosol Wasp & Hornet spray. They will all be dead by next day.....but leave it alone until you are sure.

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Pat on Jun 12, 2012
Be sure you stand as far back as possible when you do that.

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AK Complete Home Renovations on Jun 12, 2012
Thanks for the responses and help. Last night, after sunset, I emptied a can of Wasp & Hornet Spray. This afternoon, I was met with some activity and a number of hornets flying around. Tonight I will give them a 2nd dose.

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911 Address Signs on Jun 12, 2012
That would be scary to have that close to my house.

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Becky H on Jun 12, 2012
Thank you Walter. I was looking at that thinking it looked more like a hornet's nest to me. Hornets are far more agressive than wasps. I had hornets build a very large nest under an oak tree root, and just happened to discover it while out pulling weeds. Fortunately, no one stepped on it! I emptied 3 cans of wasp and hornet spray into that nest over 3 days before all activity ceased. Boy! Am I ever glad the spray shoots out to 20' from the can!

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Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com on Jun 13, 2012
There are powers that are used to kill the nest fast. Liquid sprays that you used does work, but you need to contact the insect in order to knock it down. The powders are spread upon the surface of the entrance and as they exit the nest they pick up the powder which drops them fast. In the future you would be much better off hiring a professional to knock that size of a nest down. You were lucky that they did not become to aggressive and chase you down.

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Becky H on Jun 13, 2012
Never in my wildest dreams did I consider the nest was that big. It is a hinderance when you can't see the size of the nest. It wasn't until I'd finished the 3rd can and waited to insure there was no activity that I collapsed the nest; only then did I understand just how large it had been. When hornets nest underground, are those nests always huge?

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Melanie P on Jun 13, 2012
never seen a was[ nest that nig, scarry!!!! i have been stung by pne wasp 3 times in my back and neck before! I was sick for about 5 hours after

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Pam on Jun 13, 2012
Ground hornet nest can have hundreds of hornets. My ex husband was cutting grass along a pipeline and the vibrations from the tractor agitated them. They swarmed out of the ground and attacked him. He got off the tractor and ran and they chased him after him for a very long distance stinging him. He's very lucky he was not allergic or he would not have lived to tell me of the events.

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AK Complete Home Renovations on Jun 13, 2012
This morning I checked the nest and it didn't seem to have any activity. I sprayed it again to be safe. The nest actually looked like it shrunk over night.

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Leslie D on Jun 13, 2012
Thankfully my husband didn't see this. He takes care of Black Widows outside with a can of WD40 and a lighter, so he probably would have tried the same thing with this. Of course, I did once explain and then offer to demonstrate his method to a salesman selling pest service treatments when he stuck his foot in my door to keep me from closing it.

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Tammie S on Jun 13, 2012
We had this HUGE one by our third story window. We (my husband...) leaned out the window, busted it open with a broom handle then began shooting it with wasp/hornet killer. It worked, but a little dangerous being so close.

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Dolores M on Jun 13, 2012
Wait until dark and use a whole can of wasp spray. It works great!

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Rosemarie B on Jun 13, 2012
This is NOT a wasp nest. It is a hornet nest, and they can attack ny the hundreds if provoked. You should have gotten a professional.

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Gail R on Jun 13, 2012
u wait til th sun goes down.then you have to smoke them out. but I actually would call an exterminator. Cause they will attack in a swarm if u don't do it right.

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Mary H on Jun 13, 2012
We ended up paying a professional $100 (worth it) to kill a nest of hornets the size of a basket ball in a red tip bush next to the house. He walked over to it, sprayed it with some powder and said they would be dead the next day....oh yeah....they were! We did not want children in the area to get stung. Like I said, worth paying a professional to take care of it!

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AK Complete Home Renovations on Jun 13, 2012
It's true, hiring a professional is always a good idea!

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Melissa L on Jun 13, 2012
Black can called WASP and HORNET spray. Shoots from about 10 feet, spray after dark when they are not active. saturate the nest and in a day or so, it should fall down or you can knock it down.

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Christine G on Jun 13, 2012
I was stung by a hornet just above my right eye. there was a nest in the ground in my flower garden that i did not know about.

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CONNIE W on Jun 13, 2012
Be careful - I stuck my shovel in the ground in my garden where there was a nest. They came out and I ran across the yard tearing my clothes off to get them away. Ended up in the emergency room with an allergic reaction.

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Betty W on Jun 13, 2012
Hair spray can be used to temporarily slow them down so that you can throw a sheet or something on them. CAREFULLY gather up the sheet and take it far away and RUN. Thay will come out eventually but away from the house.

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Kelly S on Jun 13, 2012
Now that there is no activity, knock it down with an extension pole, bag it and trash it. Do it after dark when any returnees are there. That way you can spray them too.

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Kelly S on Jun 13, 2012
@Leslie D, my ex did that same thing with wolf spiders inside the house except he used aquanet hair spray and a bic lighter.

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Susan S on Jun 13, 2012
@Kelly S - OMG!!! I DON'T "DO" SPIDERS - I would positively have a _____hemmorage!!!

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Becky H on Jun 13, 2012
Spiders and roaches send me flying!! I can handle wasps, hornets and snakes, but those two other things completely creep me out.

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Sharron W on Jun 14, 2012
Well I prefer to use WD-40 for Wasp and hornets because not only does the straw allow me to spray from 20 ft...but they cannot stand the smell and will fly away from it. and I spray the tops of the window and shutters outside and areas where in the past I've noticed activity and they all nest at other peoples houses cause the smell and the oil in the WD-40 keeps them away about a year...so in the spring I spray and we don't have a problem anymore...LOL

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Sharron W on Jun 14, 2012
PS: there is no fire involved...as in the "lighting of the WD-40" in someones previous post....LOL...ah NO, the WD-40 lubricates their wings so they can't fly and I don't mean like wasp spray where they fly 10 more ft, No it's immediate and if you spray the nest they won't go back in..even to save the young....

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Leslie D on Jun 14, 2012
No fire? What fun is that? LOL

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Sharron W on Jun 14, 2012
@Leslie...LOL, I DO like the Demo on salesman idea...but I have a Rotweiller for that...they DON'T stick their foot in for fear of losing a leg...or a liver LOL, she's a sweetheart really unless I don't want the person in the house then she's pretty serious...but I digress... Build hubby a fire pit for his Pyro moments... Fire near the house always scares me...

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Leslie D on Jun 14, 2012
I own a small Lhasa, so he's more of an alert dog. My husband tells me he has a pit bull, then points at me (too many years in the construction industry)....LOL

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Becky H on Jun 14, 2012
Sharron, Leslie.............You two are a hoot!!

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Nancy S on Jun 14, 2012
My dad, GOD REST HIS SOUL, use to pour gasoline on them.. I think this may be hornets, honey.. are you sure.. I would not do this.. without the aid of a man around.. the gasoline thingy.. if you do that.. you stand the chance of burning your house down.. but oh what a sweet revenge.. ROFL.. they have some sprays.. that kill on cantact. I think I'd go to walmart and get about five of those sprays or more.. and just start spraying.. How did it ever get this big honey without someone doing something about it?? I sound like the nagging mother in law.. I'm sorry.. I'm trying... to help... love to you, nancy s.

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Douglas K on Jun 14, 2012
Don't use gasoline, unless, you really want to re-build that house. My first answer would be ... call a specialist to remove it. "0" worry about being stung, that way. Otherwise use a commercial killer from the home imp. store ... just wait for the coolist time of the night to soak it down.

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Carla K on Jun 14, 2012
Take long stick, wrap the end of it with a towel or large cloth, soak with Turpentine and dab over nest. When you leave it till the next day and the inmates are all escaped. Then you can knock it off and not get stung. Just don't set this on fire either. The turpentine will work as well as paint thinner. It burns your bridges if you leave it on your skin long enough. Same with the wasp nest.

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Susan S on Jun 14, 2012
@Sharron W: Oh Boy - the more of this I read the more I like your idea of plain old WD 40 - w/no excellerant added!! lol. Spray 'em from a distance and know for sure you've disabeled the offender without fear of retaliation!! Just the thought of using gas, turpentine, lighter fluid - NO NO NO!!! Besides, I'm pretty sure this is the best way in the world to have your insurance company deny your claim!!

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Sharron W on Jun 14, 2012
@Susan S. LOL, LOL...I'm pretty sure the Insurance company has to pay even if the reason is sheer stupidity! HaHaHa...Have you seen the commercials talking about the guys "deep frying turkeys" and someone always tries to fry one that's still frozen and it explodes... YEAH....if their paying for that claim...well at least burning hornets ALMOST makes sense...But I'm with you...give me my WD-40 and I'm good to go...Just killed an entire planter box of hornets at my sis's in KY last weekend...went for a visit and saw them trying to establish a colony in her Carport long brick planter...went and got her hubby's WD-40, (shuuuush) he said get the wasp spray...anywho...left a bunch of dead hornets on the ground next to her car...and the straw sprayed right into their many tunnels...did NOT even come close to getting stung...they really cannot fly with oily wings...

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AK Complete Home Renovations on Jun 15, 2012
As of yesterday, the hornets still live. Bummer! Hearty little devils. They chased one of my guys off.....good thing he is fast-:)

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Tammie S on Jun 15, 2012
Unfortunately, because of the height (third floor) on our hornets nest it was going to be hundreds to hire some to remove it. We got 3 quotes. Finally, we realized that it was 4 feet from the window so we waited till they were back in and my husband reached out the window with the pole stabbed at the nest then started spraying, admittedly, ducking in and out of the window. ;)

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Sandy D on Jun 15, 2012
I screamed just looking at the picture...horrified of any kind of stinging flying things!!!! If I hear a buzz I start running, flailing and of course screaming, I tend to make others very nervous in those circumstances

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Leslie D on Jun 15, 2012
Honestly, once you buy enough of those cans of wasp and hornet spray to soak and kill the things, you probably could have paid for a professional to do it.

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Sharron W on Jun 15, 2012
@AK Did you spray the nest after dark? Take a look around the area cause they may have a second one nearby...for example under the steps....try to watch where they fly to...and then Use the WD-40!

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Susan S on Jun 15, 2012
I'm tellin you people - to me Sharron's idea sounds like pure genius. Low or NO risk - simply point & aim. They die and you're not stung!! SIMPLE ; ~) @Sandy D - I know it's "instinct" to do what you said but when you flail, swat etc. the hornets & wasps see this as aggression so you're just begging them to "ATTACK". Stiffle it honey and just quickly walk away!!! LOL

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Leslie D on Jun 15, 2012
The oily residue stuff does sound like a plan. Either Kerosene (maybe in a garden sprayer), or WD40...something that will coat their bodies with oil, which makes them die. Professionals use Pyrethrum, a natural oil from the Crysanthemum plant to kill bees/wasps. It's environmentally friendly, but I'm not sure if you can buy it as a DIY treatment that is strong enough...but this makes me think that an oily substance may be your best bet because it will soak the nest, as well as the bees.

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Rita M on Jul 07, 2012
My son has a great remedy. He uses his air soft shot gun. It blasts three plastic pellets at a time and has incredible knock down power on these paper nests. He can shoot from a safe distance and there's no "trail" of spray for the bees to follow. They don't figure out where the shots are coming from. The pellets will not harm paint, woodwork or glass, so this is safe to do around windows. Warning, you WILL have some pissed off, homeless bees for a while!

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Susan S on Jul 07, 2012
@Rita M. HA HA!! You need to hire your kid out for the summer - he could make some good money doing this!!

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Becky H on Jul 08, 2012
He'd probably be in better physical shape as well from all the running he'd be doing to escape the P.O'ed hornets!!

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Sharron W on Jul 08, 2012
LOL@Becky & Susan! HaHaHa you two....

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Rain S on Jul 09, 2012
Brake Cleaner Fluid is the way to go. Wait until after dark and all the bees are inside. Spray the brake cleaner through the opening of the hive. Brake cleaner neutralizes their central nervous system and the bees die almost instantaneously. I had the same problem last year inside my eaves, worked like a charm and they have not returned! I keep brake cleaner handy so if am on my deck with my kids I don't have to worry.

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Margie R on Jul 11, 2012
if you haven't moved it yet,,wait till dark and pour gas on it and wait a few minute's,,then get a long stick and wrap a long towel or something that will burn and set it on fire and then set the nest on fire,,you have to do it when it is dark,thats when they are all back in there nest,,that is a hornets nest, not warsper's,,i had one in my apple nest and they stung me 4 times before i new where they were coming from

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Marsharie M on Jul 15, 2012
One can of bee and wasp killer will take care of that. I had one that was a bit bigger than that. I bought the kind that sprays 25 feet, parked my car about 15 feet from it and started spraying then quickly sat in my car and watched for a bit. When things quieted down at the hive I sprayed more. You don't have to spray right into the opening either. By the end of the day I was able to knock it down. I wouldn't recommend setting it on fire since it is attached to the house.

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AK Complete Home Renovations on Jul 15, 2012
We appreciate all the posts. It actually took 4 consecutive evenings of spraying 1 complete can of wasp killer to eradicate the nest. On the 4th evening I still saw a few flying in/out. I took a 2x4x12' to crack open the nest and applied the last can from a safe distance. Now I am walking the perimeter of the house to make sure they haven't set up shop in a new location.

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Lynn T on Jul 23, 2012
Thanks so much for the advice. I have wasp spray, but I was afraid it may hurt the hummingbirds. I can't find the nest. It must be hidden in a pretty good place.

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Marcia Galbreath on Jul 23, 2012
Leave it be. If u don't bug them, they won't bug u ... eventually they'll move on. They are beneficial insects. I still have a GIANT empty nest from a few years ago that I kept, it was SO amazing.

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Mary Piotrowski on Feb 16, 2015
Freeze it with a blast from a fire extinguisher......scoop quickly into a plastic bag

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Rosa Marie on Apr 13, 2015
First of all that is not a wasp nest.It is a HORNET NEST......VERY DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT BOTHER IT....

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Susan on Jun 11, 2015
Set out maple syrup or imitation pancake syrup. They will all go away. Any kind of bee. I had some nasty ones that kept looking for my son for weeks until I put out a small bowl of syrup.

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Kelly on Jun 20, 2015
Definitely a hornet nest. Be careful, they do not like to be disturbed.

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Dale on Jun 20, 2015
At night when hornets are all back 'home,' place a small-hole mesh butterfly net completely over it & knock it into the net swiftly closing the whole netting. Relocate the nest.

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- Lorraine Aha on Aug 13, 2016
  Sorry, Dale, but this is dangerous. What if the nest breaks open? I just walked by a nest in my wall and got stung. Very painful! I used foam spray at night, but it is safer to follow the advice below and get a professional!
  
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Cheesecake chick on May 23, 2016
Call a professional exterminator. hornets are nothing to DIY

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Gabrielle Falk on Aug 06, 2016
Don't even try to get rid of it yourself. Get a professional. Always. Hornets will come back again and again to sting you, or your pets, and in some people who are allergic, has resulted in death. Better to spend a few dollars and be safe.

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- See 2 previous
- Susan on Aug 06, 2016
  I used maple syrup three times, that was years ago. They stopped comming back.
  
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- Carolyn on Sep 09, 2016
  How did you use the maple syrup to get rid of wasps?
  
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- Gabrielle Falk on Sep 10, 2016
  I'd have to wonder too
  
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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. That is a hornets nest. 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.

1 marked as helpful Reply
Marcia Lazenby on Oct 30, 2016
i would cover it in motor oil at nite....they suffocate when the oil coats them...

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Johnavallance82 on Jan 22, 2024

Call in the Professionals!

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Mogie on Jan 22, 2024

How to Remove a Wasp Nest
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-get-rid-of-wasp-nest-5521781

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Redcatcec on Jan 27, 2024

Since it is within easy reach, wait until dusk/dark when they slow down or pre-dawn. Spray with hornet killer and knock down at a distance using with a broom stick. It will peel off in layers and you'll most likely see eggs, crush them with your shoe. Repeat until they are gone. We had a huge one under our soffit.

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Dee on Jan 27, 2024

I would spray the nest, and enclose it in a black plastic bag. Take it down carefully after you see no activity. Definitely would not leave it on the railing. I read where spraying WD 40 under railings and porches keeps wasps and bees away. I did that several months ago, and so far have not seen any more nests.

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