# How to locate and destroy a wasp nest



## JP1234 (31 Jul 2011)

My husband got stung 3 times yesterday while mowing the lawn and we are _almost_ sure we have a nest in the garden. We think the dog may also have been stung a couple of weeks back and she still won't go to one side of the garden. I say almost certain as although we can see plenty of wasp activity in one particular area with wasps flying in and out of the hedge ( which is backed by a dividing wall)  we cannot see a nest, though the hedges are fairly thick so it could be hidden.

My husband is talking about cutting back the hedge to find the nest but I think that is foolish as it could anger the wasps. Someone else suggested going along after dark and spraying the wasp nest killer foam in the general area. Personally I favour getting someone in to do it properly.

I don't want to leave it as the neighbour on the other side of the wall is a child minder and would have children out in the garden a lot of the time and I would be afraid the wasps may attack them ( I do intend on warning her) 

Has anyone any other suggestions/advice on how best to approach this?


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## monagt (31 Jul 2011)

"other side of the wall is a child minder and would have children out in the garden"

Get it removed ASAP!, end of Summer they start dying off and can be wicked. Foam is OK if you can get at the nest to spray it and retreat safely.

Husband going at the hedge to locate it is a brave decision.

Get it done professionally.


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## JP1234 (31 Jul 2011)

I agree about getting it moved as soon as I can. If it wasn't where it is I would probably leave it but I have told my neighbour to keep the children away from the wall for now.

Personally I think my husband is mad to even consider going near it, he has 3 huge lumps on his stomach where he got stung yesterday


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## Guest105 (31 Jul 2011)

JP1234 said:


> Personally I think my husband is mad to even consider going near it, he has 3 huge lumps on his stomach where he got stung yesterday


 
He will have a few more if he attempts to remove the nest himself, they are wicked dangerous this time of the year, make a call to the professionals, it will cost a few bob but well worth it


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## Sue Ellen (31 Jul 2011)

I've heard these people are very good [broken link removed]

If you run the search option in this forum there are quite a number of threads on wasps and you may get some advice on how to deal with them.


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## JP1234 (31 Jul 2011)

Thanks for that, Abacus only have Dublin numbers so I presume they only cover the Dublin area, I have emailed them anyway, just to get an idea of cost.  Rentokil are only open Mon-Fri, will try them tomorrow but I imagine they won't be there on a bank holiday.

I think I know where the nest is now, under a pile of cut grass my husband dumped there yesterday which is probably why he got attacked. I am afraid to go near the washing line as it's only about 10ft away from where they are active


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## Sue Ellen (31 Jul 2011)

JP1234 said:


> Thanks for that, Abacus only have Dublin numbers so I presume they only cover the Dublin area



Not sure if they only cover Dublin area but they have a mobile no on their site so might be worth a try - 087 125 3845


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## JP1234 (31 Jul 2011)

I'll give them a ring in the morning, cheers!


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## PaddyBloggit (31 Jul 2011)

Try Rentokil for a price too.


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## computerman (1 Aug 2011)

If cost is an issuen buy a paper overall (paint suit) with a hood. Put on a pair of gloves , goggles etc. Get the wasp powder from the hardware and spray in the evening. If you can find the entrance to the nest , all the better, spray the powder around the entrance. As the wasps enter and leave they will bring the poison in to the nest.
Easy peasy.


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## Sue Ellen (1 Aug 2011)

JP1234 said:


> I don't want to leave it as the neighbour on the other side of the wall is a child minder and would have children out in the garden a lot of the time and I would be afraid the wasps may attack them (I do intend on warning her)





computerman said:


> Easy peasy.



Not so easy peasy.


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## dewdrop (1 Aug 2011)

If you can wait i think they will die off when the first frost comes.


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## JP1234 (1 Aug 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions.

Have emailed a couple of places for quotes. Don't want to leave it until they start to die off as they seem to be everywhere in the garden today.


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## roker (1 Aug 2011)

I don't think this may be practical in your case, but I got rid of a nest by pouring in barbecue lighter fuel and burning them out.


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## Time (1 Aug 2011)

That will work for sure. I finds that drowning them in Raid does the trick also.


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## scwazrh (1 Aug 2011)

I have removed a good few wasp nests and have always found burning them out is the best way , probably not the most educated way of removing them though.if it's in the garden and you have space get your husband out with a can of petrol over the area and burn them.

Obviously this won't work if near the house etc but if not it's the cheapest option?As computerman says though if your tackling them make sure youre well protected ,.


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## JP1234 (2 Aug 2011)

Burning them is not an option as it could set the whole garden up and is too near the oil tank!

We went out late last night and cut back the bush as much as we could but we still can't see the nest.  Am waiting for people to get back to me today regarding prices, though at this stage I would be willing to pay anything!

Our biggest problem right now is finding the nest, we can see the wasps going in and out of the bush but no idea where they are hiding!


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## PaddyBloggit (2 Aug 2011)

Stay away from it with petrol (as advised above) .... you'd be asking for trouble.

Get the professional in .... they'll make sure to get rid of them.

I've had dealings with Rentokil ... they'll make a free return visit if the wasps return.

At least that was the promise they made at the time ... ask them this if you are thinking of getting them.


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## horusd (2 Aug 2011)

JP1234, this is a totally contrarian view but if you can section -off that area why not leave the nest alone?  I have had several nests over the years, including under the eaves, and, as long as I've left the wasps alone, they haven't bothered me at all. I have never been stung at all, and there is a nest somewhere nearby the garden even now.

Many people have an irrational fear of wasps. But they are extremely useful insects and will never attack unless they feel threatened. For gardeners, they are incredibly useful in killing pests. In fact, I like having a nest nearby, and if they fly around me, I ignore them. They are looking for food and aren't instinctively hostile to people.


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## monagt (2 Aug 2011)

Do NOT use petrol, you will be asking for trouble, fire & insurance, personal injury, can't advise too strongly.
Get a professional with proper indemnity.



JP1234 said:


> Our biggest problem right now is finding the nest, we can see the wasps going in and out of the bush but no idea where they are hiding!



Capture a wasp and tie a thread to its tail and let it return to nest!


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## JP1234 (2 Aug 2011)

horusd said:


> JP1234, this is a totally contrarian view but if you can section -off that area why not leave the nest alone?




I would leave it alone but for the fact the nest is somewhere between our bushes and the wall between us and our neighbour. My neighbour runs a creche from her home and has children out in her garden, that is my main concern, if the wasps end up in her garden ( very likely as she has a lot of flowers) and sting one of the children. I have warned her about the nest.

A few weeks back our dog was pottering round outside when she let out a loud yelp and ran in,then would not go out into the garden, even now she avoids that area, we think she was stung and now has the good sense to avoid it.

Generally I am not that bothered by wasps or bees, but I am starting to get a little paranoid now, I had the bedroom window open last night and was woken this morning by the buzzing of 2 wasps that had flown in..luckily they were trapped behind the curtain and I was able to shoo them out!



			
				monagt said:
			
		

> Capture a wasp and tie a thread to its tail and let it return to nest!



are you offering!


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## monagt (2 Aug 2011)

Its not the wasps you kill, its the hordes that come to the funeral. A few sips of wine and they attack every one.

And, they do return to the same place to nest so better to get rid of nest, also, some people can have an allergic reaction to wasp stings.............


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## shootingstar (2 Aug 2011)

you can smoke them out. I did this. 

Burn a rag in diesel and blow it out. It causes alot of smoke. throw it in the direction of the nest and run. Honest, it worked a treat. 

I gave the empty nest to the school next door. you should see the inside of one of these things! Amazing. An architect couldnt design it!


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## Complainer (2 Aug 2011)

Be very, very careful;

http://www.independent.ie/national-...attack-unaware-of-lethal-allergy-2355221.html


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## JP1234 (2 Aug 2011)

Complainer said:


> Be very, very careful;
> 
> http://www.independent.ie/national-...attack-unaware-of-lethal-allergy-2355221.html




I heard about that alright, frightening! My husband still has 3 quite large red lumps on his belly, he was itching them all night even with Calamine lotion on. I just hope he doesn't have any meetings at work today or he might be getting some looks if he can't resist a scratch!

I just got quoted €200 _minimum_ to have the nest removed by a local pest control company, does that sound excessive or is that about right?


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## PaddyBloggit (2 Aug 2011)

Sounds about right.


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## Time (2 Aug 2011)

Cheaper ways are available depending on how brave you are.


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## JP1234 (4 Aug 2011)

Well I am hopeful we have managed to get rid of it. Husband and son went out late last night and cut back more of the hedges as far as they could. The nest appears to be on the ground against the wall so is partially covered and blends in with the wall.   We bought 2 cans of the powder and one of the foam, he covered the ground with the powder last night and early this morning went out and sprayed the foam. I have only seen one or 2 of them in the general area this morning, whereas normally there would be dozens of them going in and out.

thanks for all the suggestions.


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## nai (4 Aug 2011)

just a note to all would be wasp tacklers - do you know whether you're allergic to wasp stings or not ?

I found out last year the hard way - coming home on my motorbike about 2 miles from the house, felt an insect hit my visor, thought nothing of it, quick pain in my neck, scrambled at my neck with one hand doing about 90kph, must have killed the wasp.

By the time I got bike parked and my gear off (less than 5 minutes) my arms, tops of legs, groin area, around neck were all going really red and swelling and my heart started racing. 
As I was taking off my gear a dead wasp fell out of my jacket - he must have hit my visor, fallen down at the base of my throat and then stung me a couple of times before I killed him.

We raced to the closest VHI clinic (luckily theres one 5 minutes away) and they gave me an adrenaline shot, anti-histamines and put me on a monitor for an hour. Scary as my heart rate had doubled from normal and blood pressure was through the roof.


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## Ceist Beag (4 Aug 2011)

JP1234 said:


> I just got quoted €200 _minimum_ to have the nest removed by a local pest control company, does that sound excessive or is that about right?



Seems expensive to me but it could be that it depends on the location and stage of the nest. We had someone around last summer to remove a nest which was in a fairly easy position to remove and which was relatively early in the summer so the nest was still not fully developed. We were charged €80 to have it removed.


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## TreeTiger (4 Aug 2011)

Complainer said:


> Be very, very careful;
> 
> http://www.independent.ie/national-...attack-unaware-of-lethal-allergy-2355221.html



That poor man wasn't the only one who died as a result of a wasp sting last summer.  Business author and motivational speaker John Butler died after being stung in his garden last July.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/noted-author-dies-after-wasp-sting-2273291.html

I had a wasps' nest removed a few years ago (in Dublin) for €100, but can't remember who did the job.


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