How Do You Remove a Wasp Nest?

If you are like most people, a dive-bombing wasp will likely send you into a fit and have you screaming while running the opposite direction. Most wasp species can be very territorial and sting without warning when they feel threatened or feel like you are too close to their nests. If you are finding these fearsome flyers around your home, you may be asking yourself “How do you remove a wasp nest?” Although we recommend working with a professional to avoid injury, removing a wasp nest doesn’t have to be a hard process if no wasps are currently present.

Before getting started, it is important to ensure that you know whether you are dealing with a wasp or hornet species. As one of the most aggressive species of wasp, hornets can quickly turn on you and deliver painful stings. Take a look at your nest from a distance, if it is orb-shaped, it contains hornets. However, if the nest looks more like a paper-ish honeycomb, you most likely will be working with yellow jackets or wasps. It is also important to observe the size of the wasp nest and avoid DIY removal if it is beyond the initial stages of construction.

If you are still wanting to remove a wasp nest on your own, it is important to take the necessary precautions. Because the likelihood of getting stung can be incredibly high, investing in the right protection to cover you completely throughout the process is critical and no gaps a wasp could crawl into are present. Once you are suited, spray the nest thoroughly with wasp spray to coat the outside and inside and wait around 15 minutes before continuing. During this time, you may begin seeing wasps flying out and attempting to escape or falling to the ground and writhing; however, they will still be capable of stinging. If possible, complete this process at night to ensure the wasps aren’t active.

Once you are sure the wasps have died, you can then knock down the nest with a broom or other long object. As the nest is on the ground, spray it one more time to ensure that any remaining wasps are taken care of and break the nest into pieces. After successfully breaking apart the nest, you can dispose of the pieces into a trash bag. To stay on the safe side and protect yourself from unwanted wasps wandering around your trashcan, store the trash bag outdoors until trash day just to make sure it doesn’t transfer live wasps to a different location in your garage or around your home.