Knowing how to get rid of wasps in house siding is absolutely essential if you plan on making your home an inviting place where people feel comfortable to gather.
Wasps aren’t just an inconvenience. They can be a serious pain, a menace, and a frightening deterrent that turns your warm, welcoming home into a cringe-worthy house of horrors. Wasp stings are incredibly painful, and for some people, they can cause seriously debilitating effects, like severe swelling, itchiness, and intense discomfort.
If your home is subject to a wasp infestation, you need to be ready to act fast. Our guide will show you how to rid your home’s siding of these flying pests in five easy steps. Unable to deal with wasp control yourself? Call in a local pest control provider to handle your infestation:
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Before diving into the article, watch this short video from The Home Depot for a glance at wasp control methods:
How Do Wasps Get Into House Siding?
Many seasoned homeowners already know how to get rid of wasps in house siding because the occurrence is simply that common – especially in the summertime when the weather starts to heat up. Some wasps are social swarm insects, which means that they work together to build a communal hive, whereas others lead a solitary life.
Gaps in house siding – whether they occur from warped vinyl siding or faulty home construction – present the perfect place for wasps to burrow into and start building a hive away from the elements. Yellow jackets, paper wasps, hornets, and mud daubers are just a few of the types of wasps that can make your home’s siding into their new permanent residence.
If you’re not sure how to get rid of wasps in house siding, take a look at this special guide. While some wasp establishments may call for the work of a professional exterminator, other cases are quite manageable and can be addressed by a few simple steps.
Once you learn how to get rid of wasps in house siding, you’ll be on your way to deciding if you can handle the task safely or if you need assistance from the professionals.
5 Steps on How to Get Rid of Wasps in House Siding
Because wasps can sting when they feel threatened, it’s important to get the job done swiftly and efficiently, as botching the nest extraction can only agitate the wasps into swarming and going on the attack. As the homeowner, however, you’ve got an advantage when you’re up against a wasp. The more you know in advance, the better prepared you can become to attack the wasp nest accurately, efficiently, and safely.
The first thing you’ll need to determine is the type of wasp you’re dealing with. Correctly identifying the insects will help in many ways, like knowing when to approach the nest, where the nests are typically built, and which product to apply to destroy the nest. In addition, correct identification can help you assess the risk involved in attempting a wasp nest removal. For example, giant European insect hornets and yellow jackets are known for defending their nests aggressively, whereas solitary wasps are less aggressive towards people.
Step 1: Locate and Assess the Wasp Nest in Your Home’s Siding
Because wasps can sting when they feel threatened, it’s important to get the job done swiftly and efficiently, as botching the nest extraction can only agitate the wasps into swarming and going on the attack. As the homeowner, however, you’ve got an advantage when you’re up against a wasp. The more you know in advance, the better prepared you can become to attack the wasp nest accurately, efficiently, and safely.
The first thing you’ll need to determine is the type of wasp you’re dealing with. Correctly identifying the insects will help in many ways, like knowing when to approach the nest, where the nests are typically built, and which product to apply to destroy the nest. In addition, correct identification can help you assess the risk involved in attempting a wasp nest removal. For example, giant European insect hornets and yellow jackets are known for defending their nests aggressively, whereas solitary wasps are less aggressive towards people.
While bees generally have a fatter, hairy body, wasps are typically long and thin with a smooth body. Wasps also have longer wings that extend down their bodies at an angle, whereas bees have shorter wings. Unlike bees, which are generally a dark orange-ish brown color, wasps can be black, dark purple, red, and dark brown.
When learning how to get rid of wasps in house siding, it’s also important to recognize that there is incredible diversity within wasps themselves. Understanding this diversity can help you locate the nest. When looking for a wasp nest, check areas of the house siding that may have small gaps or crevices. For example, poorly installed alumium soffit, gaps in siding, gutters, and ridged paneling are all areas that may attract wasps.
Also, it’s important to remember that some wasps are solitary and are able to slip through small openings, so a simple glance at siding may cause you to overlook a wasp nest. Take your time, move slowly, and consider any small gaps in siding that may attract wasps. Once you locate the nest, assess the size and activity level. Is there only one wasp hanging around, or does there seem to be a flurry of activity? A very active hive may call for more safety precautions than you had originally planned.
Step 2: Prepare Needed Materials and Tools
Depending on your assessment, you’ll want to gather a sufficient level of protection for the task at hand. Some of the most basic protective equipment available actually consists of making smart clothing choices. Instead of thin, tight-fitting clothes, opt for thicker, bulkier garments that offer a stronger level of defense. For example, jeans will offer much better protection than thin leggings.
If you’re dealing with a small number of wasps or bees, anti-wasp gloves will provide a solid base level of protection. If, however, you encounter several wasps at once or suspect there might be a hive, invest in a beekeeping protective jacket with a veil.
In addition, be sure to optimize coverage, as any exposed skin will boost your chances of getting stung. This means going for full length pants and tall socks instead of shorts and sandals – no matter how hot it is outside!
Furthermore, try to create ‘seals’ in your outfit by tucking pant legs into tall socks, tucking sleeves into gloves, and tucking shirttails into a waistband. There’s nothing worse than a wasp creeping its way into your shirt and getting trapped against the skin after making its way through a small, overlooked sleeve opening near the wrist.
For maximum safety when dealing with wasps we recommend a full protection suit that includes both gloves and veil while covering any exposed areas of your skin.
Our top pick for protection suit: Professional Beekeeping Suit from Buzz Supplies | Check Price on Amazon
Coverage for the face is critical, too. Wearing a beekeeper’s hat or a hat with a veil can give you added protection and peace of mind. Likewise, be sure to tuck the veil into your shirt to eliminate gaps in coverage. Protective eyewear can provide another layer of defense, especially if you’re planning to use anti-wasp insecticide sprays
In addition to protective equipment, arm yourself with job-specific tools, like a scraper or wedge to detach the wasp nest from the siding.
An angled scraper if your best choice to knock down wasp nests that you can reach with your hands. For cone-shaped hives located on trees or ledges you can use garden hedge shears.
A durable cloth bag may also be smart to have handy, as it provides a way to transport the wasp nest safely. After all, once you figure out how to get rid of wasps in house siding, you certainly don’t want to simply toss the nest nearby, as the wasps could relocate on another wall.
For some homeowners, physically removing the wasp nest is out of the question. In some situations, arming yourself with wasp control products is the safer and wiser way to go.
Even those who do plan on removing the nest will want to treat it with a wasp control product prior to removal. Wasp control products come in a variety of forms, including aerosols, insecticide dust, and residual liquid insecticides. Be sure to pick up a product that actively works on the type of wasp you’re attacking.
Step 3: Kill the Wasps in the Nest
First of all, it’s generally recommended to spray wasp nests at night, as this is the time when the insects are less active and more concentrated in the nest, thus increasing efficiency. This is a good tip for killing ground bees, too. While you may be tempted to shine a bright light on the nest during the operation, it’s best to resist, as light can alert wasps to your presence and aggravate them, possibly provoking an attack.
There are three main types of products you can use to get rid of wasps in your house:
The main advantage of these insecticide aerosols is that they are intuitive to use and that the good sprays kill wasps on contact AND after insects return to the sprayed area.
- Our pick for wasp killer spray: Ortho Home Defense 16 oz.
- Our pick for large packs of hornets: Black Flag Foaming Wasp & Hornet Killer Aerosol
- Best for harder-to-reach areas: 4Most Innovations Aerosol Spray Can Extension Adapter with expendable telescopic pole
Anti-wasp dust is an extremely effective product, especially for dealing with wasp nests in hard-to-reach areas of your house or when sprays fail you. In addition to that, high-quality dust has a long-term effect of up to 8 months. Don’t forget to buy a dust dispenser for spreading the dust!
- Our top pick for anti-wasp dust: Bayer Tempo 1% Dust (1.25 lbs)
- Recommended hand-held dust dispenser: Dr. Killigan’s Insect Buster
- Best for dusting out-of-reach areas: Dustick Duster (with 21-foot reach)
Traps are effective when you’re dealing with several wasps coming from unknown sources on a frequent basis, and when you can’t locate the nest anywhere on your property.
- Our top pick for wasp traps: RESCUE! TrapStik for Wasps
When spraying the wasp nest, be sure to spray no more than the recommended dosage as described on the product’s label. Most wasp control pesticides will be effective on wasps that return to the nest later and make contact with the residual product, so don’t worry about spraying each and every individual wasp.
Some wasp control products can be toxic, or they may simply contain oil that can leave a visible residue mark on siding. For those reasons, use as little product as necessary, and clean the area a day or two later, after the nest has been successfully removed.
In case you or someone else in your house got stung by an aggressive wasp or a bee, use anesthetic swabs for instant pain relief.
Step 4: Assess and Evaluate
If you really want to know how to get rid of wasps in siding for the long-term, then you’ll need to get in the habit of remaining vigilant, even when the problem isn’t severe or obvious. Check the surrounding area for other nests both before and after you’ve sprayed and removed one nest.
Remember, not all wasps build nests in the same place or same way, so be sure to check gaps in siding, patio decks, soffit, bushes, and uneven ground for wasp nests. Even after the nest has been removed, stay vigilant and keep an eye out for new nests.
If you want to prevent bees and wasps from building new nests in the same area, try using anti-wasp dust products.
Step 5: Call an Exterminator
As you can see, learning how to get rid of wasps in house siding is not an impossible task! With the right tools, approach, and knowledge, you may even be able to successfully remove the nest on your own. But with that said, remember that you aren’t required to do this task yourself!
While many homeowners may feel comfortable treating and removing a wasp infestation from their home, others may not. Some wasp nests may be in a location that is tricky or dangerous to reach.
If you don’t feel comfortable getting rid of a wasp nest yourself, or if you have already sprayed the nest and it seems like the wasp colony wasn’t effectively eliminated, call an exterminator to have the issue dealt with professionally. The tool below can help you get pest control estimates from local professionals:
