Wasps...

Need some help people!

When digging a hole in my front garden to plant a fuscia I inadvertantly disturbed a big underground wasps nest. Think they must have built their nest in a space underground where tree roots from a tree I killed a few years ago were.
I am a full time student so can't afford to get exterminators in so can anyone suggest a cheap or free method of killing the nest with minimal risk to myself? Got stung once when I disturbed them, don't want a repeat!
Thanks in advance everyone.

 

hi rich. where do you live? town or country?

we live in the country & my hubbys solution to ground wasps nests is diesel, newspaper in the hole and a lighter. But I wouldn't recommend doing this.

You can get Nippon Wasp Nest Killer in a foam, in a can from DIY stores for under a fiver. We have used that before and it's pretty effective

 

Persoanally unless it's a major problem to I'd leave them. We have had wasps nests in similar places and they will not hurt you unless you actualy try to disturb them. They are only interested in flying to and from their nests. We have had so many nests over the years we are use to them!

 

The pyromaniac in me likes the diesel idea! I live on Canvey Island down a regular residential street. I appreciate your reply Robajobs but I think I need a permanent solution. As they're in the ground every time I cut the grass I stand a chance of getting attacked by a swarm of wasps.

 

And it shoots it out in a jet so it can be done from a safe(ish) distance.

As it's in your lawn I guess you wouldn't go for my preferred method of chucking a big bundle of brushwood on top and burning them out.

 

With the price of diesel these days I'm not sure that's a cheap option anymore
If I was quick with the foam would squirting half a can straight down be a good option?
Or would it be better to just blanket cover the area?
The ground around it feels pretty soft, does anyone know how deep down the nest is likely to go? Don't really want a huge hole in my front garden but on the other hand I think I should kill the site once and for all as they have returned once and could do so again.

 

If you use the can, wait till night time when the wasps are all in their nest & not active. Make sure all your house windows are closed. Spray it straight down the hole. I guess you could use half a can & then use the other half a can the next night to make sure you didnt miss any. I can't remember what the instructions say.

I've been googling and found....This works for sure: Wait for a nice cool night so they are less active. Soak a rag in gasoline and place it over the entrance, cover it with a garbage bag and a weight (rock). The fumes will kill them overnight.

Since this is an underground nest you won't need to remove it once you kill it. Just smooth out the depression. A somewhat less-known fact about wasps -- they will not nest in an abandoned nest, so if you leave it there you will never have another "queen" take up residence.

OMG @ this one.....
Paying a pest control company is for wimps, plus it's like building a tennis court and then paying your neighbours to play on it. All they will do is put some weedy white powder on it, charge you £25 and walk away. It kills the wasps sure enough, but in the most boring possible way. I'm sure that doing it yourself can be dangerous, but then so can track days, and even the wasps get a sporting chance. Keep any children well out of the way though.

I always found petrol and matches good, the wasps come out and put on a terrific aerobatic display, many of them, of course, on fire. Put plenty of petrol down the hole before you light it though. Carry a tennis racket for self defence. A good alternative to petrol is a mixture of Sodium Hydrochlorate weedkiller and sugar. That burns with a serious intensity.Try a little first though, so you know what you are dealing with.

If you have a garden hose handy try filling up the nest from a safe distance (if there is such a thing.) Alternatively, you could light a firework and stuff that down the hole. Obviously you could give it a good blast with fly spray, which they probably wouldn't like. I have always wondered if you could tie a can of fly killer to a suitably powerful firework and shove that into the nest, because when these tins go up they go with a bang.

I'm told they like alcohol, so why not mix up a few tins of cider with some paraquat and pour that down. It would be interesting to see the results. Then you could shove a rubber ball down to keep them in, though there will be a fair number outside, which you might keep at bay with fly spray.

Or why not set up one of those ultra violet 'zappers' just outside the hole and leave it on through the night?

Hours of harmless fun.

 

If they are wasps i'd nuke them....as long as you are sure they're not Bees

 

Have a can of wasp nest killer that only cost 2.50, gonna wait until dusk and give it to 'em. Although have to admit I'm half hoping it won't work as I'm aching to try out some of RandyRos's suggestions, especially the petrol, matches and wasps on fire method

 

if you do/did.......get a mate to video it

 

If you do try that petrol method use a very long pole both to administer the petrol and light it. Be ready to run because it makes the wasps extremely angry, quickly burns out and if done during the day there will be loads outside of the nest that will get upset and look for somebody to attack.

 

The wasp nest foam is useless,use ant powder.
Like ants,you just need to kill the queen.Job done.
Though given the lack of wasps this year,do you really need to destroy it?

 

What happened ,did you get it videoed ,is it on youtube

 

I'm of the "live and let live" philosophy. They do a lot of good around the garden eating catapillars and suchlike. I leave 'life ex' jam out in secluded places in the garden to entice them in.

Cheers, Tony.

 

are you ok? didn't blow yourself up, did you?