Giant wasp nest removal

I did the ‘hose and run inside immediately’ method, not returning until the next day.

dorkofwindsor

in General Discussion 1 year and 9 months ago

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northslopian | 1 year and 9 months ago

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A wasp nest was seemingly built overnight on the iron grates covering our parlor floor window. Has anyone attempted to remove this themselves or is this better left to the exterminator? If exterminator, anyone use someone local for this task? Thanks

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 9 months ago

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i have had to deal with these more than once and i do not have any special skill that you don’t have. wasp and hornet killer will get them from about 15-20′ feet away but you have to be careful because if you do not get them all in the first blast, some will come after you. I did it from inside and across a 18′ courtyard once and what i did was open a window screen a little, shot them, and put the screen down. 2 or 3 wasps knew exactly where i was a landed on the screen, trying to sting me through it. when i was about 14, i shot a bottle rocket through a hornet’s nest and a whole bunch of them chased me about 50′ or more and got me.

Maybe hit them at night when they are asleep.

you should know if you are allergic to stings before you do this and have an epipen around if you are. also, ammonia will kill the stinging pain the instant you put it on a sting. i used ammonia when the wasps got me when i was a teen. keep ammonia on hand.

randolph | 1 year and 9 months ago

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a few weeks ago I removed one about the size of a grapefruit. first blasted it with a hose, then drained 2 cans of wasp killer on it. got stung 3 times even though i was 15′ away, they are very protective and will chase you! worst part of the story is that they have started a new hive in the exact same spot so now i have to start all over again.

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 9 months ago

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Someone told me to do this but it sounded kind of twisted and wrong so i never did it:

Take a broom handle and wrap a rag around it and soak the rag in gasoline. Light it. Place the burning end under the wasp nest. The flames will burn the wings of the ones that go to come after you and they will fall to the ground.

I heard that a long time ago by someone a bit older than myself so i am not sure if it was considered an ok way to deal with them years ago or if it was some off the wall idea the person telling me had. Going to google it now.

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 9 months ago

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According to thehousingforum.com, what i said in the post above is an acceptable means of dealing with them.

RobertGMarvin

in General Discussion 1 year and 9 months ago

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The OP just might not want a gasoline—fueled fire right outside his parlor floor windows 🙂

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 9 months ago

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Its on the iron gates, giving it a few inches of space. Heating a wasp nest this way will kill them fast, faster than that glass will break.

I was doing something with gasoline when i was a teenager and my hand was a soaked in it and i turned something on and it ignited. It took me 3 to 5 seconds to put it out. It was hot but did not damage my skin and left no residual pain. Those wasps would be dead in a few short seconds or wingless and on the ground.

That method seems antiquated.

Op, what’s it worth to deal with them? I will come take care of them?

RobertGMarvin

in General Discussion 1 year and 9 months ago

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You’re a brave man Steve!

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 9 months ago

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Bob, It has nothing to do with being brave. When you grow up at the edge of the suburbs in a working class or lower middle class family, you grow up doing this stuff. i don’t mean just wasps; i mean everything; mowing the lawn, checking the oil in the mower, using a thermostat, framing a wall, digging footings, roofing, painting, soldering, changing broken window glass, changing the oil in a car; our parents made us do these “chores”. I now make my son help with them FOR HIS OWN GOOD (trust me, after i am done with all the moaning and resistance, it would be easier to do them myself). Last year, i made him dig and mix and hand pour a concrete slab by himself; When he was 14 i made him get down on his hands and knees and sand and refinish the kitchen floor with a handheld sander (child abuse?). Eventually, many of us ended up doing many of these things before we were out of junior high school.

Injuries become part of the course. I don’t mean just wasp stings but cuts, burns, eyelashes burnt off, nail punctures, lost fingernails….. Growing up doing this stuf f and getting injured removes the “fear”. Many people who own houses today have “fear” about approaching projects around the house because they have never been exposed to these things and worry more about what can go wrong than what can go right.

A little coaching can alleviate some of the fear; i was coaching a thirty something female homeowner in her house Friday and told her “you have a college degree right?” She affirmed. I told her “good, you are already ahead of most of the men out there”.

OP, you can do this yourself with commercially available wasp spray. Watch out for the public on the sidewalk. Wear safety glasses if you wish (I do not). Keep ammonia on hand in case you get stung (it immediately stops the sting; Fantastic also works as it has ammonia in it – been there, done that). Read about sting allergies (i have been stung at least two dozen times in 3 separate incidents and still have not read about sting allergies and probably never will).

Many of you know that after a lifetime of managing and performing work in and on buildings, i have become a home inspector. The intent was for buyers’ inspections but people who have known me on this board have been calling me to walk their houses with them from top to bottom to inspect everything – the roof down – and talk to them about building systems and maintenance and how to inspect them themselves.

If someone called me and really needed a wasp nest removed, I would find my way there to do it but they have to know that the drive costs me time (and hence money). When people call me for home inspections and they mention they have something small, like the op’s problem, and they want it rolled into the inspection, I can do it as part of the inspection (i do not want to be carrying bags of tools). A few months back, i did an inspection for a new homeowner who had an old deadbolt lock on his child’s bedroom; i told him that it was unsafe and i removed the lock for him on the spot (pro bono) and told him what kind of epoxy to use to fill the void. Friday, I was doing an inspection for someone who found me on here and she had a door knob that would not turn on a new door. Without waiting for her to ask, i took a tool off my belt and loosened the knob. I also showed (by doing) that woman how to change a mortise cylinder, a deadbolt lock, adjust her Euro cabinet hinges, repair a split stair tread with epoxy and how to sand and “repair” the finish on her front doors with genuine varnish. if i have a tool on hand and it will not extend the time a long home inspection would already take, I take care of these things – in front of the homeowner so they learn how to do them themselves. For all of these people, I summarize what I told them in the inspection report I provide to them. And once all this is done, I am always here to answer questions by email or phone.

Getting stung by wasps? I simply toss that in with all of the cuts and burns and other injuries that happen when we are working.

OP, if you can find a way to get me over there, i will take care of that nest. It is the drive over that is expensive, not making the nest go away.

Steve
Brownstone Home Inspection LLC
Brownstonehomeinspection.com

patrickburnsjr | 1 year and 9 months ago

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To northslopian OP: If it were me, I would take ‘HomeInspector’ up on his integrous offer with respect to the effort he has put forth on behalf of putting an end to your wasp nest.

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 9 months ago

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carriagehouse99: thank you for that vote of confidence. the truth is, i hate taking money from people on this board for “drive time” so if op called me with questions, i would answer them.