Hornet/wasp killer?

[DMartin9N-2N]

Good afternoon: I recently went around the house and yard spraying ivy, virginia creeper, wild grape, etc. with my back pack sprayer with round-up/water mixture. At my electric meter on end of house, I notice that above the meter, where the nearby telephone wire enters the building, there is a flock of wasps or hornets on the siding. Not bees, I know bees when I see them! Also not a swarm, I am seeing only maybe 30 or 40 insects. I am thinking I can use a spray can of wasp killer while standing a few feet away, and be ok. Opinions?

BTW, I am not fast on my feet like I once was, so I want the spray to do its job....
.
Dennis M. in W. Tenn.
.

 

[kencombs]

Just found and killed two big nest, one red wasp and one yellow jackets. Use a good spray, my choice is a Spectricide Professional. The lower priced ones, even same brand just don't knock the red ones down reliably. And I do not want to be stung as I'm really allergic to their venom.

 

[miangus]

I had need for that last night. I moved a pickup cover and there was some buzzing I looked down and there was a Yellow Jacket nest about one foot across. I left the area, but a number followed me. A couple got inside my tee shirt and one clever fellow found a hole in my jeans and got inside. I had to go inside and take off my shirt and pants. The one in my pants tried to sting me in the house after I got him out of my pants. I got stung about 12 times. I sprayed the nest with hornet and wasp spray. After dark I used some saw gas and burned the nest.

 

[old]

If the siding can handle it I have found carb spray cleaner knocks them down faster then any thing else I have ever used and if you hit the wasp with it they hit the ground instead of flying to you and stinging you before the wasp spray kills them

 

[Bill(Wis)]

I've had wasps fly 10 or 12 feet right down the stream of wasp spray trying to get to me. I always wear heavy insulated clothing , leather gloves and a bees net over my
cap. Even then, they can get on your clothing.

 

[Dusty MI]

You can buy spray cans of spray that will squirt a long stream, so it takes them longer to find you.

 

[Roger in Iowa]

Agree carb cleaner usually works but FVP from Menards did not work very well on Yellow Jackets.
The spray that sprays X number of feet did not work either. The insects could be drenched in it and still survived.

 

[Bob Harvey]

For the second time in 2 years, we have almost no 'yellow jackets/wasps'. I believe it was the use of some
traps I put out 3 years ago - apparently, they thinned the herd. Rats, now I can't remember the name - will
post later. Seems the trick is to put the traps (made in Spokane, Wash.) out at the first sighting -
apparently the queen. Working for me, haven't needed to put one out this year.

 

[RESLLS]

Brake clean works great too. Nice long
stream, and they drop instantly. The
chlorinated one works best.

 

[Steve@Advance]

If there was no nest, they may have moved on by now. No nest and they will probably not be aggressive
especially when it starts getting dark. But the little black hornets can be aggressive for no reason!

If it's getting cool there they are probably looking for a place to hibernate.

 

[Check Break]

(quoted from post at 14:58:46 09/22/22) Brake clean works great too. Nice long
stream, and they drop instantly. The
chlorinated one works best.

x2 on the brake clean. Drops them like a rock. You can take on a dozen at a time.

 

[caterpillar guy]

If you can get some diesel fuel on them they are done right there. Just climb up at dark and douse them never even get to move but falling to the ground. Done it many times just before dark is best kill they are all back in the nest for the night.

 

[4play]

I see night time or dark mentioned, but also a cooler night will help too if that's in the near future. They are not only less active after dark, but less active in cooler weather. plus at night most of them should be at the nest. All I use is a general bug spray with a backpack sprayer, walk calmly up to 15-20ft away and soak them down. I've never felt the urgency to use the "instant death" from aerosol cans.

 

[Dingo3]

If your seeing them in an area on your siding the nest
is probably inside your wall. Look for a hole or crack in
the siding. Its probably where you say the phone line
enters the building. You will need to take care of that
too.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

They aren't bothering anything why kill them?

 

[MarkB_MI]

I guess I don't know why folks are recommending random solutions like carburetor cleaner or diesel fuel. Wasp killer, available at any hardware store, will do the job, and you can stand six feet or more from the nest. Wait until it's almost dark or early in the morning, when the wasps have returned to the nest.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I found a nest of hornets next to my front door.
I threw different chemicals at the hole.
I finally used a garden hose and flooded the hole.
My dirt is a black sandy like soil.
The water helped fill the hole with dirt.

Later I put more dirt over the hole and added more water.
Problem solved..

Another time I put a push mower over the hole..
One tank of gas, problem solved.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 03:28:52 09/23/22) I guess I don't know why folks are recommending random solutions like carburetor cleaner or diesel fuel. Wasp killer, available at any hardware store, will do the job, and you can stand six feet or more from the nest. Wait until it's almost dark or early in the morning, when the wasps have returned to the nest.

Wasp spray is mostly petroleum distillates and alcohol. So is brake cleaner. The brake cleaner is actually more "environmentally friendly" because it doesn't have any insecticide in it. Clearly the petroleum distillates and alcohol do most of the heavy lifting, when it works.

Wasp spray doesn't work for me anymore. They just shake off a direct hit and fly away.

 

[bmack95hd]

My dog got stung yesterday while playing ball by what look like
yellow jackets that came out of the ground. We hightailed it for
the garage where I had some brake cleaner. Molly was busy
doing summer-salts from the stings while I gathered up enough
nads to go back out there. Found a few outside the hole,
sprayed them then stuck the nozzle down the hole. Good long
blast and off I went. Later on went back out and no activity, so I
guess I got them.

 

[doug in missouri]

Was a rural route mail carrier. Brake cleaner leaves no residue in boxes. Probably went through a can every ten days. DOUG

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Brake cleaner will probably dissolve Vinal siding. gm

 

[Jim in LA]

Get some Enforcer foaming wasp spray.

 

[Blackhole49]

Brake cleaner.

 

[5570 standard]

I have used a shop vac and secured it to where they go in. A lot of fun to watch them try to avoid the suction. In a few hours no more yellow
jackets.

 

[Scott_S]

Red wasp are such a summertime nuisance in south Mississippi that the store-bought spray cans get expensive. I keep a one-gallon yard sprayer loaded with a mix of gas, diesel, and a splash of ATF.
Will spray 10-12 feet. Has good knockdown and smells bad enough to keep them from coming back for the rest of the year. Also used as penetrating oil, stops things from rusting or squeaking, chain lube, weed killer, fire starter, and many other things.
Scott

 

[Tony in SD]

TF obviously you have never been bothered by them. But I and loved ones have been stung by wasps, had a nest within the walls of my house, had a cow kick me when it was stung by a wasp, stung when I opened terminal boxes and standing on a an electric pole working with no place to go. Also there are variations of wasps that build mud cocoons in undesirable places like inside motors, tool boxes, parts bins, desk drawers, and on fast spinning power tools such as a grinder that causes it to operate off balance. And my list of bothering me could goes on. That is why I exterminate wasps.