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avidgardener25

Wasps? Need help ASAP

avidgardener25
9 years ago

I know of many methods to kill wasps. (Dish washing liquid and water combo,chemicals, etc...). But this time the wasps have made a best right above my plants and I want to remove them organically because if I use chemicals, they will land on the plants below. I cannot move the plants without disturbing the nest above...help please.

Comments (11)

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago

    What kind of wasps, and how high up is the nest?

    I have wasps that patrol my chile peppers every day, looking for insects to feed to their larvae. Unless they are aggressive, or the nest is going to be bumped as you work in the garden, consider leaving it alone. They are great pest control.

  • avidgardener25
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    They are mahogany wasps. I have a small greenhouse and I considered leaving it alone. I bump into the nest numerous times and disturb it doing to the fact that my greenhouse is on 7 feet tall. The nest; however, is in a bolt groove about 4 feet off the ground. I understand they are beneficial so I didn't want to completely exterminate them but I might have to because I have been stung 7 times just this week ):

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    Might want to pose this question in the Garden Clinic forum.

    Kevin

  • Mecdave Zone 8/HZ 9
    9 years ago

    I would knock the nest down with a strong blast from the hose, then run. Stay out of the area for a day or two, then carefully sneak back in. If they're already building another nest, knock it down too. They'll eventually find a better place to build.

  • DMForcier
    9 years ago

    That's what I would do.

  • t-bob
    9 years ago

    Do as Mcdave says, but I would add to do it at night and have a light burning away from where you will spray and run. They will head to the light first off

  • seysonn
    9 years ago

    I would take a piece of nylon netting clothe, go at NIGHT when they are in the hive/nest sleeping. Wrap the nest with the clothe, tie it securely. Cut out that part of plant and take to an unknown destination.-:)

  • don555
    9 years ago

    Carefully move the plants at night while the wasps are all in the nest and resting. Then (also at night) take out the nest with one of those effective wasp sprays like Hornet Blaster. Next day, hose down the area until you feel you have washed away residual chemical residue. Then you're good to go.

  • sleekit
    9 years ago

    At my old job we once destroyed a wasp nest by turning a can of spray adhesive and a bic lighter into a little flame thrower. The sticky glue worked kind of like napalm. Killed em dead.

  • seysonn
    9 years ago

    Killing wasps is not a problem. The problem is not to damage/kill the plant.

    My all time effective wasp killer is WD-40. It will kill them on contact. WD-40 is just a petroleum base lubricant. ( I think kerosene )

  • flo9
    9 years ago

    There's a special powder spray exterminators use... at least the one I hired 2 or 3 times. The powder cuts them.. once the wasp and bees gets next to the queen it's over with. I don't know if it's safe for garden food, but I would call around and ask if I were you. I hired a guy to rid yellow jackets that made nest in tiny holes on my porch and spray couldn't do the job. I got stung once on my lip and believe me... the stinger, it doesn't taste like honey!

    Otherwise... if you can't put a tarp over the plants to spray it... I'd hose it down at night like one suggested and run like hell. Wasp get very aggressive for a few hours once their nest is down and are also very confused to what is going on. Their radar is so magnificent... even just moving a humming bird feeder if they fed on it.. moving it a foot away they may not find it for days and only remember where it use to be.

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