Wasps in a wall are a real problem

Wasps in a wall can be quite a dilemma for the average homeowner.  The reason is that rarely does a homeowner approach the issue knowing exactly what’s going on and what the consequences are for taking care of the problem wrong.

Here’s what the average scenario looks like to a homeowner:

They see wasps (more specifically yellow jackets) entering and exiting from a hole around the exterior perimeter of their home.  The hole will likely be a utility penetration or an area where siding may not fit properly.  They’ll see wasps flying in and out of the hole and go to the hardware store and purchase liquid wasp and hornet killer.  Then they’ll wait for nighttime and spray the entire bottle at or near the hole.  The next day they’ll see a decrease in activity and plug the hole.

What typically happens next?

The above scenario sounds great and the homeowner will temporarily be proud as most if not all the activity will have stopped.  They’ll even likely see some dead wasps on the ground.  They’ll go off to work and when they get home…….. The real problem starts!!!

What will likely happen?

We get calls for wasps problems all the time that sound just like the above scenario.  The problem with how the issue was taken care of by the homeowner is two fold.

  1.  Liquid wasp killer is inadequate to kill a wasp nest in a wall as it won’t be able to penetrate deep enough to kill all the wasps.
  2.  Plugging the hole will force the remaining members of the colony to seek an alternative exit point.  Can you guess where the exit point usually is?  If you’re thinking inside, you’re correct.  Now you’ve got a serious issue because a wasp nest may contain 200 wasps.  All of which are now in your living room!

Professional wasp elimination

Depending on the size and location of a wasp nest in a wall there a few things that the homeowner didn’t look for that a professional would have.

  1. Did the nest soften the drywall on the inside of the home?  When a wasp nest is fully established inside of a wall the secretions from the nest will soak the drywall and as the colony gets bigger the sheet rock will be degraded to the point where the nest has the ability to come through the wall.
  2. Are the wasps actually yellow jackets or are they honeybees? If they’re honeybees you have an entirely different set of issues that I’ll go over in another post.

Ridding your home of wasps

When a professional treats your home for wasps, they’ll likely do a few things.

The first is that they won’t use a liquid.  The material that would be best for this particular situation would be a dust formulation.  A dust will be able to carry deeper into the wall cavity and kill all the wasps the first time.

Second, a professional never plugs a hole until the they’re sure the nest is eliminated.  Professionals should know that plugging a hole that was just treated can end in wasps flying around inside the customers home. Not good, but everyone learns this the hard way.

Last, a professional know that  sometimes treating the colony from inside is the only alternative.  In this scenario the wall would be drilled around where the nest is and a dust insecticide is safely injected into the wall.  The end result is elimination of the nest immediately.

Not all homeowner wasp treatments end will such dire consequences, but when they do it’s to late the damage is done.

If you have a wasp problem and need help.  Call Envirocare Pest Control at 1-888-879-6481.

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