Ideas on how to kill a wasp nest

[reef13]

wasps have built a nest in the pile of old grass clippings along the fence, is there any good ways to gid rid of these suckers they've made a nice wee hold and just buzz in and out of it all day long and there i sheaps of them. i remeber when i was young we had one at my parents and dad just poured petrol down it at night time and burned the suckers , although i'm not sure that would be the best option for this one because its in dry grass clippings and by the neighbours fence and there is trees hanging above it.???

[bdspider]

On the farm, Grandad would got to it at night & pour petrol down the hole then leave his coat over the top so the fumes (and wasps) wouldn't get out so they'd all be gassed. No need to burn.

[Carlos & Siran]

or diesel?

[oeminx]

How we do it is put on a nice lose pair of overalls get a jar half full with petrol for each entrance/exit, then plug them up.

The fumes are what kills them so no need for fire.

[Tuffers]

Go to your local hardware store and get a powder type poison, its cheap and works well as they walk in it then take it into the nest making it more effective, at night is the best time as they are less active.

[si_sphinx]

We always killed em with petrol as kids but i reckon the powder is best way today. some even mix a lil with jam and the wasps take it into the nest for more to eat and DIE DIE DIE :lol:

[alanmin4304]

Only takes one cup of petrol and block the entrance. Don't light the petrol.

[spoon]

carbaryl get it at mitre 10 sprinkle it in the entrance

[stillnzcookie]

I asked my husband, as he deals with a lot of wasp nests, and this is what he wrote:

Given how un-P.C. it is to use DDT these days, carbaryl is indeed the best way to kill wasps. Don't mess around with petrol unless you have ulterior motives and want to see the little so-and-sos burn (even though you shouldn't light it, the temptation is sometimes too great!). Super Derris dust actually has more carbaryl in it than the product called carbaryl and a teaspoonful will do. If you can find a product called Carbaryl80, this has about 50 times more carbaryl in it than anything else.

If you're not keen on walking up to the hole and sticking a teaspoon down the entrance, we use a 1.5m long piece of pipe (about 15mm diameter). fill one end with the carbaryl powder by poking it into the container, put that end well down the hole and blow in the other end like a blow pipe. Bingo, the entire nest is now full of insecticide and there is zero chance that the nest will still be alive in the morning. We keep a pipe especially for this with the end that has the pesticide on it CLEARLY MARKED

Additional hints:

To find a wasp nest go out just before sunset and follow them from a food or water source (fruit trees, swimming pool etc) to their nest. With the sun low they are easy to see, and they all fly in dead straight lines to the nest at this time of day, often forming clear highways in the sky that are easy to follow.

Then wait till after sunset to kill the nest as wasps are cold-blooded and all activity stops once the evening starts to cool down.

We have a large property in the country and often kill 20+ nests per year by this method. Have tried petrol, other insecticides, and other ways of getting the insecticide into the nest and nothing else we've tried is as effective.

[Stella]

Given how un-P.C. it is to use DDT these days

At the last freshwater sciences conference Juliet Milne from Greater Wellington Regional Council presented some sediment work she had been doing.

Every single urban stream she sampled contained DDT, and almost all were above "ANZECC (2000) Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines".

The scary thing is DDT was restricted in the 1970 and finally banned in 1989...

Shudder.

[alanmin4304]

DDT was used extensively throughout NZ for many years and has a half life of 14 yeers if I remember correctly. You would therefore expect to find it all over the place. There is a lot of evidence that it is fat soluble and can accumulate in the body but I don't think there is a lot of evidence as to its toxicity. Most of the organophosphate insecticides that replaced it are extremely toxic.

[spoon]

theres still a lot of ddt around i used to work at the dump and we would get a few packs in a week of it usually from people cleaning out grandads shed etc its called an "intractable" by the company that takes it away this means that it cant be broken down into anything less toxic by means availible in new zealand so its sent to france to burnt in an ultra high temperature furnace

[Zev]

I recall my father using the following organophosphates:

Phosdrin (Methamidophos)

Malathion

Diazinon prills

All toxic to bees.

[antwan]

I recall my father using the following organophosphates:

Phosdrin (Methamidophos)

Malathion

Diazinon prills

All toxic to bees.

When I was little my Grandad used to pour diesel down the hole then light it, how he uses a white powder; what he does is he gets a long pipe, sticks one end in the powder, puts that right near the entrance, then blows on the other end so it gets right around the entrance and a bit through it. We did that in the evening and the next morning there were no wasps buzzing around. Crap thing is, I don't remember what it's called that he used... haha

[alanmin4304]

Organophosphates are pretty toxic to humans as well. When I was training we had an entemologist who looked perfectly healthy but had arranged to leave his body to medical science. He had spent most of the second world war in Australia mixing DDT for the Americans to spray all over the islands before they invaded. They were in the very north and worked all day in only shorts and shovelling the powder into concrete mixers with no protective gear at all. His party trick every year with new students was to lick his finger and dip it in 50%wv DDT and eat it, then say "HOW POISONOUS IS THAT".

[reef13]

thanks for everyones suggestions i poured some petrol down there last night and covered it up and well it seems to have done the trick

[Matto]

water blasters are fun :lol:

[reef13]

so is petrol and matches lol

[Ira]

so is petrol and matches lol

I don't see any reason they can't be combined.

Other than the whole risk horrible mutilation and death, but that's not important.

[Matto]

owww wouldn't that make a wicked flame thrower?

[Wok]

I would of recommended a big can of fly spray and a lighter.

Instant flame thrower

[SamH]

I would of recommended a big can of fly spray and a lighter.

Instant flame thrower

Sounds good

[Zev]

Ok, enough trying to lead the young ones astray :evil:

[livingart]

[SamH]

Ok, enough trying to lead the young ones astray :evil:

If you're referring to me, I'm already astray :lol:

If not, carry on. I have some things to melt