ShadowTiger
05-18-2009, 11:56 AM
I've been reading up on different ways to dispose of a wasp next, (No, not the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant variety.) and found a few interesting creative solutions. Some of them I've already tried with some modicum of success.
I should mention right away that several times in my life, I had used a variety of anti-wasp sprays (Raid, etc.) on the wasp directly, spraying the actual wasp with the foam from a long distance. The wasp completely ignore the effect, and went about its luxurious and flighty business. Naturally, I was a bit deterred to see how most of a can of Raid couldn't down a single wasp when it was designed to.
I suppose it was more of a "long term" effect. I didn't have a nest to spray. I had a wasp which was frightening people away. I had to act.
So I got creative. I got a can of spray adhesive, and went back outside. I sprayed the wasp from an uncomfortably close distance, and it dropped, right then and there. One of its wings was stuck to its body, and so were two of its legs. I gave it another little spray, and it was stuck to the ground.
Pretty freaking awesome. Much better than what Raid had done.
My next goal is to find a wasp nest and spray it full of the adhesive at night. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, any available wasps will not be able to leave the next, and will in fact create a permanent "Three Stooges" type effect (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.01/start.html?pg=9) all over the wasp next.
Once the wasps are incapacitated, literally stuck within their own home, it is time to unfurl the next phase of the plan. Go inside and boil some water, and pour it into a bucket. A gallon will suffice quite readily. Go back outside during the night and ensure there are no wasps in the vicinity. Place the bucket beneath the wasps nest, and give the nest a good poke. If your poking arm is valiant and your aim is true, the nest should fall into the bucket of boiling water, and eradicate the wasps right then and there.
If you have any boric acid on hand, it's not too bad to use either. It absorbs the moisture from the carapaces of the insects, slowly killing them from the outside, and sometimes even the inside if they can swallow it.
Also, if you want to make a pretty effective wasp trap, Follow these simple steps (http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Wasp-Trap). I've had to make quite a few of them for a holiday around September / October for when people are eating outside, or around barbecues, and they work quite well, depending on the bait you use. They also have yellowjacket attractant you can apply into the mix. They'll be swarming. ;)
Remember, the yellowjackets don't really release their "OMFG HELP I'M IN TROUBLE!!!" chemicals into the air if they're not dead yet. They barely even know they're trapped if they have good food on the bottom of their trap, so keep that in mind.
You can drop in some laundry detergent into the trap to kill them when you want to empty out the trap, which you will want to do eventually, maybe four to six times a month, if not more.
I should mention right away that several times in my life, I had used a variety of anti-wasp sprays (Raid, etc.) on the wasp directly, spraying the actual wasp with the foam from a long distance. The wasp completely ignore the effect, and went about its luxurious and flighty business. Naturally, I was a bit deterred to see how most of a can of Raid couldn't down a single wasp when it was designed to.
I suppose it was more of a "long term" effect. I didn't have a nest to spray. I had a wasp which was frightening people away. I had to act.
So I got creative. I got a can of spray adhesive, and went back outside. I sprayed the wasp from an uncomfortably close distance, and it dropped, right then and there. One of its wings was stuck to its body, and so were two of its legs. I gave it another little spray, and it was stuck to the ground.
Pretty freaking awesome. Much better than what Raid had done.
My next goal is to find a wasp nest and spray it full of the adhesive at night. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, any available wasps will not be able to leave the next, and will in fact create a permanent "Three Stooges" type effect (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.01/start.html?pg=9) all over the wasp next.
Once the wasps are incapacitated, literally stuck within their own home, it is time to unfurl the next phase of the plan. Go inside and boil some water, and pour it into a bucket. A gallon will suffice quite readily. Go back outside during the night and ensure there are no wasps in the vicinity. Place the bucket beneath the wasps nest, and give the nest a good poke. If your poking arm is valiant and your aim is true, the nest should fall into the bucket of boiling water, and eradicate the wasps right then and there.
If you have any boric acid on hand, it's not too bad to use either. It absorbs the moisture from the carapaces of the insects, slowly killing them from the outside, and sometimes even the inside if they can swallow it.
Also, if you want to make a pretty effective wasp trap, Follow these simple steps (http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Wasp-Trap). I've had to make quite a few of them for a holiday around September / October for when people are eating outside, or around barbecues, and they work quite well, depending on the bait you use. They also have yellowjacket attractant you can apply into the mix. They'll be swarming. ;)
Remember, the yellowjackets don't really release their "OMFG HELP I'M IN TROUBLE!!!" chemicals into the air if they're not dead yet. They barely even know they're trapped if they have good food on the bottom of their trap, so keep that in mind.
You can drop in some laundry detergent into the trap to kill them when you want to empty out the trap, which you will want to do eventually, maybe four to six times a month, if not more.