Summer brings about an abundance of flying insects. Encounters with some of these cause bites and make you itchy, but others, such as wasps, can cause a significant painful sting. The risk of injury is one of the reasons to rid your home of any wasp nest you find. Unfortunately, many people go about getting rid of the nest in the wrong ways, which not just puts you at risk of stings but can also put you at risk of property damage and even death. Here are a few ways you want to avoid removing a wasp nest and what to do instead.
Knocking It Down
Depending on the type of wasp you have, you may find a wasp nest both above and below the ground. You can find the above-the-ground nests in many sheltered locations, including some of the following:
- High in trees
- Eaves of structures
- Attics
- Dense bushes
- Wall voids
While your first reaction for wasp removal may be to take a long stick or baseball bat and knock the nest down to the ground before destroying it, don't do it. This tactic is not what you want to do, as this move could be hazardous to your health.
Depending on the species, the nest can contain a few dozen to several thousand wasps. Their reaction to being jostled, attacked, or knocked down is to wage war on the person causing them discomfort. Hitting the nest will make the wasp instantly swarm and sting you.
Burning The Nest
Wasp nests from certain species, such as yellow jackets and bald-faced hornets, build nests that appear as paper mache envelopes. The wasps produce this thin papery substance by chewing wood products into a pulp. Because of their composition, these nests are highly flammable.
Because of their appearance, people often attempt wasp removal by lighting the nest on fire. This tactic is not something you want to do. Burning the nest will not kill all of the wasps within the nest. The burning nest will cause the wasp to swarm along with those who may be outside the nest at the time. You also risk setting your home or surrounding property on fire.
How Should You Handle Wasp Removal
The best wasp removal services are those performed by a professional. They know how to remove the nest from your home and surrounding areas safely. They will also have various professional wasp treatments that effectively remove the nest and kill the enclosed wasps.
Contact a local company to learn more about wasp removal.
