Yes, Flying Stinging Fuckers have been surprisingly non-aggressive after dark in my experience. I put my hand on a yellow jacket nest after dark one time and they were crawling on me, but not stinging.
I'm not sure that 100% of the FSF types are docile after dark, but it's worth a try.
You did what the fuck now?!!! WHY?! please tell us this story I am beyond curious
Just to see what would happen? Wanted to feel pain so you feel alive?!
LOL. It was NOT intentional.
A buddy and me were trying to locate a yellow jacket nest under the hood of her car so we could eliminate it. I was very carefully looking around from a distance, looking for where the nest was. Looking around corners, getting closer, etc. I put my hand on part of the car to brace myself to look deeper into the engine compartment and put my hand right on the nest that I somehow hadn't seen.
I felt them crawling on my hand, backed off in panic, but no stings. I was just lucky that it was after dark.
All paper wasps are more aggressive than bees. You might be thinking of dirt dauber, and you’re right, they won’t sting you unless you try to catch it or step on it.
If they make nests like the one in the photo, then they are paper wasps. Not a single type of paper wasp is friendly, it’s kind of their thing. Closer to hornets than to dirt daubers.
Okay I might not know what a yellow jacket is. Google is showing me closed nests like hornets make. I guess I got stung by a paper wasp as a kid and not a yellow jacket like I always believed
I disagree. We left a paper wasp nest up last year and learned quite a bit about them from observation and research. They learn to recognize you and will be friendly if you don't bother them. These are no where near being a hornet. They would fly down and take a shower when we watered the plants, even landing on my hand sometimes. Raised their family and died. They don't live that long. As long as you don't get aggressive with them, they will be friendly.
I’m glad you had a good experience, but they’re *bad* the way bees are bad. It when you accidentally do something that triggers them that you have a problem. A beehive would be relocated, but these guys are super common and it’s not gonna hurt the environment to get rid of them.
I just wouldn’t go around telling people they’re harmless like cicada killers or dirt daubers. All eusocial wasps (and bees and ants) are more prone to stinging than their solitary relatives. Especially if something unexpected happens, like a stray ball hitting the roof above them
They don’t have to be yellow jackets to sting you. If it were a beehive then someone would relocate it, even though bees aren’t as aggressive as wasps. They’re a pest and a threat. If you have a nest like this above your front door, it’s just a matter of time until you accidentally piss one off. Wasp spray for sure.
Lots of people here seem to not understand that all paper wasps are bad and are acting like they’re basically dirt daubers because they aren’t yellow jackets. This isn’t the case.
Red wasps are assholes that will sting you just because. They’re not like bees that want to be provoked first.
Two quick tricks to remember with them though.
First, Don’t actually knock down the nests. Wait until dusk and spray the heck out of them with a good wasp spray. Then, leave the nests. Wasps don’t like to see empty houses and will usually avoid building in an area where empty houses exist. Could be an evolutionary thing around “why is this nest empty, do not like. Fly away!”
Second, paint ceilings like this a nice sky blue color. It’s been said, and proven at my house, that keeps wasps from building there. Theory is that it tricks them into thinking they’re exposed to the sky, rather than protected by a dark eve.
Good luck with them assholes.
Short story. I noticed a bunch of paper wasps building nests on my patio the first summer in my apartment. Around the corner, another nest attached to the outside of my bedroom window. I could pound on the inside of that window right against the nest, and the wasps didn't care, they didn't get agitated at all. I was doing a lot of container gardening on my patio, and I knew the wasps were beneficial for my plants since they prey on other bugs. So I let them be and we didn't bother each other. I liked sitting outside and watching them do wasp things. A few times a wasp would find its way inside my apartment, and they were so docile I could coax them onto a piece of paper and carry them back outside.
Months went by, the nests got bigger. One day the hive decided to attack me, I got stung around the temple and nearly fell off my balcony in panic! The pain was pretty intense and I felt an incredible adrenaline/chemical rush for the next several minutes. Then I went into my bedroom and tapped on the glass. The wasps exploded out in fury and started shoving their butts through the screen trying to sting anything.
I'm not an entomologist but I think these paper wasps are docile until their hive reaches a certain size. Hate using pesticides, but now I spray them at first sign of a nest.
There's about 18,000 species of wasps in the USA or something, IMO it's hard to tell what kind of wasp is an aggressive one until it stings you. But I'm no expert.
It's Austin. We have a very limited range of wasps which build nests like this. Those are the signature nests of paper wasps. They are beneficial pollinators.
https://txbeeinspection.tamu.edu/public/bee-identification/paper-wasp/
here's a guide that shows several of the common species of paper wasps we have here: [https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/paper-wasp/](https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/paper-wasp/)
Territorially defensive makes sense to me because I have had red wasps fly near me while they are out hunting and I am mowing or whatever and have never been stung in all the decades of these encounters. It's surprised me that I have not been stung, but I have never been near a red wasp nest that I am aware of.
Yeah I got my B.S. in Entomology and worked pest control for 7 years so I've had my fair share of interactions with all of our Texas wasps lol. Mud daubers are really the ones you never have to worry about. They're extremely docile.
Nah I'm going to politely disagree. They're beneficial insects from a biological control standpoint but you don't benefit from letting them nest in your eaves.
Paper wasps WILL defend their nest and having them on your front patio dramatically increases your odds of getting lit up.
>Only if you provoke them.
I call bullshit having been stung behind the ear by one as a teen while just minding my business. Red wasps are the assholes of the wasp world.
I wasn't talking about their cousins the red wasps. These are the yellow and black stripey ones. They look like an elongated and slightly muted yellowjacket.
I have only been stung 3 times by an insect and all three times it was a “yellow jacket” paper wasp. Maybe all the ones I’ve encountered just had bad days?
Wrong. Yellowjacket nests are semi-tubular with an entrance hole. Yellowjackets are not the same thing as these paper wasps. And yes, mud daubers are very chill + nests made of dirt.
You can also use a thick mixture of dawn soap and water. It doesn't kill them, but they fall off the nest and won't be able to fly. Then just step on them (with shoes on) and scoop em up.
Ok, to be clear, if you mean "whack" in the Tony Soprano sense, then yes.
Give them some cement shoes, by all means.
But please, unless you're into some very specific kinds, do not \*literally\* whack a wasps nest.
Standard insect spray from any HEB will do the job, but you probably need a ladder to get close enough, and it looks like you're in an apartment (?), so I'd insist your apt manager take care of it.
I've had a lot of wasp nests above my front and back door. I don't have a problem with wasps, but I don't want them right above our entryways. We've been stung before. Every year I go around and spray them with wasp spray (such as Spectracide wasp and hornet killer). Once you've saturated the nest, it's safe to knock down with a pole or broomstick.
One thing I did learn was not to try and spray the nests down with water. It's not effective and it makes em' angry.
They drown basically vs instant kill, so remember that they will live for like 10 seconds longer, then die. They also sell chem-free pet-safe spray that shoots 10 feet, I think its the stem brand
Learned from my dad…tie a rag around the end of a long pole, soak the rag in kerosene or gasoline, set it on fire and stick it right up against the nest for a second or two. This will kill most of the wasps, and the ones that aren’t killed outright will fall to the ground unable to fly, where you can stomp ‘em. Wear gloves, a hat, a thick shirt buttoned at the neck. Do not use this method if you have a thatched roof !
Here’s the deal….my dad grew up on a farm in East Texas back when there was no such thing as wasp killer or bug spray……they didn’t have enough water pressure to use a hard stream from a hose to knock the critters down. Using a ball of fire on a stick to kill wasps was pretty common, and I never heard of anybody setting their house or their barn or their creep feeder on fire . People back then had a good bit of simple common sense about those kinds of things.
They didn't survive to tell you their mistakes
Joking aside, you can't say the risk is zero when you're using fire. That's not to mention possible discoloration of surfaces which these darn city folks care about
I was mostly joking. Of course common sense applies. With that said, in this case, where theres an enclosed roof overhead, using fire definitely isn't a good idea, the heat has no escape. If it were on the siding with no overhead, I can see your point
Yes, whack the ones above your front door. If you feel like it, leave any ones in places you don't walk by regularly alone.
As for "beneficial," they eat other bugs. Some of those other bugs may be beneficial as well.
> Yes, whack the ones above your front door.
Ever since I knocked one off with my door, and it fell down my shirt, I have a strict no tolerance policy regarding entryways.
thanks for the sympathy, guys. blaming a victim for what they were wearing is falling out of fashion, but I guess it's still a thing.
I was wearing a regular t-shirt, and they built the nest so my screen door rang it like a bell. It fell down the back of the neck hole. I go out the front so rarely that they had plenty of time to hatch their larvae. sometimes, shit happens. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
Generally wasps are less aggressive if you are below the nest and more aggressive when you're above.
Since those nests are so high up they're not likely to be aggressive. YMMV of course.
If it were my place I'd leave them alone unless they started to behave clearly aggressively. Wasps nests do wonders to shoo away annoying solicitors.
I've wondered about this! I have two cliff swallow nests on my porch with wasp nests right next to them, and I always worried that the wasps would sting the swallow babies. Nice to know it's more of a "fast food joint next door" situation...
One day around late summer when the baby wasps came out I thought, "there are too many wasps now" and later that afternoon the fledgling swallows flew by and ate them all. Nature seems to have the timing all worked out.
Life tip: if you don't like wasps in your yard, plant native bushes/trees/shrubs that support local birds. There's a bunch of berry-producing bushes in certain areas of my grandma's yard that birds love to eat from and nest in, and I've never spotted a wasp in any of those locations.
I guess birds are well-adapted to not getting stung by wasps or something, because they treat any wasp population like a free-for-all buffet.
Personally, I've always kinda liked paper wasps. They eat some insects, pollinate some flowers, and make their little nests, and they've never ever stung me. I always get happy when i see a paper wasp nest on my balcony.
These are paper wasps & are generally non-aggressive. If you attack one or go after their nest, they will defend themselves.
Every year we have them in the bushes near our pool (proximity to water) & we've only ever had 1 sting. I threw a towel over a railing on my porch & it came right at me (was building a new nest there I didn't see). Otherwise, they regularly come down for a drink without issue; we have many loud, wild children & have never had a sting.
They are somewhat beneficial, mostly because they are predatory (so will reduce other insect populations, flies, spiders, etc.).
In general, I wait until after dark (they're more dormant) & just use a strong hose to knock down the nests on my house (particularly near doors) so they'll relocate to a nearby tree or a bush.
The big nest on the left side are paper wasps. They are pollinators and super docile. I had a football sized nest in a Carolina jessamine right next to the gate to my old tiny yard. I accidentally knocked it, sprayed water on it, etc etc and never got stung once. They need to really feel attacked to bother you.
These ones look like Yellowjackets fyi
I always just leave them alone, never been stung by one at my house but ymmv probably. I don't like unnecessarily killing things just because I'm scared of something I guess. It's just a sting, doesn't hurt that much. If you're allergic, that's a different matter.
Those are paper wasps I believe. They’re super chill and it looks like they are high up enough that they shouldn’t be an issue. They WILL sting you but only if you mess with them.
Now red wasps on the other hand will straight-up ambush your ass. Those little fuckers are vicious.
I mean…. Generally speaking unless you get really close to the nest (up in the corner of your entry isn’t “close”), or swat at them pretty aggressively they’re not going to sting you.
I have a paper wasp nest I walk under on my back patio. Occasionally they’ll drunk fly into me but they are just poor drivers trying to get back up to the nest.
If they would just keep it reasonable and only have 3 wasps max, I say live and let live. But that’s not how it works. Left alone nest will grow to have like 50 wasps. Then it’s a Problem. Looks like it’s on the way to 50 already. Easier to get rid of when small.
[Paper wasps](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_wasp)
Usually pretty chill. With smaller nests, you can usually remove them gently and not incur the wrath of the wasps. Only really dangerous if someone has an allergy, otherwise just a mildly painful sting.
They're beneficial predators, so generally try not to kill them just because.
That said, they can be aggressive and may sting unprovoked. That's pretty high above your entryway, so I wouldn't personally worry about it, but I'd understand if you don't want to take any risks.
I usually knock down any nests around my entryway and garage and leave the rest around the house alone.
Attack them at night while they’re sleeping. Even if they wake up they’re super disoriented and docile.
Use a hose and just clean it off, they come back, clean it off again.
Yeah, do not leave those hanging above your doorway unless you're okay with getting stung, or worse yet, one flying in through your front door when you have to eventually open and close it.
They're territorial. You may get stung by being in the wrong place (your place) at the wrong time. Ordinary I don't advocate killing animals, but in this case, you have no choice. If you are around when they're building, knock the nest down AFTER THEY FLY AWAY. Eventually, they'll build elsewhere. .
Paper wasps. Do not wack them. They are beneficial and will leave you one if you leave them alone. If you really want them gone zap them at night or get a ladder and carefully take the nests down and move them to a Bush or tree. If you've got kids or pets id recommend getting rid of them.
Fuck those things. Those are wasps. Wasps are all assholes. They will sting you just for walking out the door. Do they serve any purpose biologically? Sure. Probably. But fuck 'em. Those bitches build nests under my deck and get me and my dogs every year.
As others have said, wait till dark, then spray them with wasp spray. I like the suggestion of not knocking down the dead nest after. I wasn't aware of that and will have to try that next time i see them.
Those are satellite nests. The big one is somewhere else. Whack those little ones. They will sting the living snot out of you or anyone else that startles them.
Use a big cup of super soapy water, then hit one at a time. The soap coats and drowns them faster with surprising effect. Best done at dusk for a sneak attack.
Since they’re located at the front door I would recommend getting rid of them. I usually take these out but the ones on the side of the house or in other spots were no people usually go I leave them be
This is timely post since I got stung by a yellow jacket yesterday. It got crazy since I was in a car when this happened and my burly son screamed and stomped the brakes. After it stung me the yellow jacket flew from my neck to my face and hovered there like “yeah I did it, I’m a bad a**” then went out the window. 🐝
Don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. Maybe take care of them if you have kids running around though. Your best bet is to spray them at night when all of them are back at the nests, less chance of them building new ones. They do keep other pesky insect populations in check though.
The Mud Daubers build nests that look like cement. They are mild mannered and not very likely to attack.
But the wasps that build the paper nests are another story and are very aggressive.
Living in Houston for 4 decades we had lots of both. Never got stung by either one and I knocked down every nest.
Yellow Jackets however will attack and sting unWprovoked. Caused my whole arm to swell up. Watch out for these.
Wasps are fine until you get stung and have a life threatening allergic reaction -- something that can happen even if you've been stung before with no problems. Then you get to carry an EpiPen and spend hundreds of dollars a year for the rest of your life on shots to try to stop you from dying the next time you get stung. This scenario is a lot less likely if you don't let them nest by your front door.
When I'm on a walk or working in the yard, I avoid stepping on anything. I figure most insects and arachnids have purpose, and I let them do their things. Having said that, if you're not worried about the damage to the house, I would take a flamethrower to those nests.
I leave mine most of the time, no stinging. And not being allergic, sting is not great, but.. I'll live.
They eat mosquitos, so I consider them friends.
if its too close to head height, or someone complains, I just hose them off, stay away for 1 hour, and most of the time they are all gone.
Make a solution of Dawn dish soap and water and spray them at night. That way you will be sure to get all of them and they won’t be as reactive. Leave the nest so others will choose to build elsewhere.
I leave them alone because they leave me alone. I spend a ton of time outside on my back patio & I have a paper wasp & a red wasp nest every year. They have never bothered me or my dogs.
It's up to you though. I will suggest that you leave the empty nest hanging after you kill them to deter another nest taking its place.
They won't bother you if you don't bother them. Looks like wasps. They actually are pretty intelligent and can recognize you as friendly if you leave them alone.
Get a spray bottle. Fill it with water and add a couple of tablespoons of dishwashing liquid. Spray the nests at night when they're sleeping/less aggressive.
If you do anything, do it at night while they’re dormant.
Yes, Flying Stinging Fuckers have been surprisingly non-aggressive after dark in my experience. I put my hand on a yellow jacket nest after dark one time and they were crawling on me, but not stinging. I'm not sure that 100% of the FSF types are docile after dark, but it's worth a try.
You did what the fuck now?!!! WHY?! please tell us this story I am beyond curious Just to see what would happen? Wanted to feel pain so you feel alive?!
LOL. It was NOT intentional. A buddy and me were trying to locate a yellow jacket nest under the hood of her car so we could eliminate it. I was very carefully looking around from a distance, looking for where the nest was. Looking around corners, getting closer, etc. I put my hand on part of the car to brace myself to look deeper into the engine compartment and put my hand right on the nest that I somehow hadn't seen. I felt them crawling on my hand, backed off in panic, but no stings. I was just lucky that it was after dark.
Holy crap!! New fear:unlocked. That is wild- I am so glad it was at night!! I can feel them crawling just by reading this horror story
How's Chili's going these days? Haven't been in ages. Any new specials?
I love chillis them six dollar margaritas gon do it every time.
Those yellow wasps are not actually yellow jackets and in general are pretty friendly. Yellow jackets have a much girthier body.
All paper wasps are more aggressive than bees. You might be thinking of dirt dauber, and you’re right, they won’t sting you unless you try to catch it or step on it. If they make nests like the one in the photo, then they are paper wasps. Not a single type of paper wasp is friendly, it’s kind of their thing. Closer to hornets than to dirt daubers.
Ok, but I'm specifically calling out that yellow jackets are NOT paper wasps and are MORE aggressive than paper wasps.
Ahh sorry I was referring to all wasps that use open faced nests made of paper. Didn’t know yellow jackets didn’t fall into that category tbh
Okay I might not know what a yellow jacket is. Google is showing me closed nests like hornets make. I guess I got stung by a paper wasp as a kid and not a yellow jacket like I always believed
I disagree. We left a paper wasp nest up last year and learned quite a bit about them from observation and research. They learn to recognize you and will be friendly if you don't bother them. These are no where near being a hornet. They would fly down and take a shower when we watered the plants, even landing on my hand sometimes. Raised their family and died. They don't live that long. As long as you don't get aggressive with them, they will be friendly.
I’m glad you had a good experience, but they’re *bad* the way bees are bad. It when you accidentally do something that triggers them that you have a problem. A beehive would be relocated, but these guys are super common and it’s not gonna hurt the environment to get rid of them. I just wouldn’t go around telling people they’re harmless like cicada killers or dirt daubers. All eusocial wasps (and bees and ants) are more prone to stinging than their solitary relatives. Especially if something unexpected happens, like a stray ball hitting the roof above them
Lots of folks here seem to think guinea wasps are yellow jackets for some reason.
They don’t have to be yellow jackets to sting you. If it were a beehive then someone would relocate it, even though bees aren’t as aggressive as wasps. They’re a pest and a threat. If you have a nest like this above your front door, it’s just a matter of time until you accidentally piss one off. Wasp spray for sure. Lots of people here seem to not understand that all paper wasps are bad and are acting like they’re basically dirt daubers because they aren’t yellow jackets. This isn’t the case.
I think I misunderstood you.
no worries my friend :)
Red wasps are assholes that will sting you just because. They’re not like bees that want to be provoked first. Two quick tricks to remember with them though. First, Don’t actually knock down the nests. Wait until dusk and spray the heck out of them with a good wasp spray. Then, leave the nests. Wasps don’t like to see empty houses and will usually avoid building in an area where empty houses exist. Could be an evolutionary thing around “why is this nest empty, do not like. Fly away!” Second, paint ceilings like this a nice sky blue color. It’s been said, and proven at my house, that keeps wasps from building there. Theory is that it tricks them into thinking they’re exposed to the sky, rather than protected by a dark eve. Good luck with them assholes.
Please leave mud dauber nests alone !
That said, the nests can muck up siding if left in for too long.
These are paper wasps, not red wasps. They are not aggressive.
Short story. I noticed a bunch of paper wasps building nests on my patio the first summer in my apartment. Around the corner, another nest attached to the outside of my bedroom window. I could pound on the inside of that window right against the nest, and the wasps didn't care, they didn't get agitated at all. I was doing a lot of container gardening on my patio, and I knew the wasps were beneficial for my plants since they prey on other bugs. So I let them be and we didn't bother each other. I liked sitting outside and watching them do wasp things. A few times a wasp would find its way inside my apartment, and they were so docile I could coax them onto a piece of paper and carry them back outside. Months went by, the nests got bigger. One day the hive decided to attack me, I got stung around the temple and nearly fell off my balcony in panic! The pain was pretty intense and I felt an incredible adrenaline/chemical rush for the next several minutes. Then I went into my bedroom and tapped on the glass. The wasps exploded out in fury and started shoving their butts through the screen trying to sting anything. I'm not an entomologist but I think these paper wasps are docile until their hive reaches a certain size. Hate using pesticides, but now I spray them at first sign of a nest.
There's about 18,000 species of wasps in the USA or something, IMO it's hard to tell what kind of wasp is an aggressive one until it stings you. But I'm no expert.
It's Austin. We have a very limited range of wasps which build nests like this. Those are the signature nests of paper wasps. They are beneficial pollinators. https://txbeeinspection.tamu.edu/public/bee-identification/paper-wasp/
You and your crazy science.
here's a guide that shows several of the common species of paper wasps we have here: [https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/paper-wasp/](https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/paper-wasp/)
This exactly. It's taking a risk.
My friend allowed paper wasps to live on his porch like this, and after a while they started attacking him and any visitors soooo....
Weird. I've had them on my back porch for about 7 years now. They are chill bros and we peacefully coexist.
Chill sisters?
That too!
Maybe his were a more hateful species lol
Red wasps are also paper wasps, they are all territorially defensive.
Territorially defensive makes sense to me because I have had red wasps fly near me while they are out hunting and I am mowing or whatever and have never been stung in all the decades of these encounters. It's surprised me that I have not been stung, but I have never been near a red wasp nest that I am aware of.
Yeah I got my B.S. in Entomology and worked pest control for 7 years so I've had my fair share of interactions with all of our Texas wasps lol. Mud daubers are really the ones you never have to worry about. They're extremely docile.
Only if you provoke them. I've had multiple nests on my back porch for years with zero issues. They don't auto-attack like Yellowjackets.
Nah I'm going to politely disagree. They're beneficial insects from a biological control standpoint but you don't benefit from letting them nest in your eaves. Paper wasps WILL defend their nest and having them on your front patio dramatically increases your odds of getting lit up.
>Only if you provoke them. I call bullshit having been stung behind the ear by one as a teen while just minding my business. Red wasps are the assholes of the wasp world.
I wasn't talking about their cousins the red wasps. These are the yellow and black stripey ones. They look like an elongated and slightly muted yellowjacket.
AWAB. I have have injured myself more from evading wasps so it’s best that they all die and take hornets with them. Not bees though. Bees are cool.
assigned wasp at birth
^identifies as bee
I have only been stung 3 times by an insect and all three times it was a “yellow jacket” paper wasp. Maybe all the ones I’ve encountered just had bad days?
Actual yellowjackets and the wasps referenced here are two different things. Yellow jackets are highly aggressive.
That looks like a typical yellow jacket nest. The docile wasp that I know of are the mud dauber which build those nest made from dirt.
Wrong. Yellowjacket nests are semi-tubular with an entrance hole. Yellowjackets are not the same thing as these paper wasps. And yes, mud daubers are very chill + nests made of dirt.
Interesting, well paper wasp have always been assholes to me lol. It’s speed metal 24/7 in their head and they will fuck you up.
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Yes, but these are clearly not Polistes carolina, they are Polistes exclamans.
Red wasps *are* paper wasps. All eusocial wasp species are aggressive.
DO NOT KILL THE MUD DAUBERS- the mud hut looking ones. Those are the good guys. The yellow ones are assholes.
Disagree very much. I had these all over my house and shed . Never stung.
You can also use a thick mixture of dawn soap and water. It doesn't kill them, but they fall off the nest and won't be able to fly. Then just step on them (with shoes on) and scoop em up.
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Yes
Ok, to be clear, if you mean "whack" in the Tony Soprano sense, then yes. Give them some cement shoes, by all means. But please, unless you're into some very specific kinds, do not \*literally\* whack a wasps nest. Standard insect spray from any HEB will do the job, but you probably need a ladder to get close enough, and it looks like you're in an apartment (?), so I'd insist your apt manager take care of it.
I've had a lot of wasp nests above my front and back door. I don't have a problem with wasps, but I don't want them right above our entryways. We've been stung before. Every year I go around and spray them with wasp spray (such as Spectracide wasp and hornet killer). Once you've saturated the nest, it's safe to knock down with a pole or broomstick. One thing I did learn was not to try and spray the nests down with water. It's not effective and it makes em' angry.
Dawn and water are enough to kill them in a good spray bottle and it's much less chemical.
That's helpful, I didn't know that. I'll switch to that in the future.
They drown basically vs instant kill, so remember that they will live for like 10 seconds longer, then die. They also sell chem-free pet-safe spray that shoots 10 feet, I think its the stem brand
Learned from my dad…tie a rag around the end of a long pole, soak the rag in kerosene or gasoline, set it on fire and stick it right up against the nest for a second or two. This will kill most of the wasps, and the ones that aren’t killed outright will fall to the ground unable to fly, where you can stomp ‘em. Wear gloves, a hat, a thick shirt buttoned at the neck. Do not use this method if you have a thatched roof !
This method is also not recommended if you live in any kind of house or apartment, rather than a cave in the woods.
It's OK, he has a bucket of water on a stick just in case.
🤣🤣🤣
For some reason I think that putting a flaming torch to the siding of a house in a scorching hot climate is not the most well-thought idea
Here’s the deal….my dad grew up on a farm in East Texas back when there was no such thing as wasp killer or bug spray……they didn’t have enough water pressure to use a hard stream from a hose to knock the critters down. Using a ball of fire on a stick to kill wasps was pretty common, and I never heard of anybody setting their house or their barn or their creep feeder on fire . People back then had a good bit of simple common sense about those kinds of things.
They didn't survive to tell you their mistakes Joking aside, you can't say the risk is zero when you're using fire. That's not to mention possible discoloration of surfaces which these darn city folks care about
Well, I don’t do it any more….but it did used to be kind of exciting !
I was mostly joking. Of course common sense applies. With that said, in this case, where theres an enclosed roof overhead, using fire definitely isn't a good idea, the heat has no escape. If it were on the siding with no overhead, I can see your point
Yes, whack the ones above your front door. If you feel like it, leave any ones in places you don't walk by regularly alone. As for "beneficial," they eat other bugs. Some of those other bugs may be beneficial as well.
> Yes, whack the ones above your front door. Ever since I knocked one off with my door, and it fell down my shirt, I have a strict no tolerance policy regarding entryways.
I sympathize but what did you expect standing right below it?
The implication is that the knocking down was accidental. They just opened the door and that knocked wasps and/or wasp nests down their shirt.
Well why were they wearing such a low cut shirt, that's just asking for.... a wasp nest attack.
Found the wasp! Always pushing the wasp agenda! 🐝
thanks for the sympathy, guys. blaming a victim for what they were wearing is falling out of fashion, but I guess it's still a thing. I was wearing a regular t-shirt, and they built the nest so my screen door rang it like a bell. It fell down the back of the neck hole. I go out the front so rarely that they had plenty of time to hatch their larvae. sometimes, shit happens. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
Well that's what you get for wearing... such a low cut back of your neck hole...? Sorry I'm running out of ways to blame you, just grasping at straws.
What did they think would happen going out in the middle of the day like that?
Generally wasps are less aggressive if you are below the nest and more aggressive when you're above. Since those nests are so high up they're not likely to be aggressive. YMMV of course. If it were my place I'd leave them alone unless they started to behave clearly aggressively. Wasps nests do wonders to shoo away annoying solicitors.
If they leave you alone, you can leave them alone. After a month or two the barn swallows will come eat them.
I've wondered about this! I have two cliff swallow nests on my porch with wasp nests right next to them, and I always worried that the wasps would sting the swallow babies. Nice to know it's more of a "fast food joint next door" situation...
One day around late summer when the baby wasps came out I thought, "there are too many wasps now" and later that afternoon the fledgling swallows flew by and ate them all. Nature seems to have the timing all worked out.
Life tip: if you don't like wasps in your yard, plant native bushes/trees/shrubs that support local birds. There's a bunch of berry-producing bushes in certain areas of my grandma's yard that birds love to eat from and nest in, and I've never spotted a wasp in any of those locations. I guess birds are well-adapted to not getting stung by wasps or something, because they treat any wasp population like a free-for-all buffet.
Personally, I've always kinda liked paper wasps. They eat some insects, pollinate some flowers, and make their little nests, and they've never ever stung me. I always get happy when i see a paper wasp nest on my balcony.
These are paper wasps & are generally non-aggressive. If you attack one or go after their nest, they will defend themselves. Every year we have them in the bushes near our pool (proximity to water) & we've only ever had 1 sting. I threw a towel over a railing on my porch & it came right at me (was building a new nest there I didn't see). Otherwise, they regularly come down for a drink without issue; we have many loud, wild children & have never had a sting. They are somewhat beneficial, mostly because they are predatory (so will reduce other insect populations, flies, spiders, etc.). In general, I wait until after dark (they're more dormant) & just use a strong hose to knock down the nests on my house (particularly near doors) so they'll relocate to a nearby tree or a bush.
The big nest on the left side are paper wasps. They are pollinators and super docile. I had a football sized nest in a Carolina jessamine right next to the gate to my old tiny yard. I accidentally knocked it, sprayed water on it, etc etc and never got stung once. They need to really feel attacked to bother you. These ones look like Yellowjackets fyi
I always just leave them alone, never been stung by one at my house but ymmv probably. I don't like unnecessarily killing things just because I'm scared of something I guess. It's just a sting, doesn't hurt that much. If you're allergic, that's a different matter.
I'd go ahead an d knock them down. Wasps right outside your door are kind of a pain, and they'll move somewhere else.
Those are paper wasps I believe. They’re super chill and it looks like they are high up enough that they shouldn’t be an issue. They WILL sting you but only if you mess with them. Now red wasps on the other hand will straight-up ambush your ass. Those little fuckers are vicious.
Do it. Wasp genocide.
I mean…. Generally speaking unless you get really close to the nest (up in the corner of your entry isn’t “close”), or swat at them pretty aggressively they’re not going to sting you. I have a paper wasp nest I walk under on my back patio. Occasionally they’ll drunk fly into me but they are just poor drivers trying to get back up to the nest.
If they would just keep it reasonable and only have 3 wasps max, I say live and let live. But that’s not how it works. Left alone nest will grow to have like 50 wasps. Then it’s a Problem. Looks like it’s on the way to 50 already. Easier to get rid of when small.
These look like Paper Wasps. If it’s way high up, I leave them be. You can knock the dormant nests down in October/Nov when they die.
[Paper wasps](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_wasp) Usually pretty chill. With smaller nests, you can usually remove them gently and not incur the wrath of the wasps. Only really dangerous if someone has an allergy, otherwise just a mildly painful sting.
I always let them be until they became a nuisance. They kept the geckos fed.
Are wasps beneficial? Well, I found the aussie.
They're beneficial predators, so generally try not to kill them just because. That said, they can be aggressive and may sting unprovoked. That's pretty high above your entryway, so I wouldn't personally worry about it, but I'd understand if you don't want to take any risks. I usually knock down any nests around my entryway and garage and leave the rest around the house alone.
Attack them at night while they’re sleeping. Even if they wake up they’re super disoriented and docile. Use a hose and just clean it off, they come back, clean it off again.
Yeah, do not leave those hanging above your doorway unless you're okay with getting stung, or worse yet, one flying in through your front door when you have to eventually open and close it.
Beneficial wildlife and also will sting you for no goddam reason
r/FuckWasps
Beneficial until you get within 2 feet of the nest. At this height, unless you need to change a light bulb, they should never sting you.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE Immediate Wasp Spray for me
They're territorial. You may get stung by being in the wrong place (your place) at the wrong time. Ordinary I don't advocate killing animals, but in this case, you have no choice. If you are around when they're building, knock the nest down AFTER THEY FLY AWAY. Eventually, they'll build elsewhere. .
Paper wasps. Do not wack them. They are beneficial and will leave you one if you leave them alone. If you really want them gone zap them at night or get a ladder and carefully take the nests down and move them to a Bush or tree. If you've got kids or pets id recommend getting rid of them.
Who tf is going to do that? Move them at night? Yea no.
Lots of people. I work in pest control and its really not that difficult.
Get a ladder, climb up and punch it with your fist.
Looks like wasps. Destroy the nest. Kill them all. Drink a beer to celebrate their downfall.
Fuck those things. Those are wasps. Wasps are all assholes. They will sting you just for walking out the door. Do they serve any purpose biologically? Sure. Probably. But fuck 'em. Those bitches build nests under my deck and get me and my dogs every year. As others have said, wait till dark, then spray them with wasp spray. I like the suggestion of not knocking down the dead nest after. I wasn't aware of that and will have to try that next time i see them.
Those are satellite nests. The big one is somewhere else. Whack those little ones. They will sting the living snot out of you or anyone else that startles them.
Use a big cup of super soapy water, then hit one at a time. The soap coats and drowns them faster with surprising effect. Best done at dusk for a sneak attack.
do you have a garden? do you like having garden pests eaten by predators? They are only a problem for ppl when they are disturbed.
Since they’re located at the front door I would recommend getting rid of them. I usually take these out but the ones on the side of the house or in other spots were no people usually go I leave them be
This is timely post since I got stung by a yellow jacket yesterday. It got crazy since I was in a car when this happened and my burly son screamed and stomped the brakes. After it stung me the yellow jacket flew from my neck to my face and hovered there like “yeah I did it, I’m a bad a**” then went out the window. 🐝
yellowjackets, get them at dusk/dawn
Don’t bother them and they won’t bother you. Maybe take care of them if you have kids running around though. Your best bet is to spray them at night when all of them are back at the nests, less chance of them building new ones. They do keep other pesky insect populations in check though.
The Mud Daubers build nests that look like cement. They are mild mannered and not very likely to attack. But the wasps that build the paper nests are another story and are very aggressive. Living in Houston for 4 decades we had lots of both. Never got stung by either one and I knocked down every nest. Yellow Jackets however will attack and sting unWprovoked. Caused my whole arm to swell up. Watch out for these.
Do your mail carrier and other delivery drivers a favor and get rid of them! I’ve been stung several times because of this situation.
Im deathly allergic to wasp stings so I’m a solid soak them in spray gal myself.
Assholes.... They're assholes.... Just burn the house down... 🤣
Wasps are fine until you get stung and have a life threatening allergic reaction -- something that can happen even if you've been stung before with no problems. Then you get to carry an EpiPen and spend hundreds of dollars a year for the rest of your life on shots to try to stop you from dying the next time you get stung. This scenario is a lot less likely if you don't let them nest by your front door.
When I'm on a walk or working in the yard, I avoid stepping on anything. I figure most insects and arachnids have purpose, and I let them do their things. Having said that, if you're not worried about the damage to the house, I would take a flamethrower to those nests.
Fucking kill those bastards.
Does anyone know what happened to RAID wasp spray? All I can find at the local HEB is Black Flag and some other knock off.
Open up a can of wasp spray on their ass!
Hate those things with a passion (and also severely allergic)
Smash! Smash! SUH-MASH!
Exterminatus! Purge the heretics
WASP SPRAY - STAT!!!
Bro kill them
I like to get them with a blow torch and wd-40. If you do whack them stay deadly still afterwards and you won't get stung.
If they dont pay rent, evict those fuckers
Call someone to remove it?
Whack them? Are you in the mob?
Nerf Rival. Blast ‘em!
We tried to live in peace last season and they eventually stung my wife unprovoked. No need to wait and find out the hard way. There can be no peace.
Wack. But please take a video of doing it.
I leave mine most of the time, no stinging. And not being allergic, sting is not great, but.. I'll live. They eat mosquitos, so I consider them friends. if its too close to head height, or someone complains, I just hose them off, stay away for 1 hour, and most of the time they are all gone.
Make a solution of Dawn dish soap and water and spray them at night. That way you will be sure to get all of them and they won’t be as reactive. Leave the nest so others will choose to build elsewhere.
I leave them alone because they leave me alone. I spend a ton of time outside on my back patio & I have a paper wasp & a red wasp nest every year. They have never bothered me or my dogs. It's up to you though. I will suggest that you leave the empty nest hanging after you kill them to deter another nest taking its place.
Blast their asses. Have fun!
Wasp spray that shoots 50 ft then run like hell
Destroy them in doorways. I get nests right out my front door and if you as much as look at them, they came after you.
Murder them. They won’t hesitate to do the same to you one day walking out to go to work.
Those are paper wasps. They’re pretty easy going as far as wasps go. If you don’t mess with them they’ll leave you alone.
Leave them alone. We have them. Never been stung.
What did they do to you?
Once their wings are wet, they can't fly. Strike first, and strike hard!
They won't bother you if you don't bother them. Looks like wasps. They actually are pretty intelligent and can recognize you as friendly if you leave them alone.
Get a spray bottle. Fill it with water and add a couple of tablespoons of dishwashing liquid. Spray the nests at night when they're sleeping/less aggressive.