Bath Garden Center
- Jun 22, 2023
- 4 min read

How To Get Rid of Wasps in Your Yard

Wasps are a particularly nasty insect to have living in your yard, landscaping, or around your garden. They are a nuisance, they are aggressive, and in the case of allergies, they can be deadly. If you are faced with a situation where you have a wasp infestation in your backyard and are wondering how to get rid of wasps, we have some specific things you can do to eliminate them safely.

1. Trap the Queen in the Spring

Understanding the behavior of wasps is crucial to keeping their numbers down. The entire hive is reliant on the queen wasp, and without her, the hive cannot last. Because of this, worker wasps will follow her wherever she goes and protect her at all costs. Throughout the winter, the queen hybernates in a protected space until it is finally warm enough in spring for her to venture out and find a new place to call home. It is at this time that the worker wasps will build and maintain their hive, gathering food for the queen and supporting her while she lays eggs and grows the population of the wasp hive.

Ideally, if the queen wasp can be trapped early enough in the spring before she selects a site for her hive, this will prevent the hive from forming in the first place and you can avoid having a whole colony of wasps living in your space. Using a wasp trap can be an incredibly effective and eco-friendly way to achieve this and prevent major issues all summer. These traps use pheromones, attracting wasps to the traps but repelling bees, so you don't have to worry about ensuring these beneficial pollinators in a trap meant for wasps. So, if you are noticing wasps flying around your yard or have had issues with wasps in the past, purchase a wasp trap online today!

2. Does Soapy Water Kill Wasps?

If you are already dealing with a wasp infestation around your home and garden, an easy home remedy for wasps that experts say is worth a try is soapy water. Soapy water can be an effective home remedy for getting rid of wasps and is also an environmentally friendly option for wasp management. Some wasp removal experts say that you can handle small hanging nests with soap and water wasp spray as this method gets rid of the wasp infestation by suffocating them. The soap will clog their spiracles, the pores that they breathe through, and will kill them almost immediately.

To kill wasps with soapy water, mix 2 tablespoons of dish soap in a spray bottle or hose-end sprayer and fill it with water. You will want to spray the wasp nest in the morning or evening when wasp activity is lowest, otherwise, you could risk agitating the hive. Approach the wasp hive with caution and do your best to avoid provoking them. A spray bottle will work, however, we recommend using a hose-end sprayer that will allow you to spray the next from a safe distance, as wasps are likely to begin to react to the soapy water solution as you begin to spray the nest. We also recommend wearing protective clothing or at the very least covering your skin in order to minimize the risk of getting stung.

3. Use A Decoy Nest as a Deterrent

With all the bad buzz that wasps get, they actually do have an important role in the ecosystem. Wasps are predatory insects and they feed on pests like aphids, caterpillars, and mosquitoes, among others. Wasps also aid in pollination and can be very beneficial to gardens and crops. So, instead of immediately resorting to killing any wasps in sight, decoy nests are a less aggressive and equally effective option. Decoy Hornet’s Nest work by acting as a scarecrow. Hornets are natural predators of wasps, so placing a decoy nest near where you are noticing wasps congregating or anywhere you do not want them to be signals to the wasps that their predators are near and discourages them from building their hive in the area. Decoy nests can be very effective, however, their main function is to prevent a wasp nest from forming in the first place. If you already have a wasp nest, you will have to remove them first. So, if you are noticing wasps in the area and want to deter them from beginning to build a hive, purchase this wasp decoy online today!

4. Use Wasp Spray

Wasp spray is often the tool most turn to when you have an existing issue with wasps in your garden, landscaping, or around your home. If you choose to go this route, try to go with an eco-friendly option like EcoSmart Wasp & Hornet Killer. This alternative to chemical pest control options is safe for children and pets and kills on contact. As we mentioned above, it is best to spray the nests at sunrise or sunset when they are less active. Soak the nest and try to spray as many insects out as you can. It will be important to make sure you have enough spray to finish the job the first time, or enough wasps will survive that the population will regenerate and be back to its normal size before you know it. So, if you are considering this option for how to get rid of wasps around your home, pick up a couple of bottles of wasp spray to ensure you have enough. Worst case scenario, you might have some extra for the next time wasps decide to try to move into the neighborhood. Purchase wasp spray online today!