Annoying insectoid

Wasps have been hammering our garden the last weeks, and when I found the nest hidden in a rocky wall near our house I decided to do something against the little buggers.

In our family we often use a powdered agent designed to kill ants, as a wasp killer. Powdering every few hours just where the wasps land before they enter the nest makes the workers bring the slow-acting poison into the nest, killing the nest from the inside out.

So off we went, filling the nest up with large amounts of this stuff. Everything looked good, the buzzing around the garden decreased, and I had a very enjoyable 20-year birthday party with my friends with no wasps flying around.

The day after the party the whole family went on vacation, and while we were gone the wasps got back to shape. As I came home yesterday I noticed frenetic activity around the nest, with the venomous insects flying in and out like never before. Obviously, our previously so successful method failed this time.

Back to school. I went online and did some googling and researching, finding out some tricks and hints when exterminating nests like these, and after nightfall today (wasps are much more friendly during the night) I set off to work. Ignoring the 30-degree (C) heat of the evening, I scrubbed up in boots, sailor’s pants, thick rubber gloves, protective eyewear and a hooded, dark jacket. This time I wouldn’t simply be throwing in powder, this time I would have to stand outside the nest for up to a half minute while spraying the entry with various substances. I probably needed good gear for the job.

My dad always keeps a good stock of tools and chemicals at home, and I quickly located two aerosol cans with motor starter. Motor starter spray contains a lot of nice petroleum substances and has a really thick odour, and was recommended in several forums. I sneaked up to the nest and sprayed from both bottles for about 20 seconds before hastily running into the garage and closing the door behind me.

Next round: A wad of paper soaked with acetone. Acetone is very mobile and easily evaporates into the air, and the fumes should kill of any insects or nests. The wad was pushed far into the opening with a steel rod, blocking the entry with the smelly paper. Next, I put a wad soaked with gasoline in as well, since acetone evaporates so quickly that the wad would be powerless in a couple of minutes. Then, I crossed my fingers that these insects are non-smokers, otherwise the stone wall they’ve built their nest in would turn into a fireball.

Because of the protective gear the wasps didn’t get to sting me even once, but I noted that they were very non-aggressive, even when I first attacked their home with the spray. Probably I could have relaxed with the protection, good gloves and a jacket was probably enough to keep them off me, but better safe than sorry!

An hour after the treatment I checked back on the nest. This time there was no crawling or flying around, and the buzzing had gone silent. Most of the nest is probably dead by now, but I’ll let the wads stick in for a couple of days before carefully dissecting the remains.

Wasp extermination was fun, especially with all the chemicals and gear involved. Now, I know that these insects do a lot of good as well (the Wikipedia article is an interesting read), but when they are this close to the house they get in the way.

To sum it all up: Wasps – Jonathan: 0-1