How to Control Stinging Insects in and around Your Home

Controlling stinging insects in and around your home is certainly a challenge, but it’s not impossible. Stinging insects pose a threat to people and animals, so getting rid of them is important for preventing injury.

There is quite a variety of stinging insects, and different methods apply to different types. Therefore, the important first step is to identify what kind of stinging insects you have. Then you can apply the appropriate method. So here are some general tips and suggestions that may help you with stinging insect control in and around your home.

1. Stinging Insects in Walls or Trees

If you have a nest of yellow jackets inside your walls or in trees in your yard, it’s not a good idea to expose the whole nest right away. Instead, spray or dust insecticidal powder around the entry and exit point of the nest. You may need to do this a couple of times, until a large number of the adult stinging insects are dead.

Once most of the adults are dead, seal off the point of entry into your home (for insects in walls). Use caulk or something similar to seal it completely.

2. Hornet and Wasp Nests

Some nests are not in walls, but instead are in aerial nests – often made of paper. For this type of insect, a long-distance spray that can shoot straight into the nest from 8 to 10 feet away is ideal. Aim directly for the nest, and if it is the type with an opening at the bottom, aim into that. Once the insects are dead, you can leave the nest where it is or gather it in a trash bag.

3. Ground Nests

Some stinging insects, like yellow jackets and bumblebees, will make their nests in the ground. Don’t try to dig it up or expose it; instead, go for the entry and exit point of the nest, as in #1 above. Spray or use powder where the insects access the nest. Sources say that the nest will not be reused once the insects are killed.

Some types of stinging insects make tunnels, the tops of which can be seen on the surface of the ground. For these, you can spray the ground where you see the tunnels, then use a rake to damage them. The insects will ingest the poison when they repair the tunnels.

4. Work at Night or in the Evening

Regardless of which method you use to eradicate stinging insects, working at night keeps you safer from stings than attempting to spray or dust in the daytime. Also, wear gloves and a hat, and cover as much of your skin as possible.

Hopefully, if you’re careful and persistent, you’ll get rid of those pesky (and dangerous) stinging insects.

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